Los Angeles | "Michael", a film on the King of Pop Michael Jackson, featuring his nephew, Jaafar Jackson, has emerged as the first biopic to earn over USD 1 billion at the global box office.
The film is directed by Antoine Fuqua, known for projects such as "Training Day" and "The Equalizer" franchise, among others. It released on April 24 and is distributed globally by Lionsgate and Universal Pictures.
According to the entertainment news outlet Variety, the film has earned USD 629.8 million overseas and USD 371.8 million domestically, bringing the global collection to USD 1.001 billion.
It also turned the first film for Lionsgate to earn USD 1 billion. Prior to "Michael," Lionsgate's highest-grossing releases were 2013's "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire" with USD 865 million and 2012's "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 2with USD 850 million at the global box office.
Michael Jackson has several tracks to his credit, including "Billie Jean", "Beat It", and "Thriller", among others. He died due to acute propofol intoxication in 2009 in Los Angeles. He was 50.
The film chronicles his life from his childhood with the Jackson 5 (an American pop group formed in 1964 in Gary, Indiana, by brothers Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, Marlon, and Michael Jackson) to his 1980s Bad tour.