Michael Jackson Biopic 'Michael' Hits Cinemas After Costly Reshoots to Remove Abuse Allegations
The long-awaited Michael Jackson biopic has finally reached cinemas after a troubled production that included an estimated $10–15 million worth of reshoots to remove all references to child abuse allegations — changes forced by a legal clause in a decades-old settlement that producers discovered only late in the process. The film, starring Michael's nephew Jaafar Jackson in the titular role, has defied its critics at the box office, opening to a staggering $217 million globally in its first weekend, with the UK and Ireland emerging as the top-grossing territories worldwide.
Background
"Michael," the authorised biopic of the King of Pop, was originally greenlit with a budget of $155 million and was set for release in April 2025. The film stars Jaafar Jackson, Michael's nephew, in the titular role, with Colman Domingo playing his father, Joe Jackson. The project was produced with the involvement of the Jackson estate and directed by Antoine Fuqua, the filmmaker behind Training Day and Emancipation. Michael Jackson's son Prince served as an executive producer, while his other children Bigi and Paris had no involvement; Paris had previously criticised an early script as "sugar-coated."
The film's production was thrown into crisis when lawyers for the Jackson estate discovered a clause in the 1994 legal settlement between Michael Jackson and his accuser Jordan Chandler, which explicitly prohibited any depiction or mention of Chandler in a film. The original script had dedicated significant portions of the third act to the child abuse allegations, with one version even opening in 1993 with police at Neverland Ranch. The discovery of the clause, made after principal photography had wrapped, forced a fundamental rethink of the film's structure and conclusion.
Key Developments
The filmmakers commissioned entirely new reshoots in June 2025, with the cast reassembling for 22 days of additional photography. The reshoots cost an estimated $10 million to $15 million, covered by the Jackson estate. The revised film now ends with Jackson at the peak of his career during the "Bad" tour in 1988, focusing instead on his complex relationship with his domineering father Joe and his recovery from severe scalp burns sustained during a 1984 Pepsi commercial accident — which led to his dependency on painkillers. All references to the abuse allegations were removed from the final cut.
"Michael" was released in the United Kingdom and Ireland on 22 April 2026, and in the United States on 24 April. The UK and Ireland were the top-grossing territories globally, generating $15.6 million in their opening weekend. The film's domestic US opening of an estimated $97 million set a new record for a musical biopic, contributing to a global opening weekend total of $217 million — far exceeding initial projections of $55 million. Director Antoine Fuqua has expressed scepticism about the abuse allegations, stating that "sometimes people do some nasty things for some money."
Why It Matters
The film's troubled production and the decision to remove all references to the abuse allegations have reignited a fierce debate about how the entertainment industry handles the legacies of controversial figures. Critics have largely described the final cut as "sanitised" and "shallow," arguing that a film which ends in 1988 cannot honestly represent the full arc of Michael Jackson's life and legacy. Audience reception, however, has been overwhelmingly positive, with a 96 per cent audience score on Rotten Tomatoes — a stark illustration of the gap between critical and popular opinion that has defined the Jackson legacy for decades. The film's extraordinary box office performance suggests that public appetite for Jackson's story remains enormous, whatever the critical consensus.
Local Impact
The UK and Ireland's status as the top-grossing territories for "Michael" globally is a testament to the enduring popularity of Michael Jackson's music across these islands. In Northern Ireland, as across the rest of the UK and Ireland, Jackson's catalogue has been a constant presence on radio and in popular culture for four decades. The film's release has prompted renewed discussion about his legacy in pubs, workplaces, and on social media, with opinion sharply divided between those who see the biopic as a fitting tribute and those who believe it whitewashes a deeply contested history. Whatever one's view, the film has succeeded in making Michael Jackson the dominant cultural conversation of the spring.
What's Next
Producers at Lionsgate and Universal are reportedly already considering potential sequels, though it remains deeply unclear how future films would address the legal battles and abuse allegations that marked Jackson's later years — particularly given the constraints imposed by the Chandler settlement. For now, the extraordinary box office performance of "Michael" has ensured that the conversation about the King of Pop's life and legacy will continue for some time to come.
Sources: The Guardian — Michael Jackson Biopic, Deadline — Box Office Report, Variety — Michael Reshoots Report
