Director Antoine Fuqua’s long-awaited biopic of Michael Jackson is hoping to set a record-setting moonwalk when it opens in theaters across North America and the world this weekend.
From Lionsgate, Michael It is tracking to earn at least $65 million to $70 million domestically, making it the biggest opening ever for a musical biopic ahead of Universal’s current record holder. Straight from Compton ($60.2 million) and Fox’s Freddie Mercury biopic Bohemian Rhapsodyr ($55 million), not adjusted for inflation. The product is behind Michael and fascination He is Graham King.
When the film debuted three weeks ago, the range was $55 million to $60 million. Although the number is still large, the subsequent rise indicates this Michael It might tap into the nostalgia factor that inspires rare moviegoers to return to theaters in droves for the first time since the pandemic, or spark interest among the most enthusiastic moviegoing demos, Gen Zers.
Michael It’s widely expected to be an even bigger phenomenon at the foreign box office, considering the King of Pop’s legacy is so red-hot across the ocean. Projections show it will start with $75 million to $90 million for a global debut of $165 million against a net budget of $155 million and tens of millions spent on 22 days of overtime pushing the budget closer to $200 million.
One hiccup: miserable reviews. As of Thursday night, the film had a 33 percent critics rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
The film’s journey to the big screen was not without challenges, and its release was delayed several times. The original intent was to depict Jackson’s entire life and career, including the child sex abuse allegations that began to engulf him in scandal by the 1990s after he achieved solo star status with his release. stir in 1982 – one of the best-selling albums of all time – and it followed bad In 1987. (Jackson was formally charged, tried and acquitted in 2005, four years before his death.)
But plans changed when King and the Jackson family – which supported the project – ran into legal trouble when one of Jackson’s accusers objected, who had a previous settlement with the estate that guaranteed he would never appear in any drama. King and the filmmakers, along with Lionsgate and Universal, began working on a plan to split the film into two films so that there would be breathing room to fix this particular problem.
Fuqua and screenwriter John Logan don’t exactly break the mold MichaelAnd they do not fill it with major discoveries. But they tap into the feelings of melancholy that underlie stratospheric success that are surprisingly affecting. The online mob will be sharpening its pitchforks given the film’s failure to address the child sex abuse accusations that tarnished Michael Jackson’s legacy. But the filmmakers get around this by focusing on the beginning of his career, which ended in 1988 bad A world tour concert in London, years before the allegations first surfaced. The ending card that says “His story continues” carries some weight, THR Leading film critic David Rooney wrote in his review.
Broadway musical MJnow in its fourth year as well as a national tour and multiple international diversions, has not been harmed by allegations of child sexual abuse; This did not stop Sony and Kenny Ortega’s film about Michael Jackson after his death in 2009. This is itwent on to become the highest-grossing documentary film of all time with global ticket sales reaching $267 million.
However, it was critically acclaimed This is it It has had difficulty gaining audiences in North America. The documentary went behind the scenes with Jackson as he planned and rehearsed for a final concert series of the same name to be held at the O2 in London. He died on August 29, 18 days before the first concert. In the weeks leading up to its domestic release, some called for a boycott of the doc. It opened domestic to $22 million on its way to reaching $72 million. It grossed $195 million internationally for a worldwide total of $267 million – ahead of the $261 million achieved by Taylor Swift: Tour for the Ages in 2025 (the latter a live-action musical picture).
Since Lionsgate doesn’t have a global distribution box, Universal has acquired the rights to release it internationally in fall 2023. This deal does not include Japan, where Kino Films is in charge. Jackson is nothing less than a champion hero in that country, where This is it The film earned $57 million in foreign grosses. Early this year, Michael It made its world premiere at the Berlin Film Festival in another nod to the importance of Jackson’s international fan base.
In North America, Michael It will host Thursday night shows before expanding on Friday to more than 3,900 theaters, including 1,600 auditoriums offering Imax and premium large format screens.
