LOS ANGELES – Jaafar Jackson has delivered one of the most surprising breakout performances of the year as the Michael Jackson biopic ‘Michael’ shattered box office records in its opening weekend, grossing $97 million domestically and $217 million globally .
The film, directed by Antoine Fuqua and produced by Lionsgate, now holds the title for the biggest opening weekend ever for a musical biopic. It surpassed previous genre leaders including ‘Straight Outta Compton’ ($60.2 million) and ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ ($51 million), while trailing only ‘The Super Mario Galaxy Movie’ as the year’s second-biggest global debut .
What makes the achievement particularly striking is the film’s reception divide. Despite a low 38 percent score from critics on Rotten Tomatoes, audiences have awarded the film a 96 percent approval rating and an “A-” CinemaScore, indicating strong word-of-mouth and viewer satisfaction .
Fans on social media have been overwhelmingly praising Jaafar Jackson’s portrayal. “Jaafar Jackson was so amazing portraying his late uncle Michael. Blown away. I thought I was looking at Michael,” one user wrote on X . Another commented, “What an actor — he took all of Michael Jackson’s aura, moves, energy, presence, looks, and swag” .
The film’s success comes despite ongoing controversy surrounding Jackson’s legacy, a troubled production that required $50 million in reshoots, and negative advance reviews . Lionsgate has already announced a sequel is in development, with chairman Adam Fogelson suggesting a third film is “not inconceivable” .
In India, the film collected an estimated Rs 16 crore net over its debut weekend, showing steady growth across major centers and outperforming several Bollywood releases . Jaafar Jackson has emerged as the film’s breakout star, with early reactions suggesting his performance is the primary driver of audience
