Lionsgate's "Michael" opened to $97 million domestically and $217.4 million globally, setting a new record for music biopics despite a production plagued by costly reshoots and a final budget approaching $200 million. The film's financial gamble on the controversial King of Pop appears to have paid off at the box office, though the studio was forced to sell international distribution rights to Universal to defray extraordinary costs.
Record-Breaking Opening Masks Production Troubles
The film far surpassed previous biopic top performers like "Straight Outta Compton," which debuted to $60.2 million 11 years ago, and "Bohemian Rhapsody," which opened to $51 million 8 years ago. The $97 million U.S. and Canada opening combined with $120.4 million overseas represents the highest global debut for a music biopic. Lionsgate chairman Adam Fogelson said, "From the beginning, all of the signals were that something like this was possible," adding, "We were seeing massive engagement with every conceivable audience segment that you could identify."
However, the production's path to theaters was extraordinarily rocky. After shooting was completed, producers discovered they had made a costly mistake: the third act focused on accusations by Jordan Chandler, then 13 years old, whom Jackson paid $23 million to in a 1994 settlement 32 years ago. The terms of that settlement barred the Jackson estate from ever mentioning Chandler in a movie. A huge chunk of the film had to be cut, and reshoots costing as much as $50 million were done at the estate's expense.
Estate-Authorized Portrait Draws Family Opposition
The film was described as a highly authorized portrayal of the King of Pop, co-produced by the Jackson estate. It represented an audacious bet by Lionsgate on an extraordinarily popular but controversial figure. Jackson died in 2009, 17 years ago, at the age of 50. His reputation had been repeatedly tarnished by allegations of sexual abuse of children. Jackson and his estate maintained his innocence, though he acknowledged sharing a bedroom with other people's children. He was acquitted in his sole criminal trial in 2005, 21 years ago.
Some Jackson family members opposed the film. Janet Jackson was uninvolved and does not appear in it. Jackson's daughter, Paris, called it "fantasy land." Three years after "Leaving Neverland," the 2009 documentary about Jackson's alleged sexual abuse of children, "Bohemian Rhapsody" producer Graham King announced plans for the biopic. Jackson's nephew, Jaafar Jackson, was cast to star.
Creative Reworking and Sequel Plans
Director Antoine Fuqua and screenwriter John Logan reworked the movie to conclude in 1988, before any accusations were made. 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." He added, "The portion of Michael's life that this story tells couldn't have gotten into those allegations because the allegations themselves hadn't happened in the period this movie existed. I think the audience is judging it on those terms. We'll see what happens as we move into the possibility of subsequent films."
A sequel is in development, and Fogelson said a third film after that is "not inconceivable." Critics slammed the film for glossing over some of the less convenient aspects of Jackson's life. It scored 38% on Rotten Tomatoes, but audiences were more enthusiastic, giving it an "A-" CinemaScore. Fogelson said, "The audience spoke loud and clear."
Strong Spring Box Office Continues
The opening for "Michael" added to a strong spring for Hollywood boosted by box-office hits like Amazon MGM's "Project Hail Mary" and Universal's "The Super Mario Galaxy Movie." After three weeks atop the box office, the "Mario" sequel slid to second place with $21.2 million. In four weeks, it collected $386.5 million domestically and $445 million internationally. Meanwhile, "Project Hail Mary" surged past $600 million worldwide in its sixth weekend of release, with a total haul for Amazon MGM of $305.3 million domestic and $613.3 million globally.
Paul Dergarabedian, head of marketplace trends for Comscore, said, "It's only human nature to enjoy yourself at the movie theater," and added, "The movie was perfectly positioned ahead of the start of the summer movie season which launches later this week with the 'The Devil Wears Prada 2' that is also poised to outpace even the most generous opening weekend projections."
Why This Matters:
The "Michael" opening demonstrates both the market power of established entertainment brands and the extraordinary financial risks studios face when production costs spiral. With a budget approaching $200 million—inflated by $50 million in reshoots paid by the Jackson estate after a contractual error—Lionsgate needed to offload international distribution rights to Universal just to manage its exposure. The film's success suggests audiences will separate art from artist when the product delivers entertainment value, a market reality that may encourage studios to greenlight similar high-risk, high-reward projects on controversial figures. The planned sequels indicate Lionsgate views the franchise as commercially viable despite critical disapproval, reflecting a business model increasingly driven by audience scores over media reviews. For the Jackson estate, the film represents both a financial investment and an attempt to control the narrative around a legacy worth hundreds of millions in ongoing royalties and licensing.