While critics argued “Michael” failed by not covering Michael Jackson’s entire life and its accompanying controversies, film writer John Logan shared Jackson’s life was “complicated,” so filmmakers “chose to tell the uplifting story of his triumph in the movie.”
This angle of storytelling seems to have created a divide between audience and critic reviews. Early critic reviews of the film were low, but that did not seem to stop audiences from packing theaters all weekend long. “Michael” delivered a record-breaking debut, opening to $97 million domestically and $217 million globally, according to Variety.
While some critics dismissed the film as “sanitized and empty,” resulting in a 38% score on RottenTomatoes, audiences loved it, rewarding “Michael” with a 97% rating.
“The movie has audiences on their feet singing and dancing,” wrote the FranchiseRe movie industry newsletter.
These weekend numbers resulted in “Michael” shattering the 2015 musical biopic genre debut record of $60.2 million previously held by “Straight Outta Compton,” according to RottenTomatoes.
The genre in film has a long history, with films like “Bound for Glory” (1976) and “The Buddy Holly Story” (1978), but it entered mainstream media with 2005’s “Walk the Line.” That Johnny Cash biopic earned $187 million worldwide and produced five Academy Award nominations, including a best actress win for Reese Witherspoon, according to FranchiseRe.
Director Antoine Fuqua’s “Michael,” could follow a trajectory similar to the 2018 Queen biopic “Bohemian Rhapsody” (directed by Bryan Singer). The 2018 film debuted to a modest $51 million before skyrocketing to $910 million worldwide, earning five Oscar nominations, with Rami Malek winning best actor.
As for 2026’s box office race, “Michael” currently stands as the second-biggest debut of the year, trailing “The Super Mario Galaxy Movie,” which opened to $131 million.
Despite the new competition from “Michael,” “The Super Mario Galaxy Movie” is on track to become the year’s first billion-dollar film, ending the weekend with a global total of $871 million, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Meanwhile, the Ryan Gosling space adventure “Project Hail Mary” continues to perform well in its sixth weekend, crossing the $600 million global threshold.
“Michael” has also become the biggest hit for Lionsgate in over a decade. The studio’s last major opening was “The Hunger Games: Mockingjay — Part 2″ in 2015, which debuted to $102 million.
If the film maintains its current trajectory, it could join Lionsgate’s all-time top three performers: “The Hunger Games: Catching Fire,” “Twilight: Breaking Dawn — Part 2″ and “The Hunger Games: Mockingjay — Part 1,″ according to Variety.
Upcoming musical biopics
According to FranchiseRe, several biographies are in the pipeline:
- “The Beatles”: Scheduled for April 2028.
- “Be My Baby”: In development (announced March 2025).
- Linda Ronstadt: An untitled project reportedly starring Selena Gomez.
- Janis Joplin: An untitled project reportedly starring Shailene Woodley.
- Frank Sinatra: An untitled project reportedly starring Leonardo DiCaprio and directed by Martin Scorsese.
About ‘Michael’
The King of Pop is played by his nephew, Jaafar Jackson, in his acting debut. Colman Domingo and Nia Long star as parents Joe and Katherine Jackson. The film chronicles the singer’s career in his early years with the Jackson 5 and his solo breakout, concluding in 1988 during the “Bad” tour.
Variety reports that Lionsgate is expected to produce one additional film covering the remainder of Jackson’s life.