Michael, the big-budget Michael Jackson spectacle, shrugged off poor reviews, controversy over its omission of child molestation allegations and a troubled production to launch with $7.98 million in Australian cinemas over the weekend, the highest opening for a musical biopic in Australian box office history.
It blew the previous record holder, Bohemian Rhapsody, out of the water. That film – which, like Michael, was also produced by Graham King – made $6.76 million in its opening weekend in 2018. Baz Luhrmann’s similarly popular Elvis took $6.74 million in 2022, and Straight Outta Compton grossed $4.52 million in 2015.
Michael was an audacious bet by Lionsgate on an extraordinarily popular but controversial figure. Jackson was the subject of multiple accusations of child sexual abuse, all of which he and his estate vehemently denied. In 1994, Jackson reportedly paid millions to settle out of court with one of his accusers, Jordan Chandler. He was also cleared of all charges in a four-month sex abuse trial in 2005, in which he was acquitted of molesting a 13-year-old boy.
In February, a new lawsuit was filed by four siblings who accused Jackson of having been a “serial child predator” who allegedly preyed upon them when they were seven or eight. Representatives for the Jackson estate denied the claims, calling them a “desperate money grab”.
But three years after Leaving Neverland, the 2009 documentary about Jackson’s alleged sexual abuse of children, King announced plans for the biopic. Jackson’s nephew, Jaafar Jackson, was cast to star.
Despite a slew of scathing reviews – some critics described it as clichéd, bland and bowdlerised – the filmhas earnt $9.32 million at the Australian box office since it opened on Wednesday. This puts it leagues above its current competitors, Project Hail Mary and The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, which earned $1.81 million and $1.73 million, respectively, for the past weekend. The former film has been showing in cinemas for six weekends, and the latter for four.
Michael didn’t quite manage to overtake the country’s biggest opening of the year so far. That record remains with The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, which grossed $9.44 million over its first four days earlier this month.
The authorised portrayal of the King of Pop, co-produced by the Jackson estate, also smashed the record debut for music biopics in North America. It grossed $US97 million ($135 million) in US and Canadian theatres, according to studio estimates on Sunday (US time).
The film far surpassed previous biopic top performers in the US such as Straight Outta Compton (a $US60.2 million debut in 2015) and Bohemian Rhapsody ($US51 million in 2018).
Globally, Michael has so far grossed over $303 million, a new high for a music biopic. Universal picked up distribution in most international markets.
A few weeks ago, estimates for Michael were closer to $US50 million in the US. Going into the weekend, the studio estimated closer to $US70 million. But it wildly over-performed.
“From the beginning, all of the signals were that something like this was possible,” said Lionsgate chairman Adam Fogelson. “We were seeing massive engagement with every conceivable audience segment that you could identify.”
But Michael had an unusually rocky production. After shooting was completed, producers belatedly discovered a costly mistake: The third act focused on the accusations of Jordan Chandler, then 13 years old, whom Jackson paid $US23 million to in a 1994 settlement. The terms of that settlement barred the Jackson estate from ever mentioning Chandler in a movie.
A huge chunk of the film had to be cut. Reshoots for as much as $US50 million were done, paid for by the Jackson estate. Director Antoine Fuqua and screenwriter John Logan reworked the movie to conclude in 1988, before any accusations were made.
Some Jackson family members opposed the film. Janet Jackson was not involved and doesn’t appear in it. Jackson’s daughter, Paris, called it “fantasy land”.
The film’s total production cost came close to $US200 million. To defray costs, Lionsgate sold international distribution rights to Universal. A sequel is in development. A third film after that, Fogelson said, was “not inconceivable”.
“The audience spoke loud and clear,” Fogelson said. “The portion of Michael’s life that this story tells couldn’t have gotten into those allegations because the allegations themselves hadn’t happened in the period this movie existed. I think the audience is judging it on those terms. We’ll see what happens as we move into the possibility of subsequent films.”
Critics slammed the film for glossing over some of the less convenient aspects of Jackson’s life. It scored a paltry 38 per cent on Rotten Tomatoes. But audiences were far more enthusiastic. Michael earned an “A-” CinemaScore.
”It’s only human nature to enjoy yourself at the movie theatre,” said Paul Dergarabedian, head of marketplace trends for Comscore. “The movie was perfectly positioned ahead of the start of the (northern) summer movie season, which launches later this week with The Devil Wears Prada 2 that is also poised to outpace even the most generous opening weekend projections.“
The opening for Michael added to a strong spring for Hollywood boosted by box office hits like Amazon MGM’s Project Hail Mary and Universal’s The Super Mario Galaxy Movie. After three weeks atop the box office, the Mario sequel slid to second place, with $US21.2 million. In four weeks, it has collected $US386.5 million domestically and $US445 million internationally.
Meanwhile, Project Hail Mary surged past $US600 million worldwide in its sixth weekend of release. The film’s total haul for Amazon MGM stands at $US305.3 million domestic and $US613.3 million globally.
With AP
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Nell Geraets is a Culture reporter at The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald.Connect via X or email.
