Michael’s box office debut was impressive, opening with $39.5 million and setting the stage for potentially becoming the biggest opening weekend ever for a music biopic.
The Lionsgate release of Michael, based on Michael Jackson’s life, attracted significant early audiences through preview screenings and opening-day sales. Industry projections suggested the film could debut between $65 million to $70 million, which would set a new benchmark for the genre.
If these estimates hold true, Michael would surpass previous music biopic openings, indicating strong audience interest in Jackson’s story and its lasting cultural impact. The performance was further enhanced by premium formats like IMAX, contributing to higher ticket sales.
The film entered a competitive market, battling against the ongoing success of The Super Mario Galaxy Movie. Despite this competition, Michael maintained strong momentum heading into the weekend.
With a solid start and high projections, the film not only represented a commercial success for Lionsgate but also had the potential to become a record-setter in the music biopic category, as final weekend numbers were expected to confirm its standing.
The script initially included child sexual abuse accusations against Jackson, with King stating he aimed to “humanize but not sanitize and present the most compelling, unbiased story”. Domingo noted that Michael was not trying to prove his innocence but wanted to provide a great examination of an artist’s complexities for audiences to draw their own conclusions.
According to Variety, one version of the script opened in medias res in 1993 following the first allegations. The third act dealt with the impact on Jackson’s life. Dan Reed, director of Leaving Neverland, was astonished by the estate’s confidence to address the child sexual abuse allegations directly but noted that all references were removed after a settlement clause forbidding any mention of Jordan Chandler.
The final script concluded with Jackson beginning his Bad tour before the first allegations arose, focusing on his rise and peak. Long said this highlighted Jackson’s early journey and achievements while leaving the remainder of his life for potential sequels. Fuqua expressed skepticism about the allegations, stating that sometimes people do nasty things for money.
Paris Jackson had no involvement in the film and described an early script as “sugar-coated”, suggesting Hollywood biopics often contain inaccuracies. In response, Domingo hoped the film would honor her father.
Janet, Randy, and Rebbie Jackson were not included in the film; Janet declined inclusion according to La Toya. Principal photography was initially set for mid-2023 but delayed due to the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike. It began on January 22, 2024, and ended on May 30, 2024.
After the script was rewritten to remove references to the abuse allegations, reshoots took place in June 2025. Lionsgate denied reports of chaos during these reshoots. The budget reportedly grew to $200 million, with new sequences adding about $50 million. However, Variety reported that the reshoots only added $10-15 million to the budget, funded by the Jackson estate.