United States
The United States of America: a 50-state federal republic, the world's largest economy, and the $372M home market behind the record Michael biopic.
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- Established
- 1776
- Country
- United States
- Official name
- United States of America
- Capital
- Washington, D.C.
- Government
- Federal republic; bicameral Congress — Senate (100 seats) and House of Representatives (435 seats)
- States
- 50 states plus the federal District of Columbia
- Area
- 9,866,632 sq km — the world's fourth-largest country
- Population
- 340,110,988 (2024, World Bank); third most populous country
- GDP (nominal, 2024)
- $28.8 trillion (World Bank) — the world's largest economy
- GNI per capita
- $84,534 (2024, World Bank)
- Official language
- None
Overview
The United States of America is a federal republic of 50 states in North America, with a population of about 340 million and a 2024 GDP of $28.8 trillion — the world’s largest economy. It is the country where the record-breaking Michael Jackson biopic Michael (2026) was made and where it earned $372.3 million of its $1.0287 billion worldwide total (World Bank; ET Now).
Britannica describes the United States as “a federal republic of 50 states” and the world’s fourth-largest country by area, with a national capital — Washington — coextensive with the federal District of Columbia, created in 1790 (Britannica). The country is the first nation to be founded, in Britannica’s account, “on the premise that sovereignty rests with its citizens and not with the government.” It is an immigrant nation: Britannica notes that the country’s diversity “to a great degree has come from an immense and sustained global immigration,” and it has no official language or religion. This profile documents the country as this site’s record-breaking film’s production home and home market — then as the country-reference it is.
The $372-million home market: the United States behind the Michael record
No standard country profile connects the United States to the largest biopic gross in cinema history — this one does. Michael, the Antoine Fuqua-directed biopic of Michael Jackson starring his nephew Jaafar Jackson, was made in America: filming was planned for Santa Barbara, California, delayed by the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strikes, then ran from January 22 to May 31, 2024 (Collider). Before filming, the California Film Commission awarded the production $21.1 million in state tax credits on $120 million of qualified in-state spending — among the program’s largest allocations ever (Gulf News).
The domestic audience did its share: Lionsgate’s July 2026 announcement of $1.001 billion — the first biopic ever to clear a billion and the studio’s biggest title — put $371.8 million from North America (Music Business Worldwide). The finished run stood at $1,028,706,645: $372.3 million domestic, $656.4 million international. Roughly 64% was earned outside the United States, which ET Now reads as evidence that Jackson’s global appeal — not just American fandom — drove the record (ET Now).
A federal republic: governance and territory
The United States is a federal republic of 50 states plus the federal District of Columbia. The 48 conterminous states occupy the middle latitudes of North America, bounded by Canada to the north, Mexico and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and the Atlantic and Pacific oceans; Alaska sits at the continent’s northwestern extreme and Hawaii in the mid-Pacific Ocean — together the fourth-largest national territory on Earth at 9,866,632 square kilometres (Britannica). Federal legislative power sits with a bicameral Congress: a 100-seat Senate and a 435-seat House of Representatives, also per Britannica.
The constitutional frame is unusually durable. The Declaration of Independence from the British Empire dates to 1776; the U.S. Constitution was written in 1787, ratified in 1788, and in operation since 1789 — which congress.gov calls “the world’s longest surviving written charter of government” — and the first ten amendments, the Bill of Rights, were ratified in 1791 (congress.gov). No official language or religion is established (Britannica).
| The United States at a glance | Verified fact |
|---|---|
| Official name | United States of America (Britannica) |
| Capital | Washington, D.C. — coextensive with the District of Columbia (Britannica) |
| Government | Federal republic; Senate 100, House of Representatives 435 (Britannica) |
| Area | 9,866,632 sq km, 4th largest in the world (Britannica) |
| Population | 340,110,988, 2024 (World Bank) |
| GDP (nominal, 2024) | $28.8 trillion, world’s largest (World Bank) |
| GNI per capita (2024) | $84,534 (World Bank) |
| Official language | None (Britannica) |
The world’s largest economy
The World Bank puts U.S. GDP at $28.8 trillion for 2024 against $18.7 trillion for China, the nearest peer — making the American economy about 54% larger than the next-largest in the world. The implication is direct: the same country that supplied more than a third of Michael’s $1 billion record gross is, by itself, a larger economy than any other nation (World Bank; Music Business Worldwide).
Britannica describes the country as the “world’s greatest economic power” measured in GDP terms, attributing the position to rich natural resources and enormous agricultural output — but “more to the country’s highly developed industry” — and notes the economy is more diversified than any other on Earth, sustaining “one of the world’s highest standards of living” for most of its people (Britannica). GNI per capita stood at $84,534 in 2024 (World Bank). By population the United States is the world’s third-largest country, after India and China (World Bank).
Frequently asked questions
How many states are in the United States? Fifty. The 48 conterminous states sit between Canada and Mexico, with Alaska in the northwest of the continent and Hawaii in the mid-Pacific. The capital, Washington, belongs to no state — it is coextensive with the federal District of Columbia.
Why is the United States called “America”? “America” is a byname — Britannica lists the official name as the United States of America, abbreviated U.S. or U.S.A., with “America” as the common short form. The site uses “United States” throughout because the terms are also used in a broader continental sense.
Does the United States have an official language? No. Britannica’s country profile lists the official language as “none”: English dominates everyday use and government business, but no language is established by law at the federal level.
What share of Michael’s record gross came from the United States? At the $1.001 billion milestone, $371.8 million came from North America; the finished run stood at $1,028,706,645 with $372.3 million domestic and $656.4 million international — about 36% of the total from the U.S. market.
What this profile does not claim
- It is not a travel guide: no tourism, visa, or itinerary information was researched.
- It names no sitting head of state; office-holders change faster than this site’s refresh cadence.
- It does not enumerate U.S. overseas territories — no full-read source in this pass verified the current list.
- GDP and population figures are 2024 nominal figures from the World Bank; projections and PPP comparisons are not stated.
- Its entertainment-market claims are confined to the sourced Michael figures; no claim is made about the U.S. share of total world box office.
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Timeline
- 1776
- The Continental Congress adopts the Declaration of Independence from the British Empire on July 4, celebrated annually as Independence Day.
- 1787
- The U.S. Constitution is written at the Philadelphia convention; it is ratified in 1788 and in operation from 1789 as the world's longest surviving written charter of government.
- 1790
- The federal capital region, the District of Columbia, is created; Washington is coextensive with it.
- 1791
- The first ten amendments to the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, are ratified.
- 2023
- The California Film Commission awards the Michael Jackson biopic Michael more than $21 million in state tax credits — among the largest allocations in the program's history — on $120 million of qualified in-state spending.
- 2024
- Michael films in Santa Barbara, California from January 22 to May 31 after a SAG-AFTRA-strike delay; the World Bank records U.S. population at 340.1 million and GDP at $28.8 trillion.
- 2026
- Michael crosses $1.001 billion worldwide in July — the first biopic to do so — with $371.8 million from North America; it finishes its run at $1,028,706,645 with $372.3 million domestic and $656.4 million international.
What we could not verify
These claims came up in research and could not be confirmed. They are recorded here rather than published as fact or quietly dropped. If you hold a source that settles one, please tell us.
- Britannica's 2026 population estimate (340,587,000) differs from the World Bank's 2024 figure (340,110,988); only the World Bank figure is asserted here.
- Music Business Worldwide reports Michael's North America gross ($371.8M) at the $1.001B milestone; ET Now reports a final 'domestic' gross of $372.3M. The two labels are treated as effectively the U.S. market but are not merged into a single number.
- Gulf News (via Variety) says the California Film Commission awarded 'Michael' $21.1 million ('more than $21 million'); the figure is stated as announced, not re-audited.
- Lower-tier entertainment outlets report an 80-day Santa Barbara shoot; the specific day count was not independently verified and is not asserted — only Collider's Santa Barbara filming dates are.
- This profile does not enumerate U.S. overseas territories; no full-read source in this pass verified the current list.
- No sitting head of state is named; office-holders go stale faster than this site's refresh cadence.
Sources
7 sources (5 tier 1, 2 tier 2), each opened and read against the claim it supports. Every source is independent of the subject; no first-party material is cited. See the source policy.
Built from seven sources read in full: five tier1 (Britannica, World Bank, congress.gov, Gulf News, ET Now) and two tier2 (Music Business Worldwide, Collider). Wikipedia was used only as a lead index and is not cited. The michael-2026-film profile on this site was treated strictly as a lead: the Santa Barbara shoot, the California tax credit, and every box-office figure in this profile were re-verified independently from sources read for this research pass. The 2026-estimate population figure on Britannica (340,587,000) and the World Bank's 2024 figure (340,110,988) differ by year and method; this profile uses the World Bank figure throughout.
- Supports: Federal republic of 50 states; fourth-largest country in area (9,866,632 sq km); capital Washington coextensive with the District of Columbia, created 1790; Senate (100) and House of Representatives (435); no official language or religion; 2020 population 331,449,281; 'world's greatest economic power' measured in GDP; immigration-driven diversity; first nation founded on the premise that sovereignty rests with citizens Open original source
- Supports: Population total 340,110,988 (2024); GDP current US$ $28.8 trillion (2024) versus China's $18.7 trillion; GNI per capita $84,534 — the basis of the stat+source+implication sentence Open original source
- U.S. Founding Documents Tier 1Supports: Constitution written 1787, ratified 1788, in operation since 1789 — 'the world's longest surviving written charter of government'; Declaration of Independence from the British Empire in 1776; Bill of Rights (first ten amendments) ratified 1791 Open original source
- Supports: Reporting Variety: California Film Commission awards 'Michael' more than $21 million ($21.1 million) in tax credits; $81.7 million allocated across 24 projects; the film projected to generate $120 million in qualified in-state spending, a program record Open original source
- Supports: Final theatrical run: $1,028,706,645 worldwide; $372.3 million domestic; $656.4 million international (~64%); highest-grossing biopic ever; Lionsgate domestic / Universal international distribution split; sequel confirmed Open original source
- Supports: Lionsgate's July 12 announcement: $1.001 billion worldwide, $371.8 million North America, $629.8 million international; first biopic to $1B; first independent-studio release to $1B; Lionsgate's biggest title ever; overtook Bohemian Rhapsody ($911M) and Oppenheimer ($975.8M); $97.2M domestic / $217M worldwide record opening; Spotify monthly listeners rose from ~68M to ~105M; Thriller re-entered the Billboard 200 top 10 Open original source
- Supports: Filming initially expected to begin in Santa Barbara, California in September 2023, delayed by the SAG-AFTRA strikes; filming began January 22, 2024 and wrapped May 31, 2024 Open original source
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