So, the new Michael Jackson movie is kind of a big deal.
It stormed into theaters on Wednesday, and by the time the weekend was over, Michael had pulled in $217 million worldwide. That’s not just good—that’s the biggest opening ever for any biopic, period.
The previous record holder? Oppenheimer, with $180 million. Yeah, a little movie about the atomic bomb. And before that, Bohemian Rhapsody held the musical biopic crown at $124 million. Michael Jackson just moonwalked past all of them.
His nephew plays him—and apparently nails it
The guy playing MJ is Jaafar Jackson. He’s Michael’s actual nephew, son of Jermaine. And for a first-time actor? People are shocked. He’s got the moves, the look, the way of standing. Even critics who don’t love the movie admit he’s something else.
One reviewer called his performance “eerily, almost mathematically correct.” That’s a weird compliment, but it fits.
Critics hate it. Audiences don’t care.
Here’s where it gets interesting. On Rotten Tomatoes:
- Audience score: 97%
- Critic score: 38%
Yeah. Big gap.
The critics say the film is way too clean. It barely touches the allegations against Jackson. Actually, it kind of runs away from them. The movie basically ends in 1988—before any of the major lawsuits hit. You get the music, the fame, the complicated dad (played by Colman Domingo), but not the ugly stuff.
The BBC called it “bland and barely competent.” Ouch.
But audiences? They’re showing up anyway. Because they want to see the music, the magic. And honestly, that’s what sells tickets.
Why the movie almost fell apart
Behind the scenes, this thing was a mess. And expensive—reportedly around $200 million.
Originally, the third act was going to deal with the Jordan Chandler allegations from the 90s. But here’s the problem: the Jackson estate had signed a non-disclosure agreement back in 1994 that said they couldn’t mention Chandler in any movie. Someone apparently forgot about that NDA until late in production. Oops.
So they had to scrap all those scenes and reshoot basically the entire ending. Director Antoine Fuqua said it was a “tough period” and they had to “rethink everything.” That’s Hollywood-speak for “we panicked and spent millions fixing it.”
What’s next?
The movie hasn’t even opened in Japan yet. And Japan loves Michael Jackson. So this $217 million number is probably going to grow.
Love him or hate him—and people feel strongly both ways—the King of Pop still knows how to pack theaters. Whether that’s because of the music or the curiosity factor is hard to say. But right now? The box office is screaming “Thriller.”
by Eric Hine