‘Michael’ becomes highest-grossing music biopic, studio cites $911.9M worldwide total

“Michael,” the Lionsgate and Universal-backed film about pop artist Michael Jackson, has overtaken “Bohemian Rhapsody” to become the highest-grossing music biopic of all time, Deadline reported in an exclusive update published June 12, 2026. The new industry tally cites $911.9 million in worldwide box office for “Michael,” compared with the prior benchmark “Bohemian Rhapsody,” which the report describes as the former record-holder.

Deadline’s coverage frames the change as the latest milestone in the film’s commercial run, noting the scale of its global total. The report does not describe any specific one-week event that produced the new position, but it characterizes the record switch as the result of cumulative worldwide grosses reaching a level that places “Michael” ahead of the earlier film in the music biopic category.

The film’s record-setting performance adds to the ongoing discussion within major studios about the market durability of music-based biopics, which combine brand recognition, theatrical audience draw, and post-theatrical release strategies across domestic and international markets. For entertainment companies, a top-tier box office ranking can affect how internal teams evaluate marketing spend, distribution terms, and future packaging of similar projects, particularly when a title reaches a new ceiling for its genre.

For audiences and families, music biopics are often viewed as a bridge between generations, especially when films reintroduce major artists and eras to viewers who did not experience the original releases firsthand. “Michael” now sits at the top of a short list of genre contenders associated with major awards and large audience interest, according to the reported box office comparison.

Deadline’s update attributes the record to Lionsgate and Universal, but the coverage does not provide additional figures in the summary about budget, release dates, or regional breakdowns. The report also does not specify whether the $911.9 million total reflects only theatrical grosses or how it treats any re-releases or market variations, leaving the calculation method to the underlying box office data used by industry trackers.

Beyond box office, a record-holder can carry downstream implications for labor and production planning. Large musical biopic budgets typically involve substantial casts and crews, along with rights clearances for music, likenesses, and archival materials. When a film reaches record performance, it can influence how studios and rights-holders negotiate subsequent projects, including contract terms tied to commercial results.

The next steps for the industry likely involve continued accounting of the final worldwide total and how it is treated across trade reporting, since box office totals can shift slightly as markets consolidate tallies. For filmmakers and executives, the record also becomes a reference point in future deal-making, including how companies frame audience reach for theatrically driven releases before they move to streaming and other platforms.