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At the India box office, this Friday saw the rise of a surprise contender. Released here amid limited buzz, the biopic of dancing and singing icon Michael Jackson, Michael, is receiving a very good response. After registering the biggest opening for a Hollywood film in 2026 in India, with ₹5.5 crore (including previews) collection on day 1, Michael is on track to score a very encouraging opening weekend biz here. Internationally, Michael has started off strong at the box office despite mixed reviews from critics.  

With Michael doing well initially in India, Akshay Kumar starrer Bhooth Bangla collections have taken a hit. In its opening week, the Bollywood horror-comedy entered the ₹100 crore club worldwide. It will be interesting to see how it holds up if Michael continues to pull audiences.

Michael scores better occupany on day 2 than Bhooth Bangla

On Saturday (April 25), the theatre occupancy for Michael stood at 16.0% in the 1306 shows it is playing in India. The collections by 3 pm stood at ₹1.12 crore. Bhooth Bangla registered 13.0% oocupany and minted ₹1.67 crore in the same time period from the 3,344 shows it is playing in territories across India.

What is Michael about?

Michael is directed by Antoine Fuqua. It follows Michael Jackson’s rise from Gary, Indiana, to global pop stardom, with the story building toward his 1988 Wembley Stadium concert. Many have labelled the movie a full-blown concert of MJ, with his nephew Jaafar Jackson stepping in effortlessly to essay his legendary uncle. Critics have called out the makers for whitewashing MJ's image in the biopic despite abuse allegations against him, including those of teen kids. Controversial aspects of his life and career have been kept out of the film.