The Michael Jackson biopic, “Michael”, has taken the box office by storm as it smashes opening weekend records. The film is directed by Antoine Fuqua and penned by John Logan. The biopic stars the King of Pop’s nephew, Jaafar Jackson, in the titular role and traces his rise to global pop stardom. The film opened in cinemas worldwide on April 24 amid mixed reviews from critics.
Michael Jackson biopic rocks box-office despite critics review
The latest biopic of pop icon Michael Jackson stuns at the box office despite poor reviews from film critics. It reportedly clocked a record-breaking $97 million domestic opening and $120.4 million overseas, for a staggering collective total of $217.4 million, according to Sunday estimates. Notably, Universal is releasing the film overseas on behalf of Lionsgate (via The Hollywood Reporter).
“Michael” boasts of the biggest opening of all time for any biopic, surpassing Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer”, which opened at $80 million. Not only that, the biopic has surpassed “Bohemian Rhapsody” to rank as the top worldwide opening for a music biopic.
Interestingly, trade analysts had predicted that the film would open with $70 million. However, it surpassed everyone’s expectations and became clear that the film would clock in at $100 million domestically.
The makers have reportedly kept the film family-friendly, focusing on Jackson’s illustrious career over his personal controversies. This allowed people of all ages and demographics to enjoy the movie. It is not only doing well in North America, “Michael” is a big box-office draw in key international markets as well, proving that the late pop icon’s stardom is truly unparalleled.
It is interesting because prior to its worldwide release, the film opened with a mediocre rating of 35 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, and most critics gave it poor reviews. Today, the film has a brilliant 97 percent audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes, surpassing critics’ 38 percent rating.
Fans are fully backing the biopic, leaving heartwarming comments online. One fan commented, “Man is casually creating records even when he is not alive. MJ truly defined ‘Legends and their legacy live on forever’.” A second fan wrote, “Even in death, he keeps rewriting history. Legend forever!”
Originally reported by Anwaya Mane on Mandatory.
