Michael Jackson biopic smashes box office record

The new musical film about Michael Jackson has stormed the worldwide box office, scoring the highest opening weekend ever for a biopic.

The singer’s nephew Jaafar Jackson portrays him in Michael, which has taken $217m (£160m) globally since it opened on Wednesday.

Queen musical Bohemian Rhapsody, which launched with $124m (£91m) in 2018 and starred Rami Malek as Freddie Mercury, previously held the box office record for a musical biopic.

Jaafar Jackson, the King of Pop’s nephew, was praised for his portrayal of the singer in Michael

But Michael also surpassed the $180m (£133m) taken in by 2024’s Oppenheimer, giving the King of Pop the biggest worldwide opening weekend for any biopic.

Adam Fogelson, chairman of the film’s US distributor Lionsgate, said: “You don’t deliver this figure unless you’re seeing huge numbers across every conceivable demographic. [Audiences] are clearly having a blast.”

The film has gone down much better with audiences than it did with critics, several of whom complained that it depicted a “sanitised” version of Jackson’s career.

Reviews aggregator Rotten Tomatoes recorded a significant gap between the 38% average score awarded by critics and the 97% average rating from audiences.

The film’s release follows a string of musical biopics over the last decade, which Hollywood sees as reliable box-office hits.

Queen, Sir Elton John, Bob Dylan, Aretha Franklin, Elvis Presley, Bruce Springsteen, Bob Marley, Amy Winehouse, NWA, Robbie Williams and Whitney Houston have all received the cinematic treatment in recent years.

Michael is financially backed by the late superstar’s estate and uses his original vocals for the musical numbers, which dominate the film.

Source: BBC