{"id":2391031,"date":"2026-04-27T08:41:06","date_gmt":"2026-04-27T08:41:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/?p=2391031"},"modified":"2026-04-27T08:41:06","modified_gmt":"2026-04-27T08:41:06","slug":"michael-breaks-records-for-music-biopics-at-box-office-with-217-million-global-opening","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/michael-breaks-records-for-music-biopics-at-box-office-with-217-million-global-opening\/","title":{"rendered":"&#8216;Michael&#8217; breaks records for music biopics at box office with $217 million global opening"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<div data-article-body=\"true\">\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\"><em>Michael<\/em>, the first officially authorized Michael Jackson biopic, has shrugged off bad reviews and a very troubled production to launch with $97 million in US and Canada theaters, according to studio estimates, shattering a record debut for music biopics.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Co-produced by the Jackson estate, <em>Michael<\/em> has wildly overperformed (estimates were up to $70m) and far surpassed previous biopic top performers like <em>Straight Outta Compton<\/em> (a $60.1 million debut in 2015) and <em>Bohemian Rhapsody<\/em> ($51 million in 2018).<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">International sales were also strong, as <em>Michael<\/em> collected $120.4 million overseas, to give it a $217.4 million global opening &#8211; a new high for a music biopic.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">\u201cFrom the beginning, all of the signals were that something like this was possible,\u201d the Lionsgate chairman, Adam Fogelson, told Associated Press. \u201cWe were seeing massive engagement with every conceivable audience segment that you could identify.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">The film has now opened in most of the world \u2013 with one notable exception being Japan, where it will open in June.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\"><em>Michael<\/em> carries a price tag near $200 million, making it one of the most expensive biopics of all time. Considering its impressive opening weekend, there\u2019s every chance it could surpass <em>Bohemian Rhapsody<\/em> as the highest-grossing music biopic of all time \u2013 having taken a total of $910m at the global box office.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"relative mb-4\">\n<div class=\"relative\"><button aria-label=\"View larger image\" class=\"group absolute bottom-0 size-full\" data-ylk=\"elm:expand;itc:1;sec:image-lightbox;slk:lightbox-open;\"><span class=\"absolute bottom-3 right-3 rounded-full bg-primary p-3 opacity-100 shadow-elevation-3 transition-opacity duration-300 group-hover:block group-hover:opacity-100 md:p-[17px] lg:bottom-6 lg:right-6 lg:bg-primary\/90 lg:p-5 lg:opacity-0 lg:shadow-none\"><svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"24\" height=\"24\" viewbox=\"0 0 24 24\" aria-hidden=\"true\" focusable=\"false\" class=\"flex-none size-4 -scale-x-100 text-primary lg:size-6 [&amp;_path]:fill-current\"><path fill=\"currentColor\" d=\"M3.1 3.1V11h1.8V6.314l5.392 5.393 1.415-1.414L6.313 4.9H11V3.1zm17.8 17.8V13h-1.8v4.686l-5.393-5.393-1.415 1.414 5.393 5.393H13v1.8z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/button><dialog aria-label=\"Modal Dialog\" aria-modal=\"true\" class=\"fixed bottom-0 left-0 right-0 top-0 z-4 size-full max-h-none max-w-none bg-primary hidden\"\/><\/div><figcaption class=\"relative text-sm mt-1 pr-2.5\">\n<p><span class=\"wdgt-image_capText\"> Michael <\/span> <span class=\"wdgt-image_credit\"> &#8211; Universal Pictures <\/span><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\"><b class=\"c-widget-related__title__text\">Related<\/b><\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">The reviews for <em>Michael<\/em> have been overwhelmingly negative, with even <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" data-yga=\"{\" ylinkelement=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.euronews.com\/culture\/2026\/04\/23\/a-family-affair-michael-jackson-family-and-biopic-stars-defend-michael-despite-very-poor-r\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"elm:link;elmt:article_link;slk:some members of the Jackson family opposing the film;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \"><strong>some members of the Jackson family opposing the film<\/strong><\/a> \u2013 most notably Michael\u2019s sister Janet Jackson and his daughter, Paris, who called it \u201cfantasy land\u201d.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">In <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" data-yga=\"{\" ylinkelement=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.euronews.com\/culture\/2026\/04\/22\/euronews-cultures-film-of-the-week-michael-its-bad-its-really-really-bad\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"elm:link;elmt:article_link;slk:our review;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \"><strong>our review<\/strong><\/a>, we called <em>Michael<\/em> a \u201cdrama-free, formulaic and estate-controlled excuse to sell more albums\u201d and \u201csanitized to the point of being translucent\u201d.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">\u201cWhatever you may think of the man behind the icon and even if you\u2019re generous enough to give this project the benefit of the doubt by foolishly believing that the darker aspects of Jackson\u2019s life could be explored in a planned second chapter (teased at the end with the card \u201cHis story continues\u201d), Michael still only functions as an insultingly blatant hagiography. It removes everything from his early life story that could be deemed contentious, including allegations of violent abuse by his father Joe (Colman Domingo), his early encounters with sex, or his growing body dysmorphia linked to the toll celebrity and trauma took on him.