- By Sidhi Agarwall
- Sat, 25 Apr 2026 09:20 AM (IST)
- Source:JND
Michael Box Office Collection Day 1: The highly anticipated musical biopic Michael, chronicling the extraordinary life of pop icon Michael Jackson, has hit the ground running with impressive box office figures. Starring Jaafar Jackson, Michael Jackson’s real-life nephew, the film officially opened in Indian theatres on Friday, April 24, 2026, following successful paid previews.
Despite stiff competition from local Indian releases and the ongoing excitement of the IPL season, the biopic managed to capture the audience's attention. The film raked in nearly Rs 2 crore gross from its Thursday previews alone. On its first full day of release, Michael collected a net of Rs 3.80 crore across 3,028 shows in India. This brings the total India net collection to Rs 5.50 crore so far, with a total gross of Rs 6.60 crore.
On the international stage, Michael is proving to be a juggernaut. According to reports in Deadline, the film earned between $12.5 million and $13.5 million in North American previews, the highest ever recorded for a musical biopic. Current projections suggest an opening weekend in North America exceeding $80 million, potentially setting a new benchmark for the genre.
Directed by Antoine Fuqua and produced by Graham King, the film is following in the footsteps of recent Hollywood successes in India, such as the sci-fi hit Project Hail Mary. With a staggering production budget of roughly $200 million, the film aims to reach a global opening of $150 million by the end of its first weekend.
Meanwhile, the film currently boasts a stellar 96% audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Fans have praised Jaafar Jackson’s transformative performance, which covers Michael’s journey from the Jackson 5 era to the commercial peak of the Bad world tour in the late 1980s. The supporting cast also features strong performances, including Colman Domingo as the patriarch Joe Jackson, Nia Long as Katherine Jackson, and Miles Teller as attorney John Branca.