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‘Michael’ Scores Record $217 Million Opening as Lionsgate Sets Sequel

A sequel is now planned to capitalize on the outsized opening.

Overview

  • The biopic, which opened over the weekend, grossed $97 million in the U.S. and $217 million worldwide, setting a new high for a biographical musical, according to Box Office Mojo.
  • Reviews were largely negative with about 38% on Rotten Tomatoes and 39/100 on Metacritic, while moviegoers gave the film an A- CinemaScore and strong exit polls.
  • Lionsgate executive Adam Fogelson said there will be at least one more film, pointing to unused material and strong demand for a broader telling of Jackson’s life.
  • Producers reworked the final act and removed scenes tied to later allegations after discovering a 1994 settlement barred the Jackson estate from depicting or naming the claimant, so the film now ends in 1988.
  • Paris Jackson criticized the movie as inaccurate and said her input was ignored, highlighting family tensions over who shapes Michael Jackson’s on-screen legacy.