‘Michael’ shakes off bad reviews to become box office juggernaut

LOS ANGELES – “Michael” is a megahit.

In one of the biggest disconnects between reviews and ticket sales in memory – certainly for a nonsequel – the Michael Jackson biopic “Michael” overcame animosity from critics and was on pace to collect more than $200 million worldwide in its opening weekend. Lionsgate, which produced the PG-13 movie, released the box office estimate Saturday. It based the tally on actual and projected turnout for Wednesday through Sunday.

“If you give audiences what they want, they will come,” Adam Fogelson, chair of the Lionsgate Motion Picture Group, said in a statement. Lionsgate is expected to announce plans to make a sequel (or two) in short order.

Fogelson’s comment was partly a response to critics, who savaged “Michael” for ending its storytelling in 1988 – before the first child molestation accusations against Jackson surfaced. “Which is kind of like ending an O.J. Simpson biopic with him winning the Heisman Trophy,” critic Sean Burns wrote in a review Tuesday.

Box office analysts said that reviews criticizing “Michael” for leaving out the molestation claims (along with related media coverage of the film) almost certainly increased ticket sales, certainly for fans but also for families. “If you didn’t want any of that material and/or didn’t want to be depressed by a Michael Jackson biopic, then those pans read like raves,” analyst Scott Mendelson wrote in his subscription newsletter Friday.

Reviews were 38% positive, according to Rotten Tomatoes, which resulted in a “rotten” rating from the site. In contrast, the Rotten