Michael Jackson Biopic 'Michael' Set for Blockbuster Debut Despite Mixed Reviews

The summer box office season traditionally begins with the first weekend of May, but this year’s slate kicks off with a major event: Lionsgate/Universal’s highly anticipated Michael Jackson biopic, ‘Michael’.

Directed by Antoine Fuqua, the film is designed as the first installment of a two-part retelling of Jackson’s career. It stars Jaafar Jackson as the late King of Pop, tracing his journey from a child star performing with his brothers in the Jackson 5 to becoming the biggest music icon of the 1980s. The film highlights Jackson’s record-breaking albums, including ‘Thriller’ and ‘Bad’.

Since development began three years ago with Fuqua’s hiring, ‘Michael’ has been positioned as one of the year’s top-grossing films. Its release timing became even more significant after Disney moved ‘Avengers: Doomsday’ and ‘Avengers: Secret Wars’ from Marvel’s usual early May slot, leaving ‘Michael’ as the only major release capable of filling the void.

In 2018, the music biopic ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ proved the box office power of films about generation-defining music stars, grossing $903.6 million worldwide. It remains the highest-grossing music biopic ever and the second-highest-grossing biopic overall, behind only ‘Oppenheimer’. Given Jackson’s arguably larger global fanbase compared to Freddie Mercury, expectations for ‘Michael’ are even higher.

However, early critical reception for ‘Michael’ has been far less favorable than ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’, which, despite not receiving universal acclaim, still earned a 60% score on Rotten Tomatoes. As of this writing, ‘Michael’ holds a 35% score on the same platform.

While some critics praised Jaafar Jackson’s performance, particularly his faithful recreation of iconic MJ moments—such as the Moonwalk at Motown 25 and the ‘Thriller’ music video—the rest of the film has been widely criticized. Many reviewers described it as a hagiographic portrayal that avoids addressing the controversies and molestation charges Jackson faced in the 1990s and 2000s.

According to Variety, the film’s shift in tone was the result of cuts and reshoots that removed scenes directly addressing these allegations. This included an opening that covered Jackson’s 1993 arrest, which was scrapped after Jackson’s estate invoked a clause in a settlement with one of his accusers. The clause barred any depiction or mention of Jackson in future media.

Rather than focusing on these controversies, ‘Michael’ centers its narrative on Jackson’s strained relationship with his father, Joseph, played by Colman Domingo. The film portrays Joseph as seeing his son’s solo career as a threat to the Jackson 5.

Despite the mixed reviews, Michael Jackson’s enduring global fanbase ensures strong box office turnout on opening night. Even the most conservative projections anticipate ‘Michael’ setting a new opening weekend record for a music biopic.