Despite a difficult start Record start for Michael Jackson biopic - even beats Elvis
The film biopic "Michael" about superstar Michael Jackson remains controversial: allegations of child abuse are excluded - much to the displeasure of critics. Nevertheless, the movie opens with a record.
27.04.2026, 22:06
dpa
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- The biopic "Michael" opened with record takings of around 97 million dollars in North America and over 217 million worldwide. It thus set new records for music biopics.
- Despite its commercial success, the film remains controversial, as allegations of child abuse are deliberately omitted. Critics complain that important, controversial aspects of Jackson's life are missing.
- The production was difficult: reshoots worth up to 50 million dollars led to the film ending before the abuse allegations. The film stars Jackson's nephew Jaafar and was produced with the support of the Jackson estate.
- "Michael" is showing in the blue Cinemas.
The biographical feature film about pop star Michael Jackson has opened in North American cinemas with record numbers. "Michael" opened in the USA and Canada with takings of 97 million dollars, according to initial estimates on Sunday.
This broke a record for the launch of a music biopic. The heavily authorized portrayal of the King of Pop, co-produced by the Jackson estate, clearly outperformed previous top biopics such as "Straight Outta Compton" and "Bohemian Rhapsody".
The film also had a strong international run: "Michael" grossed 120.4 million dollars abroad, resulting in a worldwide opening of 217.4 million dollars - also a new record for a music biopic.
Even in the lucrative genre of music biopics, "Michael" was a bold bet on an extremely popular but controversial figure. Michael Jackson, who died in 2009 at the age of 50, was repeatedly dogged by allegations of child sexual abuse. Jackson maintained his innocence, although the pop star admitted to sharing a bedroom with other people's children. He was acquitted in a single criminal trial in 2005.
Some members of the Jackson family rejected the movie, such as sister Janet Jackson and Jackson's daughter Paris. But three years after "Leaving Neverland", the documentary about Jackson's alleged child abuse, "Bohemian Rhapsody" producer Graham King announced plans for the biopic. Jackson's nephew Jaafar Jackson has been cast in the lead role.
A rocky start
Production got off to an unusually bumpy start. After filming was completed, the producers realized that they had made a costly mistake: The third act dealt with the allegations of Jordan Chandler, then 13 years old, to whom Jackson paid $23 million as part of a 1994 settlement. The terms of that settlement prohibited the Jackson estate from ever mentioning Chandler in a movie.
Re-shoots costing up to 50 million dollars were carried out at the estate's expense. Director Antoine Fuqua and screenwriter John Logan reworked the film so that it ended in 1988 - before any accusations were made. Critics criticized the film for leaving out some less flattering aspects of Jackson's life.
