Michael Jackson biopic ‘Michael’ is landing on TV soon

‘Michael’ is coming to TV.

After becoming the highest-grossing biopic ever released, ‘Michael’ is preparing for its streaming debut. Antoine Fuqua’s blockbuster portrayal of the King of Pop will arrive exclusively on Starz from August 10, giving audiences another chance to watch the record-breaking film after its historic run in cinemas. The release will coincide with a same-day premiere on the network’s linear TV channel.

The film has been on a crazy run since landing in cinemas on April 24. It opened with an impressive $97.2 million USD at the domestic box office and around $217 million USD worldwide, instantly setting a new benchmark for the biggest opening weekend ever achieved by a musical biopic. Momentum continued to build over the following months, with ‘Michael’ eventually surpassing the $1 billion USD mark globally.

It overtook ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’, which previously held the title of the highest-grossing music biopic with $911 million USD, before also eclipsing ‘Oppenheimer’ to become the biggest biographical film of all time. The success also delivered Lionsgate the highest-grossing release in the studio’s history.

Interestingly, the commercial performance arrived despite a mixed critical response. While reviewers were divided over the film, cinema-goers embraced it, awarding ‘Michael’ an A- CinemaScore alongside a 97% audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The contrast between critics and audiences has fuelled wider conversations around the modern biopic, suggesting Jackson’s influence continues to resonate with viewers around the world decades after his rise to global superstardom.

Fuqua directs the feature from a screenplay by John Logan, with Graham King serving as producer. In one of the project’s most talked-about casting decisions, Michael Jackson’s nephew Jaafar Jackson takes on the title role in his acting debut, while Juliano Valdi portrays the singer during his childhood.

The supporting cast includes Colman Domingo and Nia Long as Joe and Katherine Jackson, Miles Teller as longtime manager John Branca, Kat Graham as Diana Ross and Larenz Tate as Motown founder Berry Gordy. Spanning the Jackson 5’s emergence in the 1960s through to the ‘Bad’ world tour in the late 1980s, the film charts the defining chapters that cemented Michael Jackson’s place as one of music’s most influential figures.