It’s been one of the most anticipated and most debated movies of the decade. And now, it’s officially in theaters.
Michael, the biographical film chronicling the life of the King of Pop, hit U.S cinemas on April 24, 2026, and the internet hasn’t stopped talking about it since. Whether you’re a lifelong MJ fan or someone who just keeps seeing the poster everywhere, here’s everything you need to know about the biggest music biopic since Bohemian Rhapsody.
What Is the ‘Michael’ Movie About?
MichaelΒ followsΒ Michael Jackson‘s life from his early childhood days performing withΒ the Jackson 5Β in the 1960s through his meteoric rise to solo superstardom in the 1980s. The film’s narrative arc ends around the time of his iconicΒ BadΒ world tour, meaning this is very much a “rise” story, not the full picture.
Think of it as Part One of Michael Jackson’s life. The Motown years, the thriller era, the moonwalk, and the glove. The transformation from child prodigy to the biggest entertainer on the planet.
What it doesn’t cover, and this has sparked serious debate, is everything that came after. But more on that in a minute.
Who’s Behind the Film?
The creative team behind Michael is stacked with heavy hitters:
- Director: Antoine Fuqua β the man behind Training Day, The Equalizer, and Emancipation. Fuqua brings a cinematic weight to the project that separates it from your average music biopic.
- Writer: John Logan β the Oscar-nominated screenwriter of Gladiator, The Aviator, and Hugo. If anyone can handle a larger-than-life subject, it’s him.
- Producer: Graham King β and yes, this is the same producer who brought us Bohemian Rhapsody in 2018. That film went on to gross over $900 million worldwide, so King clearly knows how to turn a music legend’s story into a box office phenomenon.
- Distributors: Lionsgate handles the U.S. release, while Universal Pictures is managing international distribution.
The film was developed with the full cooperation of the Michael Jackson Estate, which has been both a selling point and a source of criticism, depending on who you ask.
The Cast β And Jaafar Jackson’s Breakout Moment
Jaafar JacksonΒ – Michael Jackson’s actual nephew and the son ofΒ Jermaine JacksonΒ – plays the adult Michael Jackson in his feature film debut. And by virtually every account, he absolutelyΒ nailsΒ it.
Critics and audiences alike have been blown away by how convincingly Jaafar channels his uncle’s voice, movement, and stage presence. Several reviewers have called his performance “uncanny,” “masterful,” and “the single best reason to see this film.” He doesn’t just impersonate Michael Jackson; he becomes him on screen.
The younger Michael Jackson is played by Juliano Krue Valdi, who captures the wide-eyed energy of young Michael during the Jackson 5 era.
The supporting cast is equally impressive:
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| Colman Domingo | Joe Jackson |
| Nia Long | Katherine Jackson |
| Miles Teller | John Branca |
| Laura Harrier | Suzanne de Passe |
| Kat Graham | Diana Ross |
| Larenz Tate | Berry Gordy |
| Kendrick Sampson | Quincy Jones |
| Derek Luke | Johnnie Cochran |
| Jessica Sula | La Toya Jackson |
| Liv Symone | Gladys Knight |
That’s a serious ensemble. And the fact that so many real-life legends, Diana Ross, Berry Gordy, and Quincy Jones, are portrayed on screen gives the film an epic, almost mythological quality.
The Berlin Premiere and U.S. Release
Michael had its world premiere at the Berlin International Film Festival on April 10, 2026, before opening wide in U.S. theaters on April 24, 2026. The Berlin premiere generated immediate buzz, with early audience reactions skewing overwhelmingly positive, even as critics were more divided.
The film runs 2 hours and 7 minutes (127 minutes), which is notable considering early reports during production suggested a rough cut clocked in at nearly four hours. Director Antoine Fuqua and his editing team clearly made some tough choices about what to keep and what to cut.
Box Office: Is It a Hit?
Early signs say yes, at least commercially.
Going into its opening weekend, industry analysts projected Michael could open in the $60 million to $70 million range domestically, which would put it in direct competition with the opening weekend records for musical biopics. Early returns have shown approximately $31 million in initial grosses, with the full opening weekend numbers still being tallied at the time of writing.
For context, Bohemian Rhapsody, produced by the same Graham King, opened to $51 million in 2018 and went on to earn over $900 million globally. If Michael can capture even a fraction of that long-tail appeal, Lionsgate is looking at a massive win.
