Skip to main content

Michael Jackson biopic ‘Michael’ surpasses $1 billion

‘Michael’ (Courtesy of Lionsgate)

Can’t beat it! The Michael Jackson movie has hit another milestone.

Michael has surpassed the $1 billion mark at the box office, becoming the first biopic to cross that threshold.

In June it claimed the title of highest-grossing biopic of all time, taking over from the Oscar-winning film Oppenheimer. It’s also the highest-grossing musical biopic of all time, surpassing Bohemian Rhapsody, and the biggest film ever for Lionsgate.

“Audiences have embraced the film from the beginning, turning it into a unique cultural phenomenon in theaters around the world,” Lionsgate Motion Picture Group chair Adam Fogelson said in a statement. “Their passion speaks to the enduring appeal of one of the greatest recording artists of all time, and it underscores the continued strength and vitality of the theatrical moviegoing experience.”

Director Antoine Fuqua called the milestone “a deeply humbling moment.”

“This achievement belongs to everyone who came together with a shared vision to honor one of the greatest artists the world has ever known,” he continued in a statement. “I am profoundly grateful to the audiences around the globe who embraced this film, showed up in theaters, and connected with this story across generations and cultures. This historic milestone is a testament to the enduring power of cinema to bring us together, and it is a chapter in movie history I will never forget.”

The movie, starring the King of Pop’s nephew Jaafar Jackson in the title role, debuted in April with an impressive $217 million globally.

Copyright © 2026, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Orange County father facing child endangerment charges for 2025 e-motorcycle crash involving 12-year-old son

Click here for updates on this story    ORANGE COUNTY, California (KCAL, KCBS) -- An Orange County father is facing child endangerment charges for a crash that left his 12-year-old son with significant injuries last year while he was riding an e-motorcycle.The crash happened on July 20, 2025, when Richard John Eyssallenne's son, now 13, ran a red light and was hit by a car while he was illegally riding an e-motorcycle that was unlawfully modified. Prosecutors say that he should have been at least 16 with a driver's license to ride the vehicle, which is classified as an e-motorcycle and not an e-bicycle. During court on Eyssallenne's preliminary hearing on Tuesday, prosecutors shared jarring dash camera video of the crash, which shows the boy speeding through an intersection before colliding with a car and getting thrown into the air. The collision left him with a fractured skull and broken leg. Eyssallenne now faces criminal charges of felony child endangerment and contributing to the delinquency of a minor. The Orange County District Attorney's Office alleges that he helped his son unlawfully modify the e-motorcycle to make it go faster. The bike in question is a 2024 Talaria XXX, which prosecutors say exceeds the maximum output of 750 watts. Instead, its peak output is somewhere around 5,000 watts, they said when filing charges in March. Along with the power modifications, authorities also found that the manufacturer's pedals with motorcycle pegs had been modified and were not fully operable and that the manufacturer-installed governor that limited the bike to 20 miles per hour had been rerouted to a key switch. During Tuesday's hearing, Orange County Sheriff's Department Deputy Kiana Lewis testified. She was one of the first on scene when the crash happened in 2025. When asked if she contacted Child Protective Services in connection with the case, Lewis said she did. "I felt that based off of all the information that I had, that they needed to be involved, because the same e-bike was involved in two separate incidences and it brought to my attention that maybe there wasn't sound decision making," Lewis said. Prosecutors also said that Eyssallenne took his 12-year-old and 10-year-old sons to an e-bike safety presentation in early 2025, less than a month after the boy involved in the crash was cited for illegally riding the e-motorcycle. Eyssallnene has pleaded not guilty to all charges and if convicted, he could face up to six years in prison, according to the DA's Office. On Wednesday, the boy, now 13, is expected to take the stand as a witness for the defense, despite a warning from a public defender that he could incriminate himself.Please note: This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting. This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.
Read Next Story