Lionsgate’s “Michael” is fulfilling the dreams of the most optimistic of theater owners, passing Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer” to set a new opening weekend record for biopics with an industry estimated $88 million-plus opening after earning $41 million on opening day,

The Michael Jackson biopic Michael is projected to earn more than $85 million in its opening weekend at the domestic box office, which is far more than originally anticipated.

The first numbers for Lionsgate’s Michael are in and it’s shaping up to be a $35M-$40M Friday, which includes those $12.6M previews. The Friday through Sunday range is $85M-$95M, and there’s a path to higher,

The new Michael Jackson movie beat the record for the best opening weekend for a music biopic. It scored nearly $13 million in previews on Wednesday and Thursday and could top $70 million

The highly anticipated Michael Jackson biopic, called ‘Michael‘, is finally in theaters. It brings the King of Pop’s story to the big screen, but even with a star-studded cast and deep family involvement,

Michael, the new biopic about Michael Jackson, grossed $12.6 million at the box office in preview showings on Wednesday and Thursday. This marks the highest previews in sales for a musical biopic to date.

Michael including its $12.6M stateside previews now counts a running total of $44.3M for the $200M feature production. Thursday via Universal added $13.2M taking the Antoine Fuqua directed Michael Jackson biopic’s offshore take to $31.

Michael Jackson's biopic Michael hits theaters today, and its accompanying soundtrack album is a fast bestseller in the U.K.