Michael Jackson Biopic Moonwalks To Record-Setting Opening

The King of Pop is still doing King of Pop things. Michael has just broken the box office record for a biopic.

As spotted on The Hollywood Reporter, the Michael biopic opened to a massive $217 million globally, giving the film a record-setting debut and proving that Michael Jackson’s name still moves like few others in entertainment. Nostalgia helped, sure, but this kind of opening is bigger than curiosity; the culture showed up.

Directed by Antoine Fuqua and starring Jaafar Jackson as his famous uncle, the film follows Michael’s rise from Gary, Indiana, to the biggest stages on earth. And judging by the opening weekend numbers, audiences were more than ready to revisit the music, the moves, and the complicated legacy of one of pop culture’s most influential figures.

Lionsgate Motion Picture Group Chair Adam Fogelson said the response speaks for itself. “Above all, it reflects the tremendous outpouring of love and affection from moviegoers around the world, underscoring the strength and vitality of the theatrical box office. If you give audiences what they want, they will come,” Fogelson said.

He’s not wrong. In a movie climate where studios are still trying to figure out what gets people off the couch, Michael just gave them a pretty loud answer. A true icon, a real theatrical event, and a catalog that still has generations in a chokehold will apparently do the trick. The film’s opening also adds another chapter to Jackson’s already towering legacy. Few artists have ever had the kind of reach he had, and even fewer can still dominate a cultural conversation this long after their passing.

Love him, debate him, study him, or question him, Michael Jackson remains unavoidable. Safe to say, the numbers don’t lie—the moonwalk still travels. You can view the trailer to Michael below.