Michael Jackson's Biopic Has Officially Divided Critics & Theaters as It Breaks Multiple Box Office Records

It shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone that Universal's new biopic Michael, about King of Pop Michael Jackson, is popular. Although critics gave it a disappointing score, the biopic is already thrilling the audience.

Michael premiered with a 27% approval score from the critics. As it hit theaters, it received more reviews, and it went up to a still-disappointing 39% score. However, audiences disagreed, giving it a near-perfect score. At the same time, the early enthusiasm for the Michael Jackson biopic led to a series of broken records, per The Hollywood Reporter.

Michael Is Dividing Critics and Audiences

Michael comes from Universal Pictures, and it comes with the approval of Michael Jackson's estate and family. It even stars the late King of Pop's nephew in the titular role, Jafaar Jackson. As it focuses on the highlights the "Billie Jean" superstar had, the critics called out how the biopic is more of a "greatest hits" roundup than an actual biopic.

So far, the previous biopics, including Bohemian Rhapsody and Rocketman, have shown the highlights of legendary names like Freddie Mercury and Sir Elton John, but also the downsides of success and their lives. Since Michael is made with the involvement of the family, it only spotlights the highs, and so little of the lows.

The allegations against Jackson were omitted from the biopic, which drew negative reviews from critics. They highlighted the story is great for longtime fans, but it was too think for a biopic.

The critics' consensus reads, "While Jaafar Jackson's smooth moves bring the King of Pop to uncanny life, this musical biopic mostly plays like a "greatest hits" album that could've benefitted from including liner notes to give actual insight into the icon."

However, audiences largely disagreed. The film boasts a fantastic, near-perfect 96% Verified Hot rating from over 1,000 reviews on Rotten Tomatoes. Moviegoers praised the biopic as entertaining, with one person noting that it "feels like you're at a concert." They also praised Jaafar Jackson and Colman Domingo.

Michael Is Already Breaking Records

There have been several successful biopics, and Michael is gearing up to become the latest one. Considering the thrilling response from the audience, the biopic has also broken several records, as it smoothly debuted to a $12.6 million in box office previews on Wednesday and Thursday. The updated preview puts it at an opening of $70+ million domestically.

Its preview numbers are in line with huge blockbusters like 2024's Dune: Part II and 2025's Oppenheimer, which grossed $12 million and $10.5 million, respectively. It earned $18.5 million internationally during its previews, and scored the best opening day for a music biopic in the UK and Ireland, Australia, and Italy, as well as the best opening for any biopic in France, above both Oppenheimer and Bohemian Rhapsody, and the biggest previous for a non-superhero and non-franchise film ever.