Michael Jackson Biopic ‘Michael’ Shatters Box Office Record with $217M Global Opening
NEW YORK — Lionsgate’s Michael Jackson biopic “Michael” launched with $97 million in U.S. and Canadian theaters in its opening weekend, shattering the record for music biopic debuts. Combined with $120.4 million in overseas sales, the film’s global opening totaled $217.4 million — a new high for the genre.
Far Exceeding Expectations
“Michael” wildly surpassed industry predictions. Just weeks before release, estimates for the film were closer to $50 million. Going into the weekend, the studio had revised that to approximately $70 million. The final result was nearly 1.4 times that figure.
“From the beginning, all of the signals were that something like this was possible,” said Adam Fogelson, Lionsgate chairman. “We were seeing massive engagement with every conceivable audience segment that you could identify.”
Rewriting Music Biopic History
Co-produced by the Jackson estate and starring Jaafar Jackson as the King of Pop, “Michael” far eclipsed previous biopic benchmarks: 2015’s “Straight Outta Compton” ($60.2 million debut) and 2018’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” ($51 million).
A Rocky Production
“Michael” had an unusually troubled production. After principal photography was completed, producers realized they had made a costly mistake. The film’s third act focused on the accusations of Jordan Chandler, then 13 years old, whom Jackson paid $23 million to settle with in 1994. The terms of that settlement barred the use of related content in the film.
A huge chunk of the movie had to be cut. Reshoots costing as much as $50 million were done at the estate’s expense. Director Antoine Fuqua and screenwriter John Logan reworked the film to conclude in 1988, before any accusations were made.
“I would take issue with the idea that we as a studio or as filmmakers were running around in a panic,” Fogelson said. “It was definitely a unique and challenging circumstance to figure out how to work through. But it created an opportunity to tell more story than any one film could possibly contain.”
Controversy and Opposition
Despite its box office triumph, the film has faced controversy. Some Jackson family members opposed the production. Janet Jackson was uninvolved and does not appear in the film. Jackson’s daughter, Paris, called it “fantasy land.”
Meanwhile, the film’s release has sparked a broader conversation about the balance between managing an artist’s legacy and commercial interests.