Michael Jackson biopic 'Michael' breaks box office record despite panning from critics

The eagerly anticipated Michael Jackson biopic, Michael was released in cinemas last week - and smashed a box office record despite the film being panned by critics.

On opening weekend, the film starring Jaafar Jackson made a whopping $217 million at the global box office ($97m in North America, and $120.4m internationally) and smashed the record for the biggest biopic opening of all time.

As a result, Michael surpasses previous biopic records, which include 2023's Oppenheimer ($82m), 2015's Straight Outta Compton ($60.2m) and 2018's Bohemian Rhapsody ($51m).

Jaafar, the son of Michael's older brother Jermaine Jackson, was cast in the role of the King of Pop back in January 2023.

The cast also includes Nia Long as Katherine Jackson, Coleman Domingo as Joe Jackson, and Miles Teller as attorney John Branca. Kat Graham also stars as Diana Ross, with Laura Harrier as Suzanne de Passe, Kendrick Sampson as Quincy Jones, and Juliano Krue Valdi as a young Michael.

Antoine Fuqua is the film's director, and the script is by John Logan, while Graham King, John Branca and John McClain are producers on the project.

“The film tells the story of Michael Jackson’s life beyond the music, tracing his journey from the discovery of his extraordinary talent as the lead of the Jackson Five, to the visionary artist whose creative ambition fueled a relentless pursuit to become the biggest entertainer in the world," the synopsis reads.

"Highlighting both his life off-stage and some of the most iconic performances from his early solo career, the film gives audiences a front-row seat to Michael Jackson as never before. This is where his story begins.”

This isn't the first record Michael has achieved; the hype was real even ahead of its release, with the trailer becoming the most-viewed trailer for any music biopic in history, getting 116.2 million globally in 24 hours.

Although impressed with Jaafar's performance as Michael Jackson, critics weren't fans of the biopic due to parts of history being missed in the film's content. But the biopic has been a hit with audiences, scoring 97 per cent audience score compared to the 38 per cent critics score on film and TV review aggregate website, Rotten Tomatoes.

On social media, videos have been going viral of cinemagoers turning up to screening dressed as the 'Billie Jean 'singer and performing his songs.

Michael is out in cinemas now.

Elsewhere from Indy100, Critics slam Michael Jackson biopic 'Michael' as a 'soulless cash grab', and What are critics saying about Anne Hathaway's Mother Mary?

How to join the indy100's free WhatsApp channel

Sign up to our free indy100 weekly newsletter

Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.