Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer Is No Longer The Biggest Biopic Ever At The Box Office

There's a new king of biopics at the global box office. Somewhat fittingly, it's the King of Pop. "Michael," Antoine Fuqua's biopic about pop icon Michael Jackson, has officially passed Christopher Nolan's "Oppenheimer" at the box office.

While much of the focus over the weekend was dedicated to "Supergirl" flopping in its debut at the box office, "Michael" very quietly slid into the record books in its 10th weekend in theaters. It added just $905,000 domestically but, rather crucially, $8.2 million internationally. That brings its running total to $370.2 million domestically to go with a whopping $607.2 million overseas for a grand total of $977.4 million worldwide.

"Oppenheimer" became the highest-grossing biopic of all-time in 2023, taking in $975.8 million worldwide. Nolan's take on the life of J. Robert Oppenheimer, which stars Cillian Murphy in the lead role, had a similar split at the box office, bringing in $330 million domestically and $645.7 million internationally during its impressive run. It was just one half of the bombshell box office success that was Barbenheimer, with both "Barbie" and "Oppenheimer" ruling the summer of 2023 after opening on the same weekend.

But for as much as Nolan is arguably the champion of modern blockbuster cinema, Michael Jackson was a global superstar unrivaled in his popularity. With his real-life nephew Jafaar Jackson portraying him in "Michael," the result was a crowd-pleaser that is now threatening to become just the second Hollywood release of 2026 to pass the $1 billion mark globally. "The Super Mario Galaxy Movie" was Hollywood's first $1 billion hit of the year, but Mario and Luigi may soon have some company.

To be clear, this isn't about lowering one to raise the other. Christopher Nolan's "Oppenheimer" was the first blockbuster to win Best Picture at the Oscars in 20 years, and it secured multiple other Oscars as well. Universal Pictures took a huge gamble giving a movie of this sort a $100 million budget, but it paid off and then some for all involved. It remains a towering achievement in the modern era. "Michael" passing it in terms of raw dollars grossed takes nothing away from that. 

All of that having been said, "Michael" is far from a critical darling and has courted a lot of controversy. Lionsgate and Antoine Fuqua had to reshoot the entire third act amid behind-the-scenes drama, which stemmed from a settlement agreement between Michael Jackson's estate and one of the individuals who accused Jackson of sexual misconduct. The film's budget ballooned to upwards of $200 million as a result, making it an enormous risk for Lionsgate, itself a studio that doesn't have the financial resources of Disney or Warner Bros., for example.

Yet, it all worked out, and the biopic has moonwalked its way into the history books. "Michael" had already surpassed "Bohemian Rhapsody" at the box office, becoming the biggest musical biopic ever. Now, it's the biggest biopic without the need for a qualifier. Lionsgate is also said to be planning a sequel focusing on Jackson's later years, which makes sense in light of the first movie's financial success.

To what degree that's going to make any sense creatively is another question entirely, but money speaks louder than anything else in Hollywood. That's pretty much how it always has been and probably always will be.

"Michael" is currently in theaters.