Now that’s a box office thriller.
“Michael,” an origin story about Michael Jackson, electrified the box office with $97 million domestically and $217 million globally in its first weekend of release. The PG-13 film wildly exceeded expectations to secure the biggest opening of all time for any musical biopic, easily supplanting the record set long ago by 2015’s “Straight Outta Compton” ($60 million debut). It’s a blockbuster result for Lionsgate, ranking as the company’s biggest hit since 2015’s “The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2” ($102 million debut). The studio is expected to greenlight at least one more film about Jackson’s life.
“The power of Michael Jackson’s reach into culture is undeniable,” says Lionsgate’s motion picture chair Adam Fogelson. “And people are having a blast in theaters.”
Directed by Antoine Fuqua, “Michael” stars Jaafar Jackson (the singer’s nephew in his acting debut) and chronicles the performer’s journey from the Jackson 5 to his status as the King of Pop. Negative reviews and costly behind-the-scenes headaches didn’t tarnish the excitement for “Michael,” which box office watchers predict will remain a major draw into the summer season. Here are five takeaways from the movie’s massive debut:
Can’t stop a crowd-pleaser
Critics have complained that “Michael” paints a sanitized portrait of Jackson since the film ends before he was accused of child molestation. (Jackson, who died in 2009, has denied all allegations.) Ticket buyers didn’t share that criticism. They embraced “Michael” with an “A-” grade on CinemaScore exit polls, a mark that bodes well for box office longevity.
“Michael” wasn’t a small-scale production, meaning the film couldn’t afford to polarize audiences. With a price tag nearing $200 million, it’s one of the most expensive biopics of all time. (Lionsgate shared expenses with the international distributor Universal and the Jackson estate.)
Initially, “Michael” had dramatized a 1993 child sexual abuse lawsuit against Jackson. But those sequences had to be removed after producers discovered a clause in the settlement with the young accuser that barred the depiction or mention of him in film or television. Toning down the screenplay was a major headache that added tens of millions to the budget. But in the end, the version that appeared onscreen was accessible to music fans of all ages and demographics.
“Reviews are weak,” notes David A. Gross, who publishes the box office newsletter FranchiseRe. But “the movie is playing as a feel good, nostalgic appreciation. Audiences [are] on their feet, singing and dancing.”
Cue up the greatest hits
Mainstream audiences don’t necessarily want a warts-and-all story about their music icons. Some just want to feel like they’re enjoying a concert — from the comfort of plush recliners. That was part of the appeal of 2018’s Queen film “Bohemian Rhapsody,” which generated a massive $911 million globally. Since that movie’s stratospheric success, there have been plenty of musical biopics about artists such as Elvis Presley (“Elvis”), Amy Winehouse (“Back to Black”), Bob Dylan (“A Complete Unknown”), Bob Marley (“One Love”) and Bruce Springsteen (“Deliver Me From Nowhere”). Not all have been embraced with equal fervor. “Deliver Me From Nowhere,” for example, was criticized for focusing on a less commercial chapter of the Boss’ discography, his acoustic album “Nebraska,” rather than providing a look into the making of his greatest hits.
Much like “Bohemian Rhapsody” and “Elvis,” the film about Jackson became a crowd-pleaser by leaning heavily on recreations of iconic performances of “Billie Jean,” “Thriller” and “Beat It.” Cinema-goers opted to watch those thrilling sequences on the biggest and brightest screens. Imax alone accounted for $13.8 million, or roughly 14% of North American ticket sales, and $24.5 million globally, ranking as the company’s biggest start for a musical biopic.
“Movie theaters are perfect for music-centric films, with incredible sound systems offering up an experience that simply cannot be replicated at home,” says senior Comscore analyst Paul Dergarabedian. “Enjoying the film with other Michael Jackson fans only added to the energy and excitement that made ‘Michael’ truly a must-see event on the big screen this weekend.”
Here’s hoping that Sam Mendes is taking notes as he prepares to make four interconnected films about the Beatles.
Jackson’s fans have long ago separated the art from the artist
It’s an age-old debate: Can you separate the art from the artist? Despite the child molestation claims that plagued Jackson for decades, his fans have demonstrated a number of times that the answer is yes. The singer’s estate, a producer on the film, was encouraged by several successful productions, including the profitable Broadway musical “MJ” (one of only four new shows since the pandemic that’s still running), the Cirque du Soleil show “One” and the 2009 concert film “This Is It.” None of those projects deal with allegations against Jackson.
If producers move forward with a sequel (and that’s clearly the intention — the words “His story continues” appear at the end of the movie), audiences might have to reckon with uncomfortable questions. Will people return en masse for a story that covers a period of Jackson’s life that was dominated by controversy and scandal?
Lionsgate’s commercial streak
What a difference a couple of years can make. By the end of 2024, Lionsgate’s box office fortunes were downright depressing after an epic string of failures including “Borderlands,” a reboot of “The Crow” and the “Wonder” prequel “White Bird.” Since last fall, though, Lionsgate has been on the upswing with wins including September’s dystopian drama “The Long Walk” ($62 million) and two November releases, heist sequel “Now You See Me: Now You Don’t” ($243 million) and psychological thriller “The Housemaid” ($400 million).
Fogelson believes those three films, plus “Michael,” have benefited from a common thread: the “joy of the communal experience.”
“The fact that we’ve had success on such different types of movies has been incredibly gratifying,” he said. “It’s becoming more and more apparent that if you can create the promise of something that’s best experienced with a group of friends rather than alone, you are meaningfully enhancing the odds of success.”
Box office momentum matters
Exhibitors often lament they need new movies year-round (and not just during the summer and Christmastime) to entice patrons. Well, they didn’t have to dust off the cobwebs to welcome patrons for “Michael.” Auditoriums have been bustling for most of the spring, thanks to “Scream 7,” “The Super Mario Galaxy Movie” and “Project Hail Mary.” Now it’s up to cinema operators to keep people in the habit as they wait for next weekend’s “The Devil Wears Prada 2″ — followed by the Warner Bros. action sequel “Mortal Kombat 2” and “Star Wars” spinoff “The Mandalorian and Grogu” — to kick off the summer season in style. Enter Miranda Priestly.
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