Michael’s opening weekend wasn’t quite as big as Mario’s, but it beat out Project Hail Mary
Michael, a biopic about Michael Jackson, dethroned The Super Mario Galaxy Movie at the U.S. box office after a strong opening weekend.
Domestically, Deadline reports that Michael has earned $97 million, while its global opening weekend performance amounts to $217 million. Michael’s three-day opening wasn’t quite as big as The Super Mario Galaxy Movie’s, but it was more than enough to take the top spot at the box office this weekend. According to Deadline, these were the top ten film grosses for the weekend of April 24:
- Michael: $97 million
- The Super Mario Galaxy Movie: $21.2 million
- Project Hail Mary: $13.2 million
- Lee Cronin’s The Mummy: $5.63 million
- The Drama: $2.64 million
- Hoppers: $1.9 million
- You, Me & Tuscany: $1.5 million
- Over Your Dead Body: $1.42 million
- Mother Mary: $1.25 million
- American Youngboy: $1.19 million
While Michael only had the second-biggest opening of 2026, it still broke some records. The movie beat Straight Outta Compton’s biopic opening weekend record and had the highest-grossing first three days of any Lionsgate release since The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2 in 2015. Michael now has the opening weekend that all other live-action movies released this year will try to outgross, even though The Super Mario Galaxy Movie retains the top spot.
Critics have been less kind to the movie recounting the life of one of the most influential performers ever. The film sits at a “generally unfavorable” Metascore of 39 on Metacritic and at 38% on Rotten Tomatoes. We at Polygon critisized the film for ignoring the sexual assault allegations that have been leveled at Michael Jackson before and after his death.
Audiences seem to be resonating with Michael a lot more, as it has much higher user ratings on Metacritic and Rotten Tomatoes. After such a strong opening and audience reception, Michael will likely stay in theaters for quite a while.