Michael reclaims No. 1 at the box office in its fourth weekend with $26.1 million

Michael takes back the crown

The Michael Jackson biopic Michael reclaimed the No. 1 spot at the North American box office in its fourth weekend, earning $26.1 million in ticket sales. According to Billboard, the Lionsgate film has now brought in $703.9 million worldwide, a remarkable run that puts it in conversation with the all-time musical biopic record holder. That title still belongs to Bohemian Rhapsody, the Queen film that grossed over $910.8 million worldwide.

For fans of the /artistas/michael-jackson catalog, the sustained box office momentum is hard to ignore. Michael had spent two weekends trailing The Devil Wears Prada 2 before retaking the lead.

The rest of the top 10

The Devil Wears Prada 2 settled into second place in its third weekend with $18 million, lifting its domestic total to $175.9 million and worldwide earnings to $546.2 million.

The weekend's biggest surprise came from newcomer Obsession, a relationship horror thriller written and directed by YouTube breakout Curry Barker. The film opened to an estimated $16.1 million from 2,615 theaters, well above expectations. Barker made it for $750,000. Focus Features picked it up out of the Toronto International Film Festival for around $15 million. Critics and audiences both responded warmly, landing it a 94% on Rotten Tomatoes and an A- CinemaScore.

Mortal Kombat II fell 65% in its second weekend to $13.4 million domestically, while its global total reached $101.2 million across 80 markets.

Amazon MGM Studios had three films in the top 10. The Sheep Detectives dropped only 33% in its second frame, adding $10.2 million for a running domestic total of $30.5 million. Project Hail Mary pulled in another $3.4 million in its ninth weekend. Is God Is, based on Aleshea Harris's Obie-winning play and starring Kara Young and Mallori Johnson, opened to $2.2 million with a 97% on Rotten Tomatoes.

Re-releases also made noise. Top Gun earned $3.1 million, and Shrek brought in $1.3 million, prompting Comscore's Paul Dergarabedian to note that nostalgia is "on full display" across the current marketplace.

What comes next

The balance of power at the top could shift quickly. Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu is set to hit theaters next weekend, and few things move audiences like a new entry in that franchise. Whether Michael can hold on to a top-three position remains to be seen, but at $703.9 million and counting, the /albumes/michael-jackson-legacy story is already a commercial success by almost any measure.