"Michael," the biopic starring Jaafar Jackson as his late uncle Michael Jackson, has closed out its North American theatrical run with a domestic total just over $372 million - a number that places it just ahead of "The Passion of the Christ" on the all-time domestic box office chart, where Mel Gibson's 2004 film on the final hours of Jesus' life had held its spot for more than two decades.
Worldwide, "Michael" has now crossed $1.02 billion, making it both the highest-grossing music biopic and the highest-grossing biographical film in history, and Lionsgate's first-ever billion-dollar release.
As the film's domestic chapter came to a close, Jaafar Jackson reflected on the journey in a post to Instagram: "Bringing my uncle's story to the big screen has been one of the greatest honors of my life. From day one it's been an experience I'll carry with me forever."
The film marked Jackson's acting debut, tracing Michael Jackson's rise from the Jackson 5 through his early solo career and ending at the 1988 "Bad" World Tour - leaving room for a sequel Lionsgate has already greenlit. As JubileeCast has reported, Jaafar's own path to the role carries its own layer of family history, born into a Jackson family shaped across generations by questions of faith, from Michael's years as a Jehovah's Witness to his father Jermaine's later conversion to Islam.
"The Passion of the Christ" remains, more than 20 years after its release, one of the most enduring box office stories in modern film - a reminder of how deeply a story of faith can resonate with audiences far beyond the theaters that first hosted it.
With its North American run now complete, "Michael" continues playing in select international markets as its global release winds down.
