Michael has taken the stage, and early audiences are sharing their reactions to the movie.
The upcoming Michael Jackson biopic, which was directed by Antoine Fuqua and stars Jaafar Jackson as his iconic pop star uncle, has already had many ups and downs ahead of its scheduled theatrical debut on April 24. This includes controversy about its potentially sanitized depiction of the star, who was accused of multiple counts of child sexual abuse. However, the movie is also projected to have a domestic box office debut of roughly $60 million, which would give it the second-biggest opening weekend of all time for a music biopic behind Straight Outta Compton ($60.2 million).
On April 10, the same day that the movie had its world premiere in Berlin to kick off a multi-day fan festival, early viewers of Michael were allowed to share their initial, spoiler-free thoughts on the movie on social media. The tenor of the reactions was overwhelmingly positive, though several viewers had quibbles with the story, including the ending and the pacing. Below, see select social media reactions to the music biopic:
ScreenRant’s own Liam Crowley said that Michael “is why we go to the movies,” continuing by writing, “Thriller, Beat It, etc recreated to perfection – genuinely couldn’t resist a head bump and finger tap at any moment. Makes you smile where it wants to, wince where it needs to. Colman is your earliest supporting actor candidate. Some pacing woes, but strong stuff all around. Can’t wait to see this one with a crowd. HEE HEE.”
Hunter Bolding praised Jaafar Jackson’s performance as Michael as well as Colman Domingo’s portrayal of his father Joe Jackson, calling the former “ELECTRIC” and the latter “monstrous,” adding, “The ending leaves a bit to be desired, but the journey there is fascinating and fitting of the greatest entertainer of our time.”
Junior Felix called Michael “one of the best music biopics I’ve ever seen,” saying that “Jaafar Jackson is Dazzling and Mesmerizing and truly embodies Michael Jackson. Colman Domingo is Spectacular and shows why he’s one of the greats. Incredible musical sequences and performances makes this a must watch.”
The official Michael X account shared a video of fans on the red carpet being asked to describe the movie in one word, featuring audience members declaring it to be “phenomenal,” “amazing,” “perfect,” “magical,” and “awesome.” See that post below:
Gage summed up the movie by saying, “PURE AWESOMENESS.” In response to a reply on that post, Gage added that “Jaafar Jackson is AMAZING in his role, and Colman Domingo killed it as Joe Jackson.”
On Letterboxd, Joe J. Walker said that “The Human Nature scene genuinely felt like a spiritual awakening,” referring to a sequence featuring Michael Jackson’s 1982 song “Human Nature.”
Another Letterboxd review, from Tom, says that “Its defininetly not a thriller.”
It ultimately remains to be seen how Michael performs, both critically and commercially. However, if the average audience member has the same type of reaction to the biopic as these early viewers, it is entirely possible that Michael could build strong word-of-mouth momentum from its projected record-setting opening weekend and continue to thrive in theaters for the next few weeks after its debut.
It is unknown exactly how much money the biopic needs to make in order to break even. While it reportedly cost at least $150 million, which would place an average Hollywood blockbuster’s estimated break-even point around $375 million, it is a Lionsgate production, and the studio is known for offsetting large portions of their production costs with international pre-sales.
Regardless, any big-budget movie could use the kind of momentum that Michael is seemingly building. This is especially true for the Jackson biopic, which arrives just before the beginning of the summer movie season and will thus be facing off against a series of major blockbusters as its run continues, including The Devil Wears Prada 2 (which debuts on May 1) and The Mandalorian and Grogu (out May 22).
Given the immense support for Jaafar Jackson’s performance in the movie, it seems likely that Michael will also ultimately benefit from soundtrack sales and streaming revenue. The movie features wall-to-wall Michael Jackson music, from No. 1 hits such as “Bad,” “Ben,” “Billie Jean,” “Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough,” and “Beat It” to Top 10 classics including “Thriller,” and “Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’,” which allows it to connect with fans via multiple mediums at once.
Release Date
April 24, 2026
Runtime
130 minutes
Director
Antoine Fuqua
Jaafar Jackson
Michael Jackson
Nia Long
Katherine Jackson
Kendrick Sampson
Quincy Jones