Michael will debut on premium video on demand on Tuesday, June 9 — the michael jackson biopic streaming release arrives this week with paid digital options even as the film remains in theaters.
Lionsgate said the film will be available to purchase on PVOD for $24.99, with digital rentals expected to cost $19.99 for a 48-hour period. The title will appear on Apple TV, Fandango at Home, Prime Video and YouTube Movies & TV.
The release comes while Michael is still a box office force. The film began playing in theaters April 24 and, as of Thursday, had earned nearly $346.6 million domestically and $514.1 million internationally for a running worldwide total of $860.7 million.
Those earnings have kept Michael in the top five at the domestic box office through its first six weeks, with two weekends at No. 1. It finished No. 4 for May 29–31 with nearly $12 million in ticket sales and added about $6 million from Monday through Friday this week.
That performance matters because the all-time music-biopic record sits at $911 million, held by Bohemian Rhapsody. Michael has not yet opened in Japan, and industry trackers project that a Japanese release could determine whether it clears Bohemian Rhapsody’s total.
The decision to place Michael on PVOD while it still plays theatrically gives viewers a paid home option before the theatrical run fully ends. For audiences weighing the choice: a purchase lets you keep the digital file; the rental is a timed 48-hour window. The pricing strategy puts the film on par with recent premium home releases rather than a standard post-theatrical streaming bow.
The film stars Jaafar Jackson as Michael Jackson and features Colman Domingo, Nia Long and Miles Teller. It opens with the 10-year-old Juliano Valde and traces Jackson’s rise with the Jackson 5, through his adult quest to become the King of Pop via Off the Wall, Thriller and Bad, and ends in 1988 as he embarks on the Bad concert tour. Michael is rated PG-13.
Japan is now the clear, decisive variable. With $860.7 million in the bank, Michael sits roughly $50 million shy of Bohemian Rhapsody’s $911 million mark; Deadline projects that a Japanese opening would likely push Michael past that record. Absent a Japan run, the film would need an unusually large late surge elsewhere to close the gap, making the overseas release schedule the factor to watch next.
