The Michael Jackson biopic Michael, starring Jaafar Jackson, is set to debut on digital streaming this week as the film pushes toward the record set by the 2018 biopic about Queen and its late lead singer Freddie Mercury.
That film, of course, is Bohemian Rhapsody, which currently holds the all-time box office record as the highest grossing music biopic of all time with a worldwide box office tally of $911 million. In addition to owning the box office crown in the music biopic category, Bohemian Rhapsody won four Oscars at the 2019 Academy Awards, including Best Actor for Rami Malek. The film also earned a Best Picture nomination for producer Graham King, who also is the producer of Michael.
Now, six years after the film’s triumph at the global box office and the Oscars, Michael is not only steadily approaching Bohemian Rhapsody’s record box office take, the actor who plays Michael Jackson — his nephew Jaafar — is arguably already a contender for a Best Actor Oscar.
While Michael has been playing in theaters since April 24, fans will finally get an opportunity to see the film at home as it arrives on digital streaming via premium video on demand on Tuesday, June 9.
The film’s studio, Lionsgate, recently announced that Michael will be available for purchase on PVOD for $24.99 on such platforms as Apple TV, Fandango at Home, Prime Video and YouTube Movies & TV.
Since digital rentals typically are $5 less than purchase prices on PVOD, viewers should be able to rent the film for a 48-hour period for $19.99.
Michael begins with the 10-year-old singer (Juliano Valde) and his rise to stardom with his brothers in the Jackson 5 and chronicles his quest to become the King of Pop in adulthood (Jaafar Jackson) through the release of his multiplatinum albums Off the Wall, Thriller and Bad. Michael ends in 1988 as the music legend embarks on his Bad concert tour.
Rated PG-13, Michael also stars Colman Domingo and Nia Long as Michael Jackson’s parents Joe and Katherine Jackson, as well as Miles Teller as the pop star’s longtime manager John Branca.
How Close Is Michael To Breaking The ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ Box Office Record?
As of Thursday, Michael has earned nearly $346.6 million domestically and $514.1 million internationally for a running worldwide box office tally of $860.7 million. And while it’s true that $51 million seems like a lot of money to make as the film enters its seventh weekend in theaters, there are a couple of big reasons to believe Michael can still reach the box office pinnacle set by Bohemian Rhapsody.
For one, Michael has finished in the top five in the domestic box office in its first six weeks of release, including two weekends at No. 1. Last week, the film finished at No. 4 at the May 29-31 North American box office with nearly $12 million in ticket sales. On top of that take, the film earned another $6 million Monday through Friday this week, bringing its weeklong total to almost $18 million.
So, even while Michael will be making its premiere on digital streaming on Tuesday, appears to be plenty of interest among fans to see the film in theaters, even though the film has shown signs of slowing at the box office.
Perhaps the biggest factor in Michael’s box office quest to beat Bohemian Rhapsody, however, is that the film hasn’t opened in Japan yet. Given the King of Pop’s enormous popularity in Japan — the documentary Michael Jackson’s This Is It made $57 million in the country in 2009 — industry trade publication Deadline projects that Michael will seize the all-time global box office record from Bohemian Rhapsody after it opens in Japan on July 12.
Michael is still playing in theaters everywhere and will arrive on PVOD on Tuesday.