“Michael” Makes Streaming History on Starz, Despite the Platform’s Smaller Subscriber Base

By Mockulus Editorial
September 27, 2026

Michael Jackson’s box office dominance has now carried over to streaming, and it’s happening on a platform with far fewer subscribers than its biggest competitors. “Michael,” the Antoine Fuqua-directed biopic that became the first biographical film in history to cross $1 billion at the global box office, premiered on Starz on August 10 and immediately became the first Starz-exclusive title ever to crack Nielsen’s weekly Top 10 movie chart.

A First for Starz

According to Nielsen’s streaming rankings for the week of August 10-16, “Michael” landed at No. 4 with 275 million viewing minutes in its debut week, a result The Hollywood Reporter noted marked the first time a Starz-exclusive title had ever made the rankings. Separately, industry tracker Luca Sofri’s Netflix & Chiffres account reported that the film drew roughly 2.2 million “views” during its first seven days available in the US.

Nielsen’s streaming figures only measure viewing on television sets and don’t account for minutes watched on computers or mobile devices, meaning the film’s actual reach was likely higher than the reported number reflects. Even so, 275 million minutes was enough to land ahead of titles including Netflix’s “Don’t Say Good Luck” and “Spider-Man: Homecoming,” which followed at fifth and sixth place that week. Netflix’s “The Last House” held the No. 1 spot with 869 million minutes.

Why the Comparison Matters

What makes the milestone notable is the gap in scale between Starz and its competitors. Starz has roughly 13 million US subscribers, a fraction of the subscriber bases at Netflix, Max, and other major streamers that regularly dominate the Nielsen charts. Cracking the Top 10 against much larger platforms, and against a crowded week for streaming movies generally, is why outlets covering the milestone framed it as an unusually strong showing for a title on a comparatively small service. “Michael” also became the most-watched title on Starz overall, according to FlixPatrol data, ahead of existing hits like “Power Book III: Raising Kanan.”

Part of a Longer Rollout

The Starz debut came after a carefully staged release window. “Michael” opened in theaters on April 24, pulling in $97.2 million domestically and $217 million worldwide in its opening weekend, a record for a musical biopic’s debut. Its theatrical run ended July 23 with $372.3 million in domestic ticket sales and just over $1 billion worldwide, making it Lionsgate’s highest-grossing release ever and the first biopic in any genre to reach the billion-dollar mark, surpassing both “Bohemian Rhapsody” ($910 million) and “Oppenheimer” ($976.7 million). The film moved to premium video-on-demand in June before arriving on Starz in August, a rollout designed to maximize revenue at each stage before reaching a streaming home.

Why It Matters

The film’s success on Starz adds another data point to what has already been a historic year for “Michael” and, by extension, for Michael Jackson’s legacy on screen. The theatrical run reignited streaming activity for Jackson’s original music catalog earlier this year, and this milestone suggests that momentum has carried into how audiences are watching the film itself at home. For Starz, a platform that has historically struggled to compete for attention in the weekly streaming conversation, having an exclusive title break into the national rankings is a notable moment regardless of how it stacks up against Netflix’s raw numbers.