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\"><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" data-yga=\"{\" ylinkelement=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.euronews.com\/culture\/2026\/04\/22\/euronews-cultures-film-of-the-week-michael-its-bad-its-really-really-bad\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"elm:link;elmt:article_link;slk:Read the full review here;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \"><strong>Read the full review here<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"relative mb-4\">\n<div class=\"relative\"><img alt=\"Michael\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"808\" height=\"454\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"1\" class=\"rounded-lg\" style=\"color:transparent\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/qVshdTfJNY90S_serMVLPg--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTUzOTtjZj13ZWJw\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/euronews_us_news_articles_566\/5a9ba90de94a58d9977be50f102f207c\"\/><button aria-label=\"View larger image\" class=\"group absolute bottom-0 size-full\" data-ylk=\"elm:expand;itc:1;sec:image-lightbox;slk:lightbox-open;\"><span class=\"absolute bottom-3 right-3 rounded-full bg-primary p-3 opacity-100 shadow-elevation-3 transition-opacity duration-300 group-hover:block group-hover:opacity-100 md:p-[17px] lg:bottom-6 lg:right-6 lg:bg-primary\/90 lg:p-5 lg:opacity-0 lg:shadow-none\"><svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"24\" height=\"24\" viewbox=\"0 0 24 24\" aria-hidden=\"true\" focusable=\"false\" class=\"flex-none size-4 -scale-x-100 text-primary lg:size-6 [&amp;_path]:fill-current\"><path fill=\"currentColor\" d=\"M3.1 3.1V11h1.8V6.314l5.392 5.393 1.415-1.414L6.313 4.9H11V3.1zm17.8 17.8V13h-1.8v4.686l-5.393-5.393-1.415 1.414 5.393 5.393H13v1.8z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/button><dialog aria-label=\"Modal Dialog\" aria-modal=\"true\" class=\"fixed bottom-0 left-0 right-0 top-0 z-4 size-full max-h-none max-w-none bg-primary hidden\"\/><\/div><figcaption class=\"relative text-sm mt-1 pr-2.5\">\n<p><span class=\"wdgt-image_capText\"> Michael <\/span> <span class=\"wdgt-image_credit\"> &#8211; Universal Pictures <\/span><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\"><b class=\"c-widget-related__title__text\">Related<\/b><\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">The film had an unusually troubled production. After shooting was completed, producers realised they had made a costly mistake, as the third act focused on the accusations of Jordan Chandler, then 13 years old, whom Jackson paid $23m to in a 1994 settlement. The terms of that settlement barred the Jackson estate from ever mentioning Chandler in a movie.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">A sizeable part of the film was cut and reshot for as much as $50m &#8211; all at the estate\u2019s expense. Director Antoine Fuqua and screenwriter John Logan reworked the movie to conclude in 1988, before any accusations were made.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">James Safechuck, an accuser in Dan Reed\u2019s <em>Leaving Neverland<\/em> documentary (2019), shared a statement of support to child sex abuse survivors amid the release of <em>Michael<\/em>. Safechuck alleged that he was sexually abused as a child by Jackson.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">\u201cThe Michael movie is coming out and it\u2019s getting a lot of promotion and there\u2019s billboards and commercials and people praising Michael,\u201d he said in a video shared with <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" data-yga=\"{\" ylinkelement=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/music\/music-news\/leaving-neverland-accuser-child-sex-abuse-michael-1235553713\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"elm:link;elmt:article_link;slk:Rolling Stone;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">Rolling Stone<\/a>. \u201cIt can be triggering for survivors who have their own Michael in their lives, whether it\u2019s the priest who\u2019s close to God or the sports coach who\u2019s just helping the kids or the step-parent who\u2019s supporting the family,\u201d he added. \u201cOur abusers are praised sometimes, even after we come out and tell the truth.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">\u201cI just wanted to let you know that you are not alone and that there are other survivors out there that understand what you\u2019re going through and that are there with you. And that if you\u2019re feeling all the feels, then lean into people that are close to you, lean into people that support you and that give you love, and know that you\u2019re not alone,\u201d he continued.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">He went on to say: \u201cTelling the truth and telling what happened is a good thing, and that it\u2019s a part of your healing.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Reed has also questioned why the new biopic failed to acknowledge the abuse allegations against Jackson.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">\u201cIt says that people don\u2019t care that he was a child molester. Literally, people just don\u2019t care,\u201d he said. \u201cI think a lot of people just love his music and turn a deaf ear. And short of having actual video evidence of Michael Jackson engaged in sexual intercourse with a seven-year-old child, I don\u2019t know what would be sufficient to change these people\u2019s minds.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">He added: \u201cHow can you tell an authentic story about Michael Jackson without ever mentioning the fact that he was seriously accused of being a child molester?\u201d.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><em> \u2018 The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n<p><em> \u2018 Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.yahoo.com \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Michael, the first officially authorized Michael Jackson biopic, has shrugged off bad reviews and a very troubled production to launch with $97 million in US and Canada theaters, according to studio estimates, shattering a record debut for music biopics. Co-produced by the Jackson estate, Michael has wildly overperformed (estimates were up to $70m) and far [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2391032,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[25172],"tags":[383102,364210,308613,309642,304696,369099],"class_list":["post-2391031","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-entertainment","tag-biopic","tag-jackson-estate","tag-janet-jackson","tag-michael","tag-michael-jackson","tag-straight-outta-compton"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Michael-breaks-records-for-music-biopics-at-box-office-with.jpeg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2391031","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2391031"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2391031\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2391033,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2391031\/revisions\/2391033"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2391032"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2391031"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2391031"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2391031"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}