‘Michael’ storms the box office
Jaafar Jackson in a scene from Michael (Photo: Lionsgate Films)
The biopic of pop icon Michael Jackson is performing strongly at the Hollywood box office. Directed by Antoine Fuqua, the film Michael is projected to earn $88 million or more in the United States within its first three days. Box office analysts expect it to surpass $180 million globally over the same period, driven by strong international demand.
Earlier projections estimated the film would earn between $65 million and $70 million in its opening three days. That range would already mark the biggest opening for a music biopic. The current record holders are Straight Outta Compton ($60.1 million) and Bohemian Rhapsody ($55 million). However, Michael could take the top spot by Monday.
The film had an initial budget of $155 million. Additional shooting to alter the ending pushed costs to around $200 million. Given the overwhelming global interest, industry observers expect the film to recover that amount in less than two weeks.
The key question now is how ‘front-loaded’ the film will be—whether it will earn heavily in its opening week before declining. Critics have pointed out that the filmmakers deliberately omitted controversial chapters of Michael Jackson’s life, particularly allegations of child abuse. The story concludes with the London concert from the 1988 Bad World Tour, while the allegations surfaced much later.
In a review, chief film critic David Rooney of The Hollywood Reporter wrote that although the director and screenwriter do not attempt anything particularly new, they manage to touch on a certain melancholy behind Michael Jackson’s immense success. He added that online criticism may intensify because the film avoids the controversial allegations, but the filmmakers focus primarily on Jackson’s early career and conclude the story with an epilogue stating that his story will continue.
