Michael, the biopic about late music superstar Michael Jackson, has returned to the top spot at the North American box office in its 4th week. The film is also the world’s number one this weekend, beating all new releases and showing impressive staying power with audiences.
Michael is the #1 film at the box office, again
Michael minted $26.1 million in its fourth weekend in North America alone, according to estimates from Exhibitor Relations and figures reported by BoxOfficeMojo. Worldwide, the film grossed over $60 million this weekend, the highest of any film.
At the North American box office, The Devil Wears Prada 2, which earned $18 million in US and Canadian theatres, ranked second. Debuting in third place was horror flick Obsession from Focus Features, which earned $16.1 million. The low-budget film stars Michael Johnston and Inde Navarrette as a man who makes a sinister bargain to win the affections of the woman he admires — and must bear the consequences.
Mortal Kombat II, a Warner Bros sequel based on the popular martial arts fantasy video game, dropped to fourth place at $13.4 million. And The Sheep Detectives, a family-friendly mystery film from Amazon MGM, finished in fifth place at $9.3 million.
Michael crosses $700 million worldwide
At the end of its fourth weekend, Michael has now earned $282 million domestically (in North America), and added a staggering $420 million overseas. This has brought its worldwide gross to $703 million, making it the second-highest-grossing film of the year.
The Lionsgate movie — which stars Jaafar Jackson, the singer’s nephew, in his first acting role — has been criticised for not including any material about allegations of sexual abuse, but fans have nevertheless flocked to hear the King of Pop’s iconic hits.
It is already the third-highest-grossing biopic ever, behind only Oppenheimer and Bohemian Rhapsody, both of which earned over $900 million globally. Given Michael’s momentum and the lack of any competition from new releases, it is expected to breach the $900-million mark. It may just beat Bohemian Rhapsody ($911 million) and Oppenheimer ($975 million) to set a new record if it keeps its momentum running. The film may also become the first biopic to breach the billion-dollar mark by the end of its run.
(With inputs from AFP)