Antoine Fuqua’s Michael Jackson Biopic Opens With Record $97M U.S. Weekend and $217.4M Worldwide

Lionsgate’s Michael, the Michael Jackson biopic directed by Antoine Fuqua, opened to a record-breaking $97 million domestic opening weekend and a $217.4 million worldwide launch, according to Sunday estimates cited by multiple outlets.

“- Published The new musical film about Michael Jackson has stormed the worldwide box office, scoring the highest opening weekend ever for a biopic”

BBC

The BBC reported that the film “has taken $217m (£160m) globally since it opened on Wednesday,” and said it delivered “the highest opening weekend ever for a biopic.”

BBC

The Guardian likewise put the worldwide total at $217m (£160m, A$303m) and described the launch as “shattering the record for the biggest biopic opening of all time.”

In North America, The Hollywood Reporter and Variety both tied the debut to a $97 million U.S. opening, with The Hollywood Reporter adding a $120.4 million foreign launch for a $217.4 million global blast-off.

Billboard also reported the same headline numbers, saying the film debuted to “a record-breaking $97 million domestic opening and a global launch of $217.4 million.”

Several outlets also emphasized the film’s genre record, with the BBC noting it surpassed “the $180m (£133m) taken by 2024's Oppenheimer,” and USA Today calling it “the biggest opening weekend for a musical biopic in history.”

The film stars Jaafar Jackson as Michael Jackson, and the BBC said it is “financially backed by the late superstar's estate” and uses “his original vocals for the musical numbers.”

The box office surge arrived despite a production that multiple outlets described as unusually rocky, with reshoots driven by legal constraints around the film’s third act.

The BBC said the film “does not include any mention of the child sexual abuse accusations that were made against the singer,” and described how footage was “scrapped after the rediscovery of a historic non-disclosure agreement Jackson made with one of his accusers.”

Billboard

It added that “the third act of Michael had been due to centre on accusations made by Jordan Chandler in the 1990s,” but that a settlement included a clause that prohibited the singer’s estate “ever mentioning him in any movie,” leading to a rework that now “instead concludes in 1988, before any accusations were made.”

The Guardian similarly described a “highly authorised portrayal” that still had “an unusually rocky production,” saying that after shooting was completed, producers realized the third act focused on Jordan Chandler—“then 13 years old”—could not appear, because “the terms of that settlement barred the Jackson estate from ever mentioning Chandler in a movie.”

Deadline reported that the estate “took on the extra cost of $50M in reshoots,” and said Fuqua “had to pass on other jobs as additional shooting on Michael lasted 20 days.”

Newsweek also tied the reshoots to the Jordan Chandler material, stating that “a huge chunk of the film had to be cut, with reshoots costing as much as $50 million done at the estate's expense.”

Across outlets, the reshoots and legal overhaul were linked to the film’s final focus on music and on the strained relationship with his father, with the BBC saying the resulting film “leans heavily on recreated concert performances” and “examines the strained relationship with his father Joseph, played in the film by Oscar nominee Colman Domingo.”

As the film’s numbers climbed, Lionsgate’s Adam Fogelson and director Antoine Fuqua both framed the debut as a sign of audience appetite, even as critics objected to what they saw as a sanitized portrayal.

“Antoine Fuqua notched the best opening of his career at the box office this weekend as his Michael Jackson biopic Michael, from Lionsgate and Universal, debuted to $97 million in the U”

Deadline

The BBC quoted Fogelson saying: “You don't deliver this figure unless you're seeing huge numbers across every conceivable demographic. [Audiences] are clearly having a blast.”

The Guardian also quoted Fogelson telling Associated Press, “From the beginning, all of the signals were that something like this was possible,” and added that “We were seeing massive engagement with every conceivable audience segment that you could identify.”

In Deadline’s Q&A, Fuqua described how he approached the story, saying, “I wanted to humanize Michael,” and “I wanted people to get to know him: How eccentric he was, how he was as a young man.”

Fuqua also told Deadline that the film’s pacing and character dynamics were shaped by the father-son tension, saying, “It’s delicate. You can’t escape that situation when you live with your parent.”

He connected that tension to Michael’s relationship with animals, telling Deadline that “animals were easy for him because he’s always been that way since he was a kid,” and that “He rescued [them], and that was part of his nature.”

When asked about the unique challenges of the production, Fuqua told Deadline, “All movies have different challenges, but this one was really unique,” and described it as “an extra punch in the gut” because he was “literally handing in the director’s cut” when the Jordan Chandler material had to be reworked.

The film’s reception split sharply between critics and audiences, and outlets repeatedly cited the same Rotten Tomatoes gap while adding other audience metrics.

The BBC reported that Rotten Tomatoes recorded “a significant gap between the 38% average score awarded by critics, and the 97% average rating from audiences,” and said the film “has gone down much better with audiences than it did with critics.”

Gold Derby

The Guardian likewise stated that “on Rotten Tomatoes its critics score is 38%, compared with 97% from audiences,” and described audiences as “far more enthusiastic” despite criticism that the film “glossing over some of the less convenient aspects of Jackson’s life.”

Variety and The Hollywood Reporter both echoed the audience score, with Variety saying the film is rocking the box office despite “only 38% of which were positive on Rotten Tomatoes” and that audiences embraced “Michael” with an “A-” grade on CinemaScore exit polls.

Billboard reported “a 96% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes,” along with “PostTrak exit scores in the low 90s” and “a definite recommend of 85%,” and said it earned “an A- on CinemaScore.”

USA Today similarly described “Cinemascore giving it an average grade of A-,” and added that “some fans have shared videos showing audience members turning their screenings into full-on dance parties.”

Several outlets also framed the critical objections around what the film omits, with the BBC saying “several of whom complained that it depicted a 'sanitised' version of Jackson's career,” and with Variety stating that reviewers complained “Michael” “takes a sanitized look at Jackson’s life because it doesn’t include the child sexual abuse allegations.”

Even as Michael set records, outlets described a forward-looking slate of releases and a plan for more Jackson films, while also highlighting the ongoing controversy around what the movie does and does not depict.

“All eyes were on Michael heading into the weekend box office — and it delivered in a big way”

Gold Derby

The BBC said the film is “part of a recent upward swing for cinemas” and named The Super Mario Galaxy Movie and Project Hail Mary as recent box office hits, while also saying “The Devil Wears Prada 2 this weekend” was set to follow.

Just Jared

The Guardian reported that “one notable exception” to the film’s rollout was Japan, where it “will open in June,” and said the film’s $97m domestic debut surpassed records set by Oppenheimer ($82m in 2023), Straight Outta Compton ($60.2m in 2015) and Bohemian Rhapsody ($51m in 2018).

Deadline and Newsweek both pointed to the franchise-like momentum, with Newsweek saying “A sequel is already in development, and Lionsgate chairman Adam Fogelson said a third film is "not inconceivable."”

The Guardian also stated “A sequel is in development” and added that “a third film after that, Fogelson said, is “not inconceivable.””

At the same time, the stakes for the film’s legacy remained tied to the legal and ethical disputes around the Jordan Chandler material, with the BBC explaining that “footage was scrapped” after the rediscovery of the NDA and that the film “now instead concludes in 1988, before any accusations were made.”

USA Today framed the sequel question as “an open question” about whether a future film would try to acknowledge the abuse allegations, and it noted that the end of the movie includes text reading, “His story continues.”