Michael Officially Surpasses The Passion of the Christ as the Highest-Grossing Biopic Ever at the Domestic Box Office

The record for highest-grossing biopic in North American box office history sat with a film about the final hours of Jesus's life for more than twenty years. That's changed now.

Michael, Lionsgate's Michael Jackson biopic starring Jaafar Jackson in his screen debut, has crossed $371 million domestically, according to Box Office Mojo. It's past The Passion of the Christ now, which sat at $370.8 million. American Sniper, which had been sitting in second at $350.2 million, drops down to third.

How Did Michael Get There So Fast?

It opened April 24 to $97 million domestically and $217 million globally — a record for musical biopics, beating out 2015's Straight Outta Compton, which had held that mark at $60 million. But the opening weekend isn't really what got the film here. Repeat viewings and strong word of mouth kept it in the top ten across a busy summer, and trackers now put the final domestic number somewhere between $372 and $375 million. That lands it at No. 65 on the all-time domestic chart. It also passed Minions: The Rise of Gru along the way ($370.5 million) and Twilight: Breaking Dawn Part 2 ($292.3 million), making this Lionsgate's biggest domestic release, period.

Is This Really a Fair Comparison?

Here's the wrinkle: not everyone agrees The Passion of the Christ counts as a biopic in the first place. Gibson's 2004 film covers a narrow slice of Jesus's life rather than the kind of full arc most biopics tell. If anything, that makes this record a bit stranger to claim than a typical box office milestone — there wasn't really a clean competitor sitting at the top before this happened.

Michael's other crown came earlier this year, when it passed Oppenheimer's $977 million globally to become the highest-grossing biopic ever worldwide. It's also the biggest musical biopic full stop, ahead of Bohemian Rhapsody's $911 million. With over $607 million overseas and a worldwide total already past $978 million, $1 billion isn't out of reach.

Some critics have pushed back on how the film handles the more difficult parts of Jackson's life, arguing it glosses over things. None of that has slowed ticket sales down. People are still showing up, months into the run, and the film is holding on like a summer blockbuster rather than fading the way most awards-season biopics do.