The biopic “Michael” about the “King of Pop” Michael Jackson (1958-2009) is making history at the box office. The film by US director Antoine Fuqua, which was released in April, is now the world’s most successful biopic. With grosses of around 977 million US dollars, the film overtook the previous record holder “Oppenheimer”, according to the industry portal “Boxoffice Mojo”.
Christopher Nolan’s biopic about the physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer, who researched the atomic bomb, grossed a good $975 million worldwide. In March 2024, the historical drama won seven Oscar trophies, including Best Picture, Director, Lead Actor (Cillian Murphy) and Robert Downey Jr. Best Supporting Actor.
“Michael” had already far exceeded industry expectations when it launched in April. A few weeks ago the film caught up with the most successful music biopic to date, “Bohemian Rhapsody”. The film about Queen singer Freddie Mercury grossed $911 million worldwide in 2018.
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Biopic leaves out critical things
“Michael” tells the story of Jackson’s childhood up to the “Bad” tour in the 1980s. The singer’s nephew, Jaafar Jackson (29), plays the main role. However, the film leaves out central episodes from the pop star’s life, including the allegations of abuse against the singer, which later tarnished his image and which were only made public years after “Bad”.
Accusations of sexual assault by a teenager led to a “trial of the century” in 2005 that ended with a triumphant acquittal for Jackson on all charges. Many film critics complain about “Michael” that the film provides a too smooth and uncritical picture of the singer.