United States — Ekhbary News Agency
The new musical film about the life of Michael Jackson has stormed the worldwide box office, achieving the highest opening weekend ever for a biopic. Titled "Michael," the film, starring Jackson's nephew Jaafar Jackson as the singer, has grossed $217 million globally since its Wednesday opening.
Breaking Previous Records
"Michael" surpassed the previous record held by the musical film "Bohemian Rhapsody" in 2018, which opened with $124 million. The film also outgrossed 2024's "Oppenheimer," which took in $180 million, making "Michael" the biggest worldwide opening weekend for any biopic. Adam Fogelson, chairman of the film's US distributor Lionsgate, noted that these impressive figures indicate massive audience engagement across all demographics.
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Critical and Audience Reception
Despite its significant audience success, the film has faced criticism from some reviewers who described it as a "sanitized" version of Jackson's career. Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes showed a substantial gap between critics' scores (38%) and audience ratings (97%). This success follows a trend of musically-themed biopics achieving significant box office returns in recent years.
