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Despite mediocre reviews, strong competition, late rewrites and legal hurdles, the film is about the Jackson family Michael became the highest-grossing biopic of all time.
The Antoine Fuqua-directed film, which now boasts a global US box office gross of $977 million, has surpassed its 2025 tally. Oppenheimer to claim the title this weekend, surpassing the previous record holder’s $975 million in earnings. It was already the highest-grossing musical biopic, earning over US$911 million. Bohemian Rhapsody by mid-June. It is also Lionsgate Films’ highest-grossing film, surpassing the 2013 film. The Hunger Games: Catching Fire.
Michael follows pop superstar Michael Jackson, played as an adult by his real-life nephew Jaafar Jackson, through his early days performing with his family in the Jackson 5, and through the heights of his early career, releasing hits such as Billy Jean, Back off And Thriller.
Notably, however, the story does not address or even mention the child sex abuse allegations made against Michael Jackson, who died in 2009. In a conversation with The New Yorker, Fuqua confirmed that the original script plan addressed them: the planned scene involved Michael Jackson being stripped and searched by police during a police raid on Neverland Ranch in 1993.
But although Fuqua wrote and even directed many of these segments, they were ultimately cut and remade. In the end, a legal settlement between the Jackson heirs and Jordan Chandler, who along with his family accused the singer of sexually assaulting him when he was 13 years old, was largely responsible for the plan’s failure, according to multiple reports.
As trade magazines Puck, The Hollywood Reporter and others reported, the out-of-court settlement stipulated that Chandler’s story could never be included in any productions about Jackson’s life – a condition that producers were unaware of until filming was already well underway.
A new Michael Jackson biopic produced in collaboration with the Jackson estate is being criticized by some for whitewashing allegations of sexual abuse involving minors against the legendary pop star that have long marred his legacy.
The version shown in theaters ends in 1988, before any public charges were brought against Jackson. Extensive reshoots worth about 50 million US dollarswere made at the expense of the estate.
Jackson and his heirs have always denied the singer is guilty of any allegations of sexual abuse. Chandler’s family stopped cooperating with prosecutors after receiving compensation, and the investigation was closed. Jackson admitted no guilt in that settlement, although he was later prosecuted on similar charges in 2005. He was acquitted of all charges.
However, this production caused significant protest around the project: from analytical articles to calls for a boycott, some of the audience, journalists and even family members had various problems with the way the life of the star was reconstructed. Some went so far as to accuse Michael distorting Michael Jackson’s story and omitting key facts in order to rehabilitate his character for a new, younger audience.
Michael Jackson’s sister and parallel superstar Janet Jackson refused to be portrayed in the film and is notably absent from the story. His daughter Paris Jackson wrote on social media that her script notes were ignored by producers and that the final product would satisfy those still obsessed with “fantasies” about her father’s life.
Dan Reed, documentary director Leaving Neverland who is dealing with these charges said Michael existence at all spoke to the changing perception of the singer over the years.
“People just don’t care.” He told The Hollywood Reporter. “I think a lot of people just love his music and ignore it.”
Different opinions
Aside from its subject matter, the film was also criticized for its pacing and storytelling. Mixed reviews pointed to a shallow plot meant to stitch together the musical scenes and a simplistic, saint-like portrayal of the main character, common complaints about music biopics. Likewise, biopic Bob Marley: One Love was largely panned by critics despite earning an impressive US$181 million.
And the previous record holder for a musical biopic, Bohemian Rhapsodysaw similarly mixed reviews based on a simplified—and supposedly inaccurate—portrayal of Queen singer Freddie Mercury.
Other reviewers found more fun in Michael. Both Hollywood Reporter And Deadline praised Jafar Jackson for his impressive channeling of his uncle. At the same time, the number of auditions for the singer increased sharply. by 95 percent since the blockbuster’s release in April.
Even still, MichaelOpening weekend projections at the US and Canadian box office were a modest $50–70 million. It far surpassed those numbers, grossing nearly $100 million, nearly doubling the opening weekend of other blockbuster musical biopics such as Straight from Compton And Bohemian Rhapsody.
This dominant trend has continued since then. And as Fuqua and Lionsgate have teased, at least one more film about Michael Jackson’s later life is expected to hit theaters in the future.