Can’t stop the King of Pop.
“Michael,” a biopic about the musical icon, has cleared a major box office milestone with more than $700 million globally. Over the weekend, the film returned to No. 1 at the international box office with $57.7 million from 83 foreign markets. The crowd-pleaser — distributed by Universal internationally and Lionsgate domestically — moved and grooved back to first place on domestic and global charts as well, a remarkable feat in its fourth weekend of release.
So far, “Michael” has generated a towering $703 million worldwide, including $421 million overseas and $282 million domestically. With one significant market — Japan — yet to open, “Michael” could eclipse 2018’s sensation “Bohemian Rhapsody” ($911 million) to stand as the highest-grossing musical biopic of all time.
Another box office juggernaut is Disney’s nostalgic sequel “The Devil Wears Prada 2,” which is nearing $550 million globally — with ticket sales at $546.2 million to date. The starry comedy, led by Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway, Emily Blunt and Stanley Tucci, added $50.6 million overseas in its third frame. “The Devil Wears Prada 2” has been popular in North America with $175.9 million, but it’s been especially huge at the international box office with $370.3 million to date. Top-earning markets are the United Kingdom ($36.9 million), Italy ($34.6 million), Brazil ($27 million) and Mexico ($24.6 million). It’s a hit for Disney, which spent $100 million to produce the sequel.
Elsewhere at the box office, the Warner Bros. sequel “Mortal Kombat II” collected just $10 million from 79 overseas territories, marking a 53% decline from its opening weekend. After two weekends in theaters, the R-rated video game adaptation has earned $39 million internationally and $101 million globally to date. It cost $80 million to produce.
Another holdover, Amazon MGM’s charming mystery “Sheep Detective,” brought in $14 million from 88 territories in its second frame. The PG-comedy, starring Hugh Jackman, has earned $29 million overseas and $58.7 million globally. It’ll need to stick around in theaters to justify its hefty $75 million price tag, though excellent reviews and positive word-of-mouth should help the movie’s box office legs.
