Queen Still Reigns, But Michael Jackson Is Closing the Box Office Gap

Queen still rules the music bio‑pic box office, for now. Bohemian Rhapsody continues to be the gold standard, raking in a massive $910.8 million worldwide — that’s $622.1 million more than second‑place Elvis which made $288.7 million. For years, that record has looked to be almost unbeatable, but recently there’s been more competition.

The early numbers for Michael, the Michael Jackson bio-pic, are strong. The film smashed records with the biggest opening weekend ever for a music bio‑pic — earning $217 million globally, including $97 million in the U.S. alone. That blows past even Bohemian Rhapsody, which debuted at $51 million in 2018.

Thanks to that massive opening weekend, Michael has already jumped to number three on the all‑time highest‑grossing music bio‑pic list, trailing only Bohemian Rhapsody and Elvis. It’s also now the second‑biggest film debut of 2026, behind The Super Mario Galaxy Movie. If this pace holds, Queen’s box‑office crown could fall somewhere down the line.

[Source: Premiere]