MICHAEL Delivers a Record-Breaking Debut Earning $217M Globally.
AMC Entertainment once again welcomed global audiences in significant numbers to its theaters across the U.S. and internationally, as MICHAEL moonwalked to the strongest biopic opening in box office history. These reported opening numbers for MICHAEL include Friday through Sunday attendance figures, along with its Wednesday and Thursday preview screenings.
As a result of the media-reported $97 million domestic and $217 million global debut of MICHAEL, along with continued strong holdovers, more than 4.0 million moviegoers attended films at AMC locations in the United States and at ODEON Cinemas internationally from Wednesday, April 22, through Sunday, April 26. This surge in attendance reinforced once again AMC’s leadership position at the center of major cultural moments in the United States and internationally.
The success of MICHAEL is the latest in a string of major openings in 2026, following recent especially strong performances from PROJECT HAIL MARY and THE SUPER MARIO GALAXY MOVIE.
AMC Chairman and CEO Adam Aron commented: “We at AMC want to congratulate producer Graham King, director Antoine Fuqua, and the talented cast and crew who made this smash hit, MICHAEL, possible. We also extend our congratulations and gratitude to the film’s domestic distributor, Lionsgate, and international distributor, Universal.”
Aron continued: “A clear through-line in the successful box office openings we’ve seen so far in 2026 is that filmmakers are delivering what audiences want: movies that entertain, amuse, and delight. The success of MICHAEL once again showcases that movies are meant to be experienced in theaters, with their giant screens and soaring sound systems. MICHAEL fully delivers on that promise. It is an important film that already has had millions and millions of moviegoers singing and dancing in celebration. And with the incredibly favorable word-of-mouth audience reactions to this story that brings Michael Jackson’s musical talent bursting across our silver screens, we expect that the appeal of MICHAEL will have ‘legs’, bringing audiences into theaters for several weeks more to come.”
