The biopic Michael has made a strong debut at the box office, earning $97 million in the United States and Canada and setting a new record for music biopics, despite receiving poor reviews and facing production challenges.
The film, based on the life of pop icon Michael Jackson, easily beat previous top openings in the genre, including Straight Outta Compton and Bohemian Rhapsody.
Internationally, the movie also performed strongly, earning $120.4 million overseas. This brings its total global opening to $217.4 million, another record for a music biopic. While Lionsgate handled the release in North America, Universal Pictures distributed it in most international markets.
Earlier projections had estimated a much lower opening, around $50 million, later revised to $70 million. However, the film far exceeded expectations, attracting a wide audience.
The movie was a major gamble, as it portrays a hugely popular but controversial figure. Jackson’s legacy has long been overshadowed by allegations of child sexual abuse. He denied wrongdoing and was acquitted in a 2005 criminal trial, though questions have persisted over the years.
Some members of the Jackson family were not involved in the project. Janet Jackson did not participate, while his daughter Paris Jackson criticised the film as unrealistic. The project was announced years after the release of Leaving Neverland, which focused on abuse allegations. Jackson’s nephew Jaafar Jackson played the lead role.
Production faced serious setbacks. After filming was completed, the team realised part of the story focused on a legal case involving Jordan Chandler, which could not be included due to a prior settlement. As a result, large sections of the film were removed, and expensive reshoots were carried out. The story was eventually reworked to end in 1988, before the allegations surfaced.
Despite the difficulties, the film has turned into a major commercial success. Its production cost was close to $200 million, with plans already underway for a sequel and possibly more films.
Critics largely panned the movie, accusing it of ignoring controversial aspects of Jackson’s life. It received a low rating on review platforms, but audiences responded much more positively, giving it strong feedback in cinema surveys.
The film’s release also boosted a successful period for Hollywood, alongside hits like Project Hail Mary and The Super Mario Galaxy Movie. After leading the box office for three weeks, the Mario sequel dropped to second place with $21.2 million over the weekend.
“Project Hail Mary” continued its strong run, crossing $600 million globally in its sixth week.
According to estimates, the top films at the North American box office this weekend were led by “Michael,” followed by “The Super Mario Galaxy Movie” and “Project Hail Mary.”