Jaafar Jackson's 'Michael' grows, earns over ₹10 crore in India
What's the story
The musical biopic Michael, starring Jaafar Jackson as the late pop icon Michael Jackson, has crossed the ₹10 crore mark in India. The film witnessed a significant surge in collections on Day 2 (Saturday) with a 37.8% increase in net earnings across 3,190 shows. It collected ₹1.7 crore from Thursday's previews, followed by ₹3.7 crore on Friday and ₹5.1 crore on Saturday. The total net collection now stands at ₹10.5 crore, while gross earnings have reached ₹12.6 crore, reported Sacnilk.
Global success
Global box office collections of 'Michael'
On a global scale, Michael has had an impressive opening weekend, raking in $39.5 million on Friday alone in the US. This puts it on track for an opening weekend nearing $95 million in North America, according to Live Mint. Internationally, too, the film is doing well across various territories, with reports suggesting earnings of $111.4 million from 82 overseas markets (excluding South Korea and Japan). The worldwide total now stands at around $206.4 million.
Record-breaking performance
Record-breaking opening weekend for a musical biopic
The film has set new records for the biggest opening of the year so far for a live-action Motion Picture Association title, beating previous releases like Project Hail Mary. It has also topped the charts in 64 international territories. In specific regions, Michael broke opening weekend records for a musical biopic with top markets being the United Kingdom ($13.8 million), France (estimated at $10.3 million), Mexico ($9.3 million), Italy (around $8.1 million) and Germany ($6.9 million).
Upcoming release
The film will release in Japan in June
Despite its success elsewhere, Michael is yet to make its debut in Japan, where it will be released in June. The country has always been a stronghold for MJ's music, and expectations are high for the film's performance there, too. Directed by Antoine Fuqua and written by John Logan, the movie chronicles the singer's life from his early days with The Jackson 5 in the 1960s to his Bad tour in the late 1980s.