‘Michael’ shatters record for music biopics with $97 million opening

LOS ANGELES – Michael Jackson ruled the box office this weekend the way he once ruled the music charts, as the biopic “Michael” opened with $97 million to lead all films in North America, according to industry estimates released Sunday.

Helmed by “Training Day” and “The Equalizer” director Antoine Fuqua, “Michael” stars Jaafar Jeremiah Jackson — Michael Jackson’s nephew and the son of former Jackson 5 member Jermaine Jackson — in the title role.

This image released by Lionsgate shows Jaafar Jackson as Michael Jackson in a scene from “Michael.” (Lionsgate via AP)

It deals with Jackson’s upbringing under strict father Joe Jackson, his childhood stardom with The Jackson 5 and eventual superstardom in the late 1970s and ’80s as a solo artist.

Due to language in a legal settlement, the movie does not make reference to the multiple allegations of child sexual abuse levied against Jackson, who died in 2009.

‘The Super Mario Galaxy Movie’ is No. 2

Second place in this weekend’s box office ranking went to “The Super Mario Galaxy Movie,” which made $21.2 million after spending its first three weeks in the No. 1 spot, Comscore reported.

“Project Hail Mary” took third place with $13.2 million Friday through Sunday in its sixth weekend in theaters.

“Lee Cronin’s The Mummy” was fourth with $5.6 million in its second weekend, followed by “The Drama,” which made $2.6 million in its fourth week.

Rounding out the top 10 releases were “Hoppers” ($1.9 million), “You, Me & Tuscany” ($1.5 million), “Over Your Dead Body” ($1.4 million), “Mother Mary” ($1.2 million) and “American Youngboy” ($1.19 million).

$152.5 million box office haul

This weekend’s overall three-day box office haul was estimated at $152.5 million. The year-to-date total is $2.57 billion — up 14.3% from the figure at this time last year, according to Comscore.

“Michael,” the big-budget Michael Jackson spectacle, shrugged off bad reviews and a troubled production to launch with $97 million in U.S. and Canada theaters, shattering a record debut for music biopics.

A highly authorized portrayal of the King of Pop, co-produced by the Jackson estate, Lionsgate’s “Michael” far surpassed previous biopic top performers like “Straight Outta Compton” (a $60.2 million debut in 2015) and “Bohemian Rhapsody” ($51 million in 2018).

$217.4 million global opening

International sales were also strong. “Michael” collected $120.4 million overseas, to give it a $217.4 million global opening — a new high for a music biopic.

Universal picked up distribution in most international markets.

A few weeks back, estimates for “Michael” were closer to $50 million. Going into the weekend, the studio estimated closer to $70 million. But it wildly overperformed.

Massive engagement with audience

“From the beginning, all of the signals were that something like this was possible,” said Adam Fogelson, Lionsgate chairman. “We were seeing massive engagement with every conceivable audience segment that you could identify.”

Even in the lucrative market of music biopics, “Michael” was an audacious bet by Lionsgate on an extraordinarily popular but controversial figure. The reputation of Jackson, who died in 2009 at the age of 50, has been repeatedly tarnished by allegations of sexual abuse of children. Jackson and his estate have maintained his innocence, though the pop star acknowledged sharing a bedroom with other people’s children. He was acquitted in his sole criminal trial in 2005.

Some Jackson family members opposed the film. Janet Jackson was uninvolved and doesn’t appear in it. Jackson’s daughter, Paris, called it “fantasy land.” But three years after “Leaving Neverland,” the 2009 documentary about Jackson’s alleged sexual abuse of children, “Bohemian Rhapsody” producer Graham King announced plans for the biopic. Jackson’s nephew, Jaafar Jackson, was cast to star.

Unusually rocky production

“Michael” had an unusually rocky production. After shooting was completed, producers realized they had made a costly mistake. The third act focused on the accusations of Jordan Chandler, then 13 years old, whom Jackson paid $23 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 $50 million were done at the estate’s expense. Director Antoine Fuqua and screenwriter John Logan reworked the movie to conclude in 1988, before any accusations were made.

“I would take issue with the idea that we as a studio or as filmmakers were running around in a panic,” said Fogelson. “It was definitely a unique and challenging circumstance to figure out how to work through. But it created an opportunity to tell more story than any one film could possibly contain.”

Huge hit

Yet as bad as things once looked for “Michael,” the movie turned into a huge hit. The film’s total production cost came close to $200 million. To defray costs, Lionsgate sold international distribution rights to Universal. A sequel is in development. A third film after that, Fogelson said, is “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.”

‘Michael’ scores 38% on Rotten Tomatoes

Critics slammed the film for glossing over some of the less convenient aspects of Jackson’s life. It scored a paltry 38% 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 theater,” said Paul Dergarabedian, head of marketplace trends for Comscore. “The movie was perfectly positioned ahead of the start of the summer movie season which launches later this week with the ‘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 $21.2 million. In four weeks, it’s collected $386.5 million domestically and $445 million internationally. (with CNS and AP reports)

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