April 26, 2026, 1:13 p.m. ET
It’s a thriller!
The Michael Jackson biopic “Michael” overcame poor reviews and production problems to achieve a record-breaking opening weekend at the domestic box office. The film, which stars Jackson’s real-life nephew Jaafar Jackson as the iconic singer, earned $97 million domestically in its opening weekend, according to estimates from Comscore released on Sunday, April 26.
That’s easily the biggest opening weekend for a musical biopic in history. The record was previously held by “Straight Outta Compton,” the 2015 movie about N.W.A that debuted with $60 million domestically. “Bohemian Rhapsody,” which starred Rami Malek as Queen singer Freddie Mercury, also opened to $51 million in 2018 and went on to collect more than $900 million worldwide.
Among 2026 releases, “Michael” snagged the second-biggest opening of the year at the domestic box office, coming in behind “The Super Mario Galaxy Movie” but ahead of “Project Hail Mary.” Worldwide, the movie launched with an impressive $217.4 million.
“Michael” covers the King of Pop’s life from the 1960s through the late 1980s, ending before he first faced allegations of child sexual abuse. According to reports from Puck and Variety, the film was originally set to dramatize Jackson being accused of sexually abusing 13-year-old Jordan Chandler in 1993, which Jackson denied, with the film depicting the singer as innocent.
But Puck reported that it was only after these scenes had been shot that the producers discovered a legal agreement made years ago that barred any dramatization of the Chandler family in a movie. This reportedly led to major reshoots, with the film’s third act needing to be extensively reworked.
The final version released in theaters focuses on Jackson’s musical successes and difficult relationship with his father, Joe Jackson (Colman Domingo). This sparked criticism that the film was attempting to whitewash history by largely ignoring the controversies of Jackson’s life.
“Michael” received mostly negative reviews, with critics arguing the movie lacked substance and had little to offer outside of faithfully recreated music videos and concert scenes.
But a pure celebration of Jackson’s career with a heavy focus on his music may have been what fans wanted. Audiences so far appear to be embracing “Michael” in a way that critics aren’t, with moviegoers polled by Cinemascore giving it an average grade of A-. Throughout the weekend, some fans have shared videos showing audience members turning their screenings into full-on dance parties, jamming along to Jackson’s classic songs in the theater.
The strong opening leaves “Michael” well-positioned to spawn a sequel, which is teased at the end of the movie with text that reads, “His story continues.” But whether a potential second film would try to acknowledge the abuse allegations against Jackson, including those at the center of a 2005 trial that ended in his acquittal on all counts, is unclear.
Also an open question is whether “Michael” can overcome its negative reviews to be a contender at the Oscars in 2027. Musical biopics have tended to fare well at the Academy Awards, with movies like “Bohemian Rhapsody,” “Elvis” and “A Complete Unknown” racking up nominations in recent years. Malek won the Oscar for best actor for his performance as Mercury, and Austin Butler and Timothée Chalamet were nominated for their respective roles of Elvis Presley and Bob Dylan.
Should Jaafar Jackson be nominated, he would join an exclusive club of actors who competed at the Oscars for their very first film.
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