Weekend Box Office Recap: Michael Moonwalks to a Massive No. 1 Opening

The weekend of April 24–26, 2026 belonged completely to Michael. The Michael Jackson biopic opened to an estimated $97 million domestic weekend, instantly becoming the biggest music biopic opening ever and giving Lionsgate one of the year’s most significant theatrical wins. It was not just a win by default either: Michael more than quadrupled the No. 2 film and pushed the overall domestic box office to an estimated $150.8 million, up 58.7% from the previous weekend.

Michael Overperforms in a Big Way

Heading into the weekend, Michael was already expected to be a strong performer, but the final estimate blew past projections. AP reported that earlier expectations had been closer to $50 million, with the studio later estimating around $70 million before the film ultimately reached $97 million in North America.

That makes the opening especially notable because the movie arrived with a complicated mix of massive name recognition, heavy controversy, poor critical response, and strong audience interest. Critics were largely negative, with AP noting a 38% Rotten Tomatoes critics score, while moviegoers gave the film an A- CinemaScore. That split tells the story of the weekend: this was not a critic-driven opening, it was an audience-driven event.

The film also benefited from being positioned right before the summer movie season, giving adult audiences, music fans, and Michael Jackson’s global fanbase a major theatrical event before May’s bigger studio releases arrive.

Domestic Top 10

Here is the estimated domestic top 10 for the weekend:

Michael — $97.0 million The Super Mario Galaxy Movie — $21.2 million Project Hail Mary — $13.2 million Lee Cronin’s The Mummy — $5.6 million The Drama — $2.6 million Hoppers — $1.9 million You, Me & Tuscany — $1.5 million Over Your Dead Body — $1.4 million Mother Mary — $1.2 million American Youngboy — $1.2 million Holdovers Still Show Strength

Even with Michael dominating the weekend, several holdovers continued to show real staying power.

The Super Mario Galaxy Movie dropped to second after three weekends at No. 1, adding $21.2 million domestically. That brings the animated sequel to about $386.5 million domestic and $445 million international, according to AP. The movie is no longer the weekly box office champion, but it remains one of 2026’s biggest commercial stories.

Project Hail Mary also continued its impressive run, taking third place with $13.2 million in its sixth weekend. The Amazon MGM sci-fi film has now reached about $305.3 million domestic and $613.3 million worldwide, making it one of the year’s strongest non-franchise theatrical performers.

Meanwhile, Lee Cronin’s The Mummy fell sharply in its second weekend, down 58.3% to $5.63 million, bringing its domestic total to $23.45 million. That is a rough hold for a wide genre release, especially with bigger summer titles arriving.

Smaller Openers Struggled

Outside of Michael, new releases had a much quieter weekend. IFC’s Over Your Dead Body opened with $1.425 million, while American Youngboy started with $1.194 million. Roadside Attractions’ Fuze opened just outside the top 10 with $1.018 million.

A24’s Mother Mary saw a notable expansion jump, rising to ninth place with $1.25 million after adding more than 1,000 theaters. Still, this was a weekend where the marketplace was defined almost entirely by one major new release.

The Bigger Story: A Strong Spring Before Summer

The success of Michael adds to what has become a strong spring box office stretch. Project Hail Mary and The Super Mario Galaxy Movie already gave theaters momentum, and Michael now gives the marketplace a major adult-skewing breakout before the summer season officially starts. AP specifically framed the weekend as part of a healthier spring for Hollywood, with The Devil Wears Prada 2 set to launch the summer movie season the following week.

The big question now is staying power. Michael opened like an event movie, but its long-term box office will depend on whether audience enthusiasm can overcome the controversy, mixed reviews, and upcoming competition. The film reportedly cost close to $200 million to produce after expensive reshoots, and AP reported that a sequel is already in development, with a third film not ruled out.

International Box Office

Internationally, Michael was just as dominant. The film earned $120.4 million overseas, giving it a massive $217.4 million global opening. Universal is handling distribution in most international markets, while Lionsgate is distributing domestically. That global launch set a new high for a music biopic and showed that the film’s appeal extends far beyond North America.

The international number is especially important because Michael is a costly production with major franchise ambitions. A $217.4 million worldwide start does not guarantee long-term profitability on its own, but it gives the film a much stronger runway than expected. With The Super Mario Galaxy Movie already sitting around $831.5 million worldwide based on AP’s domestic and international figures, and Project Hail Mary over $613 million globally, the 2026 box office suddenly has multiple major success stories heading into summer.

Bottom line: Michael did more than win the weekend. It turned a controversial, expensive biopic into a legitimate global box office event.