NEW YORK — “Michael,” the smash movie about the famous and controversial late pop megastar Michael Jackson, has crossed the billion-dollar box-office line, the first biopic ever to do so.

It is also the highest-grossing movie ever for distributor Lionsgate, beating out “The Hunger Games: Catching Fire” ($865 million, 2013) and “The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2” ($850 million, 2012), Variety reported.

Many criticized “Michael” for scrubbing references to child-abuse allegations against Jackson as it profiled the singer from his early years as part of the Jackson 5 with brothers Jermaine, Tito, Jackie and Marlon Jackson, to a solo career that anointed him the King of Pop.

While he was never convicted of criminal wrongdoing, Jackson paid millions in settlement money to some of his accusers. He died in 2009 of acute propofol intoxication.

Reports emerged in April of this year suggesting that the Jackson family had paid to have those references removed, while Variety reported that his estate’s lawyers said a redo was legally required because of a clause in one settlement that forbade depicting or mentioning the accuser in any movie.

Director Antoine Fuqua called the $1 billion global-ticket-sales milestone “a deeply humbling moment that celebrates the tireless dedication of our incredible producers, cast, crew, and partners” in a statement to Variety and credited “everyone who came together with a shared vision to honor one of the greatest artists the world has ever known.”

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