As the highly-hyped film Michael hits cinemas, it’s likely to spark resurgence of the legendary singer’s biggest hits.

Long after his death, Michael Jackson is still a big star, and also represents far greater financial stability than in the later years of his life. The emergence of his long-awaited (though critically panned) biopic invites us to revisit highlights from the singer’s chart track record while considering how the film might influence future prospects for his catalog.

Michael Jackson’s Sales History

Jackson’s lucrative run as a platinum-level solo act began after the family act by then known as The Jacksons achieved gold status with a self-titled 1976 album that peaked at #36 on the Billboard 200, followed by the less successful Goin’ Places (1977 - #63) and a group comeback with the million-selling Destiny (1978 - #11).

Although Michael Jackson had charted four solo albums with Motown between 1972 and 1975, major sales were not ignited until 1979’s Off the Wall on the Epic label, marking the start of an extremely productive three-album relationship with producer Quincy Jones (d. 2024). That album was certified as a Diamond release in September 2025 for sales exceeding ten million copies, but it was already a major hit before the end of 1979 when it earned its first Platinum certification.

The 1982 chart-topping Thriller album is currently the second-biggest selling album of all time,........

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