Michael Jackson’s biopic storms the box office

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Michael Jackson’s biopic ‘Michael’ has been released. This movie took the box office by storm from the first day of its release without paying attention to the critics. 

It grossed around $39.5 million in its first day of release in US theaters on Friday (April 24). That number stood between $95 million and $100 million over the weekend, which is on track to set a new record in the history of musical biopics. The standard set by ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ or ‘Straight Outa Compton’ has been easily surpassed by the movie ‘Michael’.

Michael Jackson’s biopic ‘Michael’ is doing well not only in the US but also in the international market. After being released in more than 80 countries, it grossed $200 million worldwide in its first week. This is the biggest opening for a movie from production company Lionsgate since the pandemic, which is a huge relief for the studio.

‘Michael’ is directed by Anthony Fuqua, who has previously had success with action films like ‘The Equalizer’. Graham King of ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ was in the production. Like the previous one, this time also he gave another successful music biopic.

His nephew Zafar Jackson played the role of Michael Jackson in this movie. His performance has already garnered much praise, especially Michael’s perfect mastery of dance, pose and voice.

The response from critics so far has not been entirely positive. Many feel that the movie has skipped the controversial chapters of Michael Jackson’s life. The movie didn’t delve too deeply into the allegations of the ’90s in particular. But the reaction of the audience is quite different. In the theatre, the audience dances and sings along with the music, creating an atmosphere of celebration. For many, it is not just a movie, but ‘an experience’ – a nostalgic time machine, which takes the viewer back to the era of ‘Billie Jean’ or ‘thriller’.

The movie ‘Michael’ was not easy to make. Legal complications midway through construction, third-party reconstruction—all in all, the budget ballooned to about $155 million. Even a large part of the movie had to be re-shot. Because of that there was a legal barrier in showing the context of a real-life case.

The 1993 allegation — initially included in the story but later dropped due to legal complications. As a result, the filmmakers had to shift the focus of the story to her relationship with her family, especially her father Joe Jackson, which deepened the emotional layers of the movie. And the film’s music rights, massive concert scenes and re-shoots — all cost a few steps. Especially the third part of the movie had to make major changes.

There are several major reasons behind the success of the movie ‘Michael’. First is the global popularity of Michael Jackson. His songs, dances, stage performances — all continue to captivate generations. Secondly, the movie is made as a kind of ‘fan service’, where the audience gets to see more of the bright side of their favorite star. Thirdly, the promotion of the movie among the netizens on social media was extensive. Trailers and songs reach billions of people before release.

The audience was very interested in this movie. ‘The Super Mario Galaxy Movie’ or ‘Project Hail Mary’ have done good business but far behind ‘Michael’. It proves, a strong personality-centered story can still pull in the audience.

Another aspect of this success is that the film based on the artist’s life is popular with the audience. But ‘Michael’ is a superior example of that genre, which attempts to recreate not just the life of an artist, but an entire era. For now, it can be confirmed that the ‘King of Pop’ has not lost his reign.