Michael Jackson Film Becomes the Most Popular Biopic, Defeating Oppenheimer

JAKARTA - The Michael Jackson biography film set a record as the highest-grossing biopic of all time. Although criticized for being too clean in depicting the life of the pop star, the film still topped the global box office.

Anadolu Agency, quoted Thursday, July 2, reported that Michael's film earned 977 million US dollars worldwide. That figure surpassed Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer, which earned around 976 million US dollars after its release in 2023.

Biopic means a film that raises the story of the life of a real figure. With this achievement, Michael became the highest-grossing biographical film in film history.

Previously, Michael also surpassed Bohemian Rhapsody as the highest-grossing musical biopic. The film, which was released in April, immediately collected 217 million US dollars in its first week of release.

The film directed by Antoine Fuqua tells the story of Michael Jackson's journey from performing with the Jackson 5 to becoming a singer known as the "King of Pop".

Michael's role is played by his nephew, Jaafar Jackson. The film also stars Colman Domingo and Nia Long as the singer's parents.

In addition to breaking the biopic record, Michael became the highest-grossing film in Lionsgate's history, surpassing The Hunger Games: Catching Fire.

However, the reception of this film was not entirely smooth. Some reviewers praised Jaafar Jackson's performance as well as the remake of Michael Jackson's concert, choreography, and music video using the singer's original vocal recordings.

Some other critics judged the film to show Michael Jackson's life too neatly because it did not include sexual abuse allegations against children that had overshadowed the end of his career.

According to a number of media reports, the scene that offended the allegations was removed during production due to legal issues related to an old confidentiality agreement.

The audience response was much more positive than the critics' reviews. The film received higher ratings on various review aggregator platforms.

Michael was produced with the support of funds from Michael Jackson's estate, which also allowed the use of the singer's original vocal recordings.