‘Michael’ Reclaims No. 1 at the Box Office

Two weekends was long enough. Michael, Antoine Fuqua’s sweeping ode to the King of Pop, has reclaimed the No. 1 spot at the domestic box office in its fourth weekend in theaters — and it’s showing no signs of slowing down on its march toward history.

The Lionsgate and producer Graham King film is estimated to earn around $27 million this weekend, a remarkably slim 28% drop from last weekend, pushing its domestic total past $280 million. More striking: the film has already sailed past the $600 million mark globally and is now the top-grossing music biopic in North American history, surpassing Bohemian Rhapsody without adjusting for inflation. The target it’s now chasing? The $330 million domestic and $975 million global record set by Oppenheimer — which would make Michael the first biopic ever to reach $1 billion worldwide.

Part of what’s fueling this weekend’s resurgence is real estate. Last weekend, nearly all Imax screens went to Mortal Kombat II. That film underperformed badly, and as a result, much of its premium large-format footprint has been handed back to Michael — giving Jaafar Jackson’s portrayal of his uncle a fresh boost heading into what is already a historically strong run.

Prada Still Pulling Its Weight

The Devil Wears Prada 2 holds at No. 2, though its post-Mother’s Day hangover is showing. David Frankel’s sequel dropped 52% in its third weekend for an estimated $20 million, bringing its domestic total to around $177 million. Still, Disney and 20th Century have every reason to smile: on Friday, the film crossed the $500 million mark globally, making it the top-grossing female-led film since Barbie, not adjusted for inflation. It’s on course to hit $200 million domestic and $600 million worldwide — a genuine hit by any measure, even if the crown belongs to someone else this weekend.

A Horror Breakout Worth Paying Attention To

The most exciting story of the weekend might belong to Obsession, the debut feature from 26-year-old director Curry Barker, which opens in third place with an estimated $15 million from 2,815 locations — well above the $10–12 million projections. Focus Features acquired the film out of its TIFF midnight section premiere for around $15 million, and it cost a mere $1 million to produce, making this weekend’s result an extraordinary return.

The film follows Michael Johnston as a young man hopelessly in love with his friend Nikki (Inde Navarrette), who splits a “One Wish Willow” and wishes for her to love him back — with catastrophic results. Cooper Tomlinson, Megan Lawless, and Andy Richter also star. Critics and audiences are equally obsessed: the film holds a 95% score from both camps on Rotten Tomatoes and earned a rare A- on CinemaScore, putting it in company with films like Get Out. It’s the strongest opening for Focus Features since Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale debuted to $18 million last September.

Barker built his following through a YouTube sketch comedy channel called That’s a Bad Idea, then made an $800 found-footage feature called Milk & Serial that went viral and had every agency in town calling. He ultimately signed with UTA, and based on this debut, the industry’s attention seems well placed.

Mortal Kombat II Takes the Hit

The weekend’s biggest loser is Mortal Kombat II, which cratered 67% in its second frame for an estimated $12–13 million, bringing its domestic total to around $61.5 million. The Warner Bros./New Line sequel opened to a tepid $38 million last weekend and never found its footing beyond its core fanbase. At this trajectory, it will likely finish its North American run in the neighborhood of $84 million — similar to Warner’s own Wuthering Heights — and well short of the $100 million mark.

Amazon MGM’s The Sheep Detectives rounds out the top five with an estimated $10 million second weekend and a domestic total of $30 million, a solid 37% drop that reflects its strong word-of-mouth. The family comedy — executive produced by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller and featuring Hugh Jackman as a shepherd who unknowingly read detective novels aloud to a very attentive flock — still needs a strong showing next weekend when Lucasfilm’s The Mandalorian and Grogu arrives to consume every premium screen in sight.

That Star Wars juggernaut will also effectively end Michael‘s Imax run — but by then, the film may already have history in its pocket.