Madrid – The biographical film about Michael Jackson, Michael, has become the highest-grossing biopic to date, grossing $977 million worldwide.
With this achievement, the feature film starring the King of Pop's nephew, Jaafar Jackson, has dethroned the Oscar-winning Oppenheimer. Directed by renowned filmmaker Christopher Nolan, Oppenheimer had previously held the top spot, having grossed $975 million globally, according to specialist media outlets.
Directed by Antoine Fuqua, Michael chronicles the artist's journey from his time in The Jackson 5, a group made up of him and four of his brothers, to becoming one of the biggest stars in the music industry. However, media outlets such as Variety point out that some critics have accused the film of sugarcoating the artist's life, as it omits the allegations of child sexual abuse made against the star during the latter part of his career.
The feature film about the artist behind Thriller, distributed by Lionsgate in the United States and Universal in international markets, has grossed $607.2 million outside the United States and $370.2 million in the country where it was made.
Michael has also set two other box office records, becoming both the highest-grossing musical biopic and the highest-grossing Lionsgate film. In the former category, the film has surpassed the successful Bohemian Rhapsody, which focuses on Freddie Mercury's career, grossed $911 million worldwide and is now the third-highest-grossing biopic.
The film grossed $97 million in the United States and $217 million worldwide during its opening weekend, breaking the box office record for a musical biopic set by Straight Outta Compton in 2015 ($60 million).
As for the distributor's record, before the arrival of this feature film, the top spot was held by 2013's The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, which grossed $865 million, not adjusted for inflation. Given Michael's undeniable success, the magazine adds that the studio is expected to greenlight at least one more film about Jackson's life.
Source: cadenaser.com