Jaafar Jackson pens moving tribute to Michael Jackson as biopic achieves another all-time record

29 June 2026, 11:19

Jaafar Jackson on the Michael red carpet and as Michael Jackson in the recent biopic film
Jaafar Jackson has dedicated the film's latest record to his uncle. Picture: Alamy

By Hannah Watkin

The Michael star shared a sweet tribute to his late uncle after the film became the highest grossing biopic of all time.

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Michael Jackson’s nephew Jaafar Jackson has dedicated Michael’s latest record-breaking achievement to his uncle.

This weekend, the film – which tells the story of Michael Jackson’s rise to stardom and in which Jaafar stars as his uncle – became the highest-grossing biopic in film history.

Michael has now grossed $977.4 million (£740.7 million) worldwide, breaking Christopher Nolan’s 2023 biopic Oppenheimer’s previous record of $975.9 million (£739.5 million) worldwide.

Watch the trailer for Michael

Celebrating the news with fans, Jaafar penned a note on Instagram alongside several behind-the-scenes photos from his time working on the project.

“Highest grossing Biopic of ALL TIME Wow!! Thank you all so much,” he shared.

“This record, this accomplishment. It was a dream goal of mine for this film and you all made it real.

“And,” he continued. “I promise you Michael is up there absolutely grinning about this. This one’s for him.”

This week’s achievement follows Michael passing another significant box office milestone earlier this month.

Just a couple of weeks ago, the cast and crew were celebrating it beating 2018’s Freddie Mercury-focused biopic Bohemian Rhapsody to become the highest-grossing music biopic of all time.

Michael’s success at the box office is a testament to Michael Jackson’s enduring popularity across the globe.

The cast and crew of Michael at the film's LA premiere in April.
The cast and crew of Michael at the film's LA premiere in April. Picture: Getty

Despite opening to negative reviews from film critics and backlash for its omission of any reference to the child sexual abuse allegations which were made about Michael Jackson before his death (which he always denied), fans have still turned out in their droves for the movie.

A sequel is in development, with Lionsgate film chief Adam Fogelson celebrating how “there is a ton of incredibly entertaining Michael Jackson story” left to tell.

While Michael is still playing in cinemas, the film is also now available to buy to stream on demand at home.