JamesG
04-27-2026, 02:48 AM
Michael Rocks Box Office with Record-Setting $97 Million Debut
by Rebecca Rubin
April 26, 2026
There’s a new box office king. Michael, a biopic from Lionsgate about the King of Pop, Michael Jackson, arrived in theaters as an instant sensation with $97 million domestically and $217 million globally in its first weekend of release.
Michael also notched the second-biggest debut of the year behind April’s sequel The Super Mario Galaxy Movie ($131 million).
The movie is rocking the box office despite the mostly terrible reviews (only 38% of which were positive on Rotten Tomatoes).
Audiences, however, strongly disagreed with the majority of critics and embraced Michael with an “A-” grade on CinemaScore exit polls.
Reigning champ The Super Mario Galaxy Movie slid to second place after three weekends in the No. 1 spot.
Universal’s animated sequel about the beloved Nintendo characters has added $21.2 million from 3,732 theaters, boosting revenues to $384 million domestically and more than $800 million globally.
Project Hail Mary was No. 3 with $13.2 million from 3,510 locations, a remarkable tally for a film in its sixth weekend of release.
So far, the space epic, starring Ryan Gosling, has generated a mighty $305 million in North America and $613 million worldwide.
A24’s thriller Mother Mary, starring Anne Hathaway as a pop star on the eve of a comeback, earned $1.3 million while expanding to 1,103 theaters.
After playing on five screens last weekend, “Mother Mary” has generated a so-so $1.4 million to date.
Lorne, a documentary about small-screen icon Lorne Michaels, struggled to break out with $70,000 from 248 theaters.
The film, directed by Morgan Neville and distributed by Focus Features, has collected $426,000 while playing in limited release.
https://variety.com/2026/film/box-office/michael-box-office-opening-weekend-record-1236730805/
April 24-26, 2026: Weekend Studio Estimates
1. Michael $97,000,000
2. The Super Mario Galaxy Movie $21,200,000 / $386,493,150
3. Project Hail Mary $13,208,000 / $305,431,522
4. Lee Cronin's The Mummy $5,630,000 / $23,451,688
5. The Drama $2,648,086 / $44,803,603
6. Hoppers $1,900,000 / $164,156,679
7. You, Me & Tuscany $1,500,000 / $17,631,980
8. Over Your Dead Body $1,425,000
9. Mother Mary $1,253,486 / $1,486,034
10. American Youngboy $1,194,000
by Rebecca Rubin
April 26, 2026
There’s a new box office king. Michael, a biopic from Lionsgate about the King of Pop, Michael Jackson, arrived in theaters as an instant sensation with $97 million domestically and $217 million globally in its first weekend of release.
Michael also notched the second-biggest debut of the year behind April’s sequel The Super Mario Galaxy Movie ($131 million).
The movie is rocking the box office despite the mostly terrible reviews (only 38% of which were positive on Rotten Tomatoes).
Audiences, however, strongly disagreed with the majority of critics and embraced Michael with an “A-” grade on CinemaScore exit polls.
Reigning champ The Super Mario Galaxy Movie slid to second place after three weekends in the No. 1 spot.
Universal’s animated sequel about the beloved Nintendo characters has added $21.2 million from 3,732 theaters, boosting revenues to $384 million domestically and more than $800 million globally.
Project Hail Mary was No. 3 with $13.2 million from 3,510 locations, a remarkable tally for a film in its sixth weekend of release.
So far, the space epic, starring Ryan Gosling, has generated a mighty $305 million in North America and $613 million worldwide.
A24’s thriller Mother Mary, starring Anne Hathaway as a pop star on the eve of a comeback, earned $1.3 million while expanding to 1,103 theaters.
After playing on five screens last weekend, “Mother Mary” has generated a so-so $1.4 million to date.
Lorne, a documentary about small-screen icon Lorne Michaels, struggled to break out with $70,000 from 248 theaters.
The film, directed by Morgan Neville and distributed by Focus Features, has collected $426,000 while playing in limited release.
https://variety.com/2026/film/box-office/michael-box-office-opening-weekend-record-1236730805/
April 24-26, 2026: Weekend Studio Estimates
1. Michael $97,000,000
2. The Super Mario Galaxy Movie $21,200,000 / $386,493,150
3. Project Hail Mary $13,208,000 / $305,431,522
4. Lee Cronin's The Mummy $5,630,000 / $23,451,688
5. The Drama $2,648,086 / $44,803,603
6. Hoppers $1,900,000 / $164,156,679
7. You, Me & Tuscany $1,500,000 / $17,631,980
8. Over Your Dead Body $1,425,000
9. Mother Mary $1,253,486 / $1,486,034
10. American Youngboy $1,194,000