• The Record Broken: The Michael Jackson biographical drama, Michael, has officially overtaken Disney’s 1994 animated masterpiece The Lion King at the global box office.
• The New Rankings: Driving past The Lion King’s historic $979 million lifetime total, Michael continues its massive theatrical run to establish a new high-water mark for musical cinema history.

It’s another day and another record MICHAEL. The latest feat, you ask? The film now has breezed past the historic $979 million lifetime global box office take of Walt Disney’s 1994 animated classic, The Lion King, with updated box office titles coming in at $980 million-plus. With the movie still running strong on the big screen, the film has cemented its place as a monumental modern box office powerhouse, turning global nostalgia into a historic theatrical triumph.

RELATED: Michael Jackson Biopic Shatters Box Office Milestones, Overtaking ‘Lord of the Rings’ and ‘The Hobbit’ on All-Time Charts

In 1994, Disney treated The Lion King internally as an underdog “B-project” compared to Pocahontas, but it completely blew past corporate expectations, leading to a benchmark for animated cinema, anchoring the entire Disney Renaissance era. MICHAEL, on the other hand, utilized the legendary discography of the King of Pop through organized experiential events around the world—including flash mobs, college partnerships, and Jackson holograms—to connect the musician’s era-defining catalog with a brand-new generation of younger moviegoers.

This feat follows the film officially surpassing Oppenheimer at the box office this past weekend to become the highest-grossing biopic of all-time. Prior to that, MICHAEL bypassed both The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers and The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug on the all-time list, which sit at $945.6 million and $959.1 million, respectively. By capturing the global box office title from one of Disney’s most influential and beloved original productions, the King of Pop’s story takes its place in the upper echelon of cinematic history.

What’s Next?

Fans can now purchase or rent MICHAEL through major premium video-on-demand platforms, including digital storefronts such as Prime Video, Apple TV and Fandango at Home. The digital release includes purchase options as well as rental access for viewers who want to revisit the story of the King of Pop from home. 

From there, Lionsgate will follow up the streaming debut with a premium physical rollout on July 14 (according to the Blu Ray website), introducing an array of Collector’s Edition 4K UHD Steelbooks at retail giants like Walmart and Amazon.

MICHAEL is now confirmed to be hitting the $1 billion mark.

Featured Photo: Lionsgate

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