AceShowbiz - For the third straight week, Michael Jackson is smashing his own streaming records as the impact from the Michael biopic continues to drive massive engagement with his music. The renewed attention on his catalog has delivered unprecedented streaming numbers and chart activity across many of his most iconic songs.

During the tracking week of May 1-7, Michael Jackson's solo catalog achieved an impressive 181.6 million official on-demand streams in the United States, according to data from Luminate. This figure represents a 32% increase over his previous weekly peak of 137.6 million streams. That prior record itself was a remarkable jump from 55.9 million streams just weeks earlier, illustrating the sustained momentum generated by the film’s release.

The legendary hit “Billie Jean” led the streaming surge, amassing 14.8 million official on-demand streams in the latest week. This figure marks a 31.7% uplift from the previous week’s 11.3 million streams. The song’s spike in streams translated into a strong rebound on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, where “Billie Jean” climbed from No. 38 to No. 17. Other tracks from the Thriller album also saw robust streaming numbers, with “Beat It” and “Human Nature” ranking second and third in the catalog at 11.4 million and 10.8 million streams, respectively.

Early reports covering May 8-10 indicate that Michael Jackson's streaming activity remains exceptionally high, with over 86 million streams logged in just three days. If the pace continues, it is likely his catalog will reach another nine-figure weekly total and could potentially surpass 200 million streams in a single week—an unprecedented achievement for the King of Pop.

Interestingly, while the Michael biopic omits any mention or portrayal of Janet Jackson, the youngest of the Jackson family and a celebrated pop icon in her own right, her streaming numbers have also seen a notable increase in recent weeks. According to Luminate, for the week ending May 7, Janet Jackson accumulated over 9.4 million official on-demand streams in the U.S., marking her best weekly total of 2026. This represents a 31% rise from 6.9 million streams recorded two weeks prior (April 17-23).

The surge in Janet Jackson's streams can be partly attributed to “Scream,” the only song credited to both Michael and Janet Jackson. The track alone garnered nearly 1.2 million streams in the most recent tracking week. Even when excluding the duet from the calculation, her solo catalog still experienced a 20% increase in streams compared to two weeks earlier, equating to roughly 1.4 million additional plays.

Despite her absence from the film, Janet "kindly declined" to be depicted, according to sister La Toya Jackson, the streaming uplift suggests renewed public interest in her music.

Meanwhile, the Netflix survival thriller Apex starring Charlize Theron and Taron Egerton is responsible for another striking streaming phenomenon, this time involving The Chemical Brothers. Their 2015 track “Go,” featured prominently in the film’s trailer and soundtrack, has experienced a massive resurgence.

“Go” had modest streaming figures before the film’s debut, with about 91,000 official U.S. streams during April 17-23. However, once Apex premiered on Netflix on April 24, the song’s streams skyrocketed. In the film’s opening week (April 24-30), streams surged 431% to over 487,000. The following week (May 1-7) saw an additional 167% increase, with 1.3 million streams recorded. Overall, “Go” has experienced a colossal 1,319% increase in streaming activity over the past two weeks.

This surge propelled “Go” to become The Chemical Brothers' highest-charting hit on the Dance/Electronic Songs chart, reaching No. 9. The viral resurgence has been fueled by TikTok users recreating a memorable dance scene by Taron Egerton’s villainous character set to “Go.” The official TikTok sound has been used in over 68,000 clips, while Instagram Reels featuring the song have surpassed 60,000, often trending among gym enthusiasts and solo runners who resonate with the track’s energetic vibe.

The ongoing resurgence of these diverse tracks—from Michael Jackson’s timeless catalog and Janet Jackson’s growing streams to The Chemical Brothers’ dance hit—illustrates the powerful influence of media exposure on music consumption. Whether sparked by biopics, film placements, or social media trends, these artists are experiencing significant boosts in their streaming performance well into 2024.

As the Michael biopic continues its theatrical run, it remains to be seen whether Michael Jackson can sustain the unprecedented streaming milestones he has set so far. Meanwhile, fans of the Jackson family and other featured artists are clearly responding enthusiastically to the renewed spotlight on their catalogs, signaling exciting opportunities for legacy acts in the digital streaming era.