Michael Jackson’s Catalog Earns Big For Sony Music’s $3.5 Billion Quarter

The earnings report arrives just weeks after Michael became one of 2026's biggest success stories. Directed by Antoine Fuqua and starring Jaafar Jackson as his famous uncle, the film recently crossed the $1 billion worldwide mark, becoming Lionsgate's highest-grossing movie ever and one of the most successful music biopics in history. And as audiences flocked to theaters, they also returned to Jackson's catalog in massive numbers. That surge has been reflected across the Billboard charts. In recent months, Jackson's catalog has enjoyed one of its strongest posthumous runs since his death in 2009. Off the Wall recently logged its 200th week on the Billboard 200, while Thriller, Bad, Number Ones, The Essential Michael Jackson, and Xscape all charted simultaneously. Sony's latest earnings provide perhaps the clearest indication yet of how significant that resurgence has become. While Sony Pictures experienced a comparatively slow quarter theatrically—with revenue declining 13% year over year to $1.98 billion after releasing only The Breadwinner in North America—its music division moved in the opposite direction. Sony specifically highlighted Thriller and Bad as two of its 10 best-selling recorded music projects during the quarter, directly coinciding with the release of Michael.

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