Critics vs. Audiences: A Massive Divide
Here’s where things get interesting, and a little messy.
On Rotten Tomatoes, Michael is sitting at a significant critic-audience split:
- Critics: Generally in the 30%β40% range β mixed to negative.
- Audiences: Verified audience scores are reportedly above 90%, overwhelmingly positive.
That’s a huge gap. So what’s going on?
Critics have largely praised Jaafar Jackson’s performance but taken issue with the film’s narrative approach. The most common complaint? The story feels “sanitized.” Many reviewers have described it as an “estate-approved greatest-hits compilation” that celebrates the music and career milestones while glossing over the more uncomfortable, controversial chapters of Jackson’s life.
As Screen Rant noted in their coverage, several critics have argued that the film feels less like a genuine biography and more like a carefully curated PR exercise, especially given the estate’s direct involvement in production.
Audiences, on the other hand, seem to be loving it. Fans have praised the film as an emotional, nostalgic spectacle, a chance to relive the magic of Michael Jackson’s music and performances on the big screen. For many viewers, the musical sequences and Jaafar’s mesmerizing performance are more than enough to justify the ticket price.
It’s a pattern we’ve seen before with music biopics. Bohemian Rhapsody had a similar (though less extreme) critic-audience gap and still became a global phenomenon. The question is whether Michael can replicate that trajectory.
The Controversy: What the Film Leaves Out
This is the part that’s impossible to avoid in any honest conversation about this movie.
Michael Jackson was accused of child sexual abuse, allegations that were chronicled in the devastating 2019 HBO documentary Leaving Neverland, which featured detailed testimony from Wade Robson and James Safechuck. Jackson was acquitted of all charges in his 2005 criminal trial, and his estate has consistently denied all allegations. But the accusations have cast a long shadow over his legacy that many feel cannot and should not be ignored.
The film, by most accounts, does not substantively address these allegations. By ending its story around the Bad era, it effectively sidesteps the entire period in which the abuse accusations emerged and dominated public discourse.
Critics like those at HuffPost, Business Insider, and Esquire have questioned whether it’s responsible to produce a big-budget, estate-backed biopic that presents Jackson’s story without meaningfully engaging with these very public accusations. Others argue that the film’s defined time period makes it a legitimate creative choice; you can tell the story of the early years without being obligated to cover everything that came later.
It’s a debate that isn’t going away anytime soon, and it’s one that every viewer will have to reckon with for themselves.
The Bohemian Rhapsody Comparison
It’s impossible to discuss Michael without bringing up Bohemian Rhapsody. Same producer. Same genre. Same formula of turning a generational music icon into a two-hour cinematic event.
Producer Graham King has been upfront about the parallels, noting inΒ interviews with MovieWebΒ andΒ ExpressΒ that bothΒ Freddie MercuryΒ and Michael Jackson shared the ability to bring people together through their magnetic stage presence. He’s describedΒ MichaelΒ as a “nostalgia ride” β a phrase that accurately captures both the film’s greatest strength and its biggest limitation.
Bohemian Rhapsody also faced criticism for sanitizing Freddie Mercury’s story, particularly around his sexuality and his relationship with manager Paul Prenter, but audiences didn’t care. It became the highest-grossing musical biopic of all time and won Rami Malek the Academy Award for Best Actor.
Could Michael follow the same path? The pieces are in place: a beloved subject, a charismatic lead performance, spectacular musical sequences, and a fanbase that spans generations. Whether the controversies surrounding its subject ultimately help or hurt its commercial prospects remains to be seen.
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Should You Go See It?
That depends on what you’re looking for.
If you want a visually stunning, musically exhilarating celebration of Michael Jackson’s artistry and the era that made him the King of Pop, Michael delivers. Jaafar Jackson’s performance alone is worth the price of admission, and the recreation of iconic moments like the Thriller music video and the Motown 25 moonwalk performance are reportedly jaw-dropping.
If you’re looking for a nuanced, warts-and-all examination of one of the most complex and controversial figures in entertainment history, this isn’t that movie. At least not yet. The film’s ending strongly suggests a sequel is possible, which could potentially tackle the more difficult chapters.
Either way, Michael is the kind of movie that demands a conversation, and that conversation is happening right now, everywhere, all at once.
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