Michael Jackson’s ‘Billie Jean’ Beats ‘Beat It’ on Charts as Biopic Drives Music Surge

The release of Michael, the highly anticipated biopic about the King of Pop, has triggered a dramatic resurgence in Michael Jackson's streaming numbers and chart activity, with "Billie Jean" and "Beat It" reaching new peaks across multiple Billboard rankings.

Jackson's U.S. catalog streams jumped 95% over the film's opening weekend, rising from 16.3 million streams the previous weekend to 31.7 million streams on April 24 and 25. Based on those opening days, the first post-Michael week is on pace to be Jackson's biggest U.S. streaming week ever for his solo work.

"Billie Jean" led all individual tracks with 4 million U.S. official on-demand streams during the film's opening weekend, while "Beat It" followed in second place with 2.9 million plays. Both Thriller classics are registering new personal bests on domestic and global charts in the film's wake, with "Billie Jean" outperforming "Beat It" across most rankings.

Both tracks have scored new peaks on the R&B/Hip-Hop Digital Song Sales chart, with Jackson standing as one of only a handful of acts with multiple simultaneous entries on that tally. The surge extends to global rankings as well, with both tracks appearing on the Billboard Global 200 and Billboard Global Excl. U.S. charts. Industry observers note the resurgence is remarkable given that 1980s catalog tracks rarely compete alongside current global hits in daily streaming tallies.

The momentum has introduced Jackson's discography to a new generation while re-energizing lifelong fans. Jackson's Number Ones compilation has also seen renewed chart activity on Top Streaming Albums and Top Album Sales, alongside Thriller.

Michael was released in the United States on April 24 in IMAX and distributed by Lionsgate. The film stars Jackson's nephew Jaafar Jackson in the title role and covers the icon's life from 1966 to 1988.