Many people saw this coming the moment the film was announced, but it was solidified over the weekend when the biopic Michael became a bona fide box office hit out of the gate. By the end of its opening weekend, the film had grossed over $97.2 million domestically and a staggering $218.8 million worldwide. It quickly eclipsed the previous biggest opening for a musical biopic set by Straight Outta Compton ($60 million launch), and it became the biggest opening for Lionsgate since 2015’s The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2 ($102 million). The opening further cemented the staying power of Michael Jackson, who has only gained in popularity since he died in 2009, despite the controversies that surrounded him in life and even some after his passing.
The music and what he means to a legion of fans have managed to mostly quiet those controversies, which include allegations of child sexual abuse (it should be noted that Jackson was never found guilty of child molestation, and he was acquitted on 14 counts of child sexual abuse charges in 2005 while vehemently maintaining his innocence throughout his life). It’s in some of the reviews of Michael that these allegations are brought up as being blissfully ignored, despite the film firmly establishing that it takes place beginning in 1966 and concluding in 1988, before any allegations were made against him. It was widely reported that the allegations were addressed in a cut of the film that had to be reworked for legal reasons because a settlement prevented them from dramatizing events that set off the claims made against him in 1993. The resulting theatrical cut is a film that has been hit hard by critics (38 percent on Rotten Tomatoes) but given a much better assessment from the public at large (“A-” CinemaScore and a 97 percent Popcornmeter (Audience) score on the aggregator site). As a biopic, Michael has been criticized for playing it safe, but fans and the moviegoing public are already turning it into an event that has once again divided casual moviegoers and professional critics.
It should be pointed out that not all the negative reviews seem agenda-driven. Some wholeheartedly believe that the King of Pop deserved better big-screen treatment, but there are certainly others who seemed to make it no secret that they wanted something more salacious. Casual moviegoers could be forgiven for not knowing that the film’s original intention was to include the allegations that largely affected his career beginning in the early ’90s. What seems more unlikely are the entertainment journalists who are immersed in movie news regularly writing reviews that make a negative assessment of the film for excluding it when they know why it ultimately wasn’t included and why it led to $15 million in reshoots. Anyone reading some of these reviews can easily tell they ring false once they do a little research, and because of this, among a few other reasons, casual moviegoers began pushing back on the negativity.
The audience reaction to Michael
A quick look at social media, particularly X, will reveal a landscape regarding this film that is pretty divided between “professional critics” and everyday moviegoers. This divide is nothing new as there have been many films that receive negative reviews but become box office hits with the public but some critics have gone out of their way in multiple posts to explain why Michael isn’t good in their opinion and a lot of it is in direct response to people who love it and by sharing and negatively quote tweeting trades that point out that this appears to be the film that fans and audiences wanted. It’s one thing to give an opinion that everyone is entitled to, but it feels oddly personal to rain on the parade of those who have found joy in the film and a reason to head to the movies.
Toning down the negativity against Jackson, at least in this part of the story, resulted in something that was far more accessible to the world at large. This wasn’t a move that was easy for Lionsgate, which shares expenses on the film with international distributor Universal Pictures and Jackson’s estate. This turned into an endeavor that scaled up the budget to $200 million when it was discovered that the 1993 child sexual abuse lawsuit against Jackson couldn’t be included because of a clause in the settlement that made it clear his young accuser couldn’t be mentioned or depicted in any way in a film or television project.
This led to release date delays and millions of dollars in reshoots (the Jackson estate reportedly covered the bill on that since it was their oversight that led to this), plus the film had to be restructured to at least make this feel like Part One of a larger story. The plus side to this creative overhaul is that it allowed a cut of the film that focused on Jackson as an artist, a musical genius largely unmatched and a sympathetic figure battling loneliness and severe insecurities, thanks in large part to his troubled relationship with his father Joe Jackson (Colman Domingo).
The box office success
As box office publisher David A. Gross mentioned in a recent story from Variety about the film’s record-breaking weekend, “Reviews are weak, but the movie is playing as a feel-good, nostalgic appreciation. Audiences are on their feet, singing and dancing.” This theatrical cut that begins with a young Jackson (portrayed by Juliano Kru Valdi) becoming the young prodigy of the Jackson 5 under the domineering presence of his father, all while the audience is treated to electric live performances of some of their biggest hits, does a good job of setting up Jackson as a kid who isn’t quite like everyone else before transitioning to his teen years (now portrayed by Jackson’s real-life nephew Jaafar Jackson) where he strives for independence and a desire to break away so he can achieve the greatness he so richly believes he’s capable of. His insecurities regarding his skin condition and his nose aren’t glossed over, and his fear of standing up to his dad remains palpable. This is all played over even more hits by Jackson, with the film clearly finding an angle that has resonated with moviegoers.
Let’s not forget that the music is at the heart of the crowd-pleasing that has already made Michael a hit. Jackson’s music has always been huge, but since his death in 2009, it has become obvious how generational it has become. Parents are bringing their kids to the film and simply enjoying the universal love of seeing Jackson’s music play out on the big screen. The music alone has made the film an event that feels more like a concert, engaging across all demographics.
According to Deadline, Black moviegoers led the charge at 38 percent during the film’s opening weekend, but other demos made their presence known too (Latino/Hispanic at 26 percent, Caucasian at 24 percent, and Asian at 6 percent). Because of this, it should come as no surprise that Jackson’s music has seen a surge since the film’s opening, as fans are getting reacquainted and the previously uninitiated are discovering it because of the goodwill that the movie has generated towards it. This is truly an event that most films dream of and one that studios are grateful for during a time when box office success isn’t always guaranteed. Appealing to all quadrants is sometimes necessary for a movie to truly succeed.
Even more impressive for Michael are the positive exits from moviegoers that have defied the critical reaction. Beyond the “A-” CinemaScore and the 97 percent audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, Michael has an impressive 7.7/10 on IMDB and an 84-85 percent definite recommend according to PostTrak. All of these exits point to strong word of mouth moving forward and a sign that Michael will likely have solid legs in the weeks ahead. Given the fact that there is a universal desire for moviegoers to head to their local movie theater, as people believe that theatrical moviegoing is still in need of help following the pandemic, this sort of reception should be celebrated. Michael is putting butts in the seats, and audiences are responding to their view of its quality with their wallets. Michael may not go down as a critical darling when it’s all said and done, but it will be remembered as one of the 2026 films that made it fun for people to go to the movies again as a communal experience that we are hoping to recapture. Critics be damned.
Michael is now playing in theaters nationwide.
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