'Michael' Lands on Starz After Becoming History's Highest-Grossing Biopic

The numbers are in, and they are not modest. 'Michael,' Antoine Fuqua's sprawling account of Michael Jackson's early career, is now available on Starz after a theatrical run that the industry will be talking about for a while.

<cite index="13-1">The film began streaming on Starz on August 10 after a 108-day theatrical run that grossed $1.02 billion worldwide.</cite> To understand what that means in context: <cite index="13-3,13-4">by June it had surpassed 'Bohemian Rhapsody' as the highest-grossing music biopic ever, and on June 28 it passed 'Oppenheimer' to become the highest-grossing biographical film in any genre.</cite> That last record had felt reasonably safe. It wasn't.

<cite index="13-2">The film opened to $97.2 million domestically and $217 million globally, instantly setting a new record for the largest biopic opening of all time.</cite> <cite index="13-6">International markets contributed $647.7 million, driven by strong performance in Japan, the United Kingdom, and Latin America, markets where Jackson's catalog has maintained deep cultural penetration across generations.</cite> That overseas muscle is the story within the story. 'Bohemian Rhapsody' and 'Rocketman' were largely Anglo-American affairs at the box office. A film about Jackson apparently plays everywhere his music ever played, which is everywhere.

None of this happened because critics waved it through. <cite index="7-15,7-16">'Michael' earned mixed-to-negative reviews, which isn't uncommon for musical biopics, typically picked apart for historical inaccuracies and overreliance on popular music but lauded by fans who enjoy celebrating their favorite artists.</cite> That gap between press response and audience appetite is a familiar groove in the biopic genre, and 'Michael' ran that gap further than anyone before it.

The film's casting choice is the element that will stick with cultural historians. <cite index="10-6,10-7">Directed by Antoine Fuqua and written by John Logan, 'Michael' chronicles Jackson's rise to fame from the Jackson 5 through his 'Bad' tour in the late 1980s, with Jackson played by his nephew Jaafar Jackson and as a child by Juliano Valdi, both making their film debuts.</cite> Casting a family member in a role this scrutinized was either an inspired act of authenticity or an enormous risk. Given what Variety's Owen Gleiberman described, per a report in TheGrio, as Jaafar capturing "the look, the voice, the electrostatic moves," the gamble landed.

<cite index="7-14">The centerpiece of the movie focuses on Michael's relationship with his father, Joe Jackson, played by Coleman Domingo, which goes from poor to toxic as his star rises.</cite> <cite index="8-9">Kat Graham appears as Diana Ross and Larenz Tate as Motown founder Berry Gordy.</cite> That's a cast assembled to win over people who know the history.

Now comes the next chapter. <cite index="11-2,11-3,11-4">After Lionsgate film chief Adam Fogelson confirmed that a sequel was in development, production is slated to begin in either late 2026 or early 2027, with the final product hoped to debut late next year or in early 2028.</cite> <cite index="13-8">How the sequel navigates the more complex later chapters of Jackson's life will define whether Lionsgate can replicate the first film's commercial trajectory or whether those chapters resist the crowd-pleasing treatment that drove the original to $1 billion.</cite> That is the real question. The first film ends before the controversies that defined Jackson's later public life. A sequel would have to contend with them directly, and no amount of box-office goodwill writes that script for you.

<cite index="12-5,12-6">After its April 24 theatrical release and June 9 PVOD debut, 'Michael' is now on Starz and remains available on digital platforms.</cite> If you've been holding out to watch it at home, your wait is over.

Sources cited:
- Music Observer (https://musicobserver.com/michael-arrives-on-starz-after-becoming-the-first-biopic-to-cross-1-billion-at-the-global-box-office/)
- Variety (https://variety.com/2026/film/news/michael-streaming-release-date-michael-jackson-starz-1236757504/)
- TheGrio (https://thegrio.com/2026/07/29/michael-jackson-biopic-streaming-date-starz/)
- Collider (https://collider.com/michael-jackson-biopic-streaming-starz-august-10-2026/)
- CBR (https://www.cbr.com/michael-jackson-biopic-starz-streaming-success-august-2026/)
- Forbes (https://www.forbes.com/sites/timlammers/2026/07/27/michael-streaming-strategy-shifts-to-starz-after-crossing-1-billion-at-box-office/)