Right now, Michael Jackson is having a comeback story that most living artists can only dream about.
In November, “Thriller” jumped back into the Billboard Hot 100 and hit the Top 10 again, more than 40 years after it came out. That one move made Michael the first artist in history to score Top 10 hits in six different decades. Behind that headline is a huge wave of new listening: millions of streams in a single week, classic songs like “Beat It” and “Billie Jean” climbing all over again, and a whole new generation discovering him for the first time.
At the same time, the money around his name has never been bigger. Since 2009, the estate has made over $3.5 billion from music sales, the Sony catalog deal, MJ: The Musical, and the Las Vegas show. He is still the top earning deceased celebrity in 2025, with about $105 million in the last year alone.
And now comes the real game changer. The first trailer for the biopic “Michael” exploded online, pulling in about 116 million views in 24 hours. The film does not arrive until April 24, 2026, yet the hype is already working like a full marketing campaign. Streams are rising, old charts are moving, and fans are debating every frame of a movie they have not seen.
People think the story starts on release day. In reality, it has already begun, and the numbers are telling it first.
Michael Jackson Is STILL Breaking Records in 2025
A recent entertainment news segment covered “Thriller” shooting back into the Billboard Hot 100 in November 2025, treating Michael’s return to the Top 10 like a fresh headline story, not a nostalgia piece. In just a few minutes, it lays out the key facts from the article: the jump into the Top 10, the six decade record, and the new wave of streams behind it. It is the cleanest snapshot of how big this moment already feels.
Michael Jackson’s ‘Thriller’ returns to Top 10 of ‘Hot 100’
The official teaser for “Michael” is where the future of this comeback lives. In less than two minutes, you see Jaafar Jackson step into Michael’s world with an almost shocking likeness, backed by a voiceover that hints at a life told in full, not in pieces. The new 2026 date, the darker tone, and the huge view count all sit in one place, capturing the mix of excitement and unease that is driving this new wave of attention.