3 min readMumbaiApr 25, 2026 09:21 AM IST
Michael box office collection Day 1: The much-awaited biopic on the life of the King of Pop, Michael, hit theatres this Friday. The film had limited paid previews the evening before release and appears to have opened decently in India. According to industry tracker Sacnilk, the film earned a net of Rs 3.8 crore on its opening day. It had already collected Rs 1.7 crore from paid previews, taking its net collection in India to Rs 5.5 crore, with a gross of Rs 6.6 crore.
In India, the film is playing across 3,029 shows and recorded an overall occupancy of 21.86 percent. It began the day with a morning occupancy of 16.78 percent, which rose to 20.11 percent in the afternoon. Evening shows saw a further increase to 23.11 percent, and night shows closed at 27.44 percent. Regionally, Delhi NCR had the highest number of shows at 295, though it recorded a relatively low occupancy of 8 percent. Hyderabad ranked among the top regions in terms of show count, with 240 shows and a stronger occupancy of 26 percent.
Internationally, the film is performing strongly. As reported by Deadline, it earned between $35 million and $40 million on Friday in the US, including $12.6 million from paid previews. These numbers are significantly higher than those of Bohemian Rhapsody, also produced by Graham King, which recorded $18.8 million from previews and opening day. The preview figures for the Michael Jackson film also surpass those of John Wick: Chapter 4 ($8.9 million), A Minecraft Movie ($10.55 million), and Oppenheimer ($10.5 million).
The film, directed by Antoine Fuqua, has opened better than several recent Hollywood releases in India. For instance, Ryan Gosling’s Project Hail Mary earned Rs 2.25 crore on its opening day. The film suffered because of the Dhurandhar 2 wave in the beginning, however, it is now the highest earning Hollywood release in India in 2026. The Michael Jackson biopic still trails behind major releases such as Avatar: The Way of Water (Rs 40.3 crore), Spider-Man: No Way Home (Rs 32.67 crore), and Oppenheimer (Rs 14.5 crore).
At the domestic box office, the film is also facing competition from Hindi releases. Bhoot Bangla earned Rs 5.75 crore on its eighth day, while Ranveer Singh’s Dhurandhar: The Revenge, now over a month into its run, collected Rs 1.6 crore on day 38. With steady international performance but some competition at home, it remains to be seen how the Michael performs over the coming weekend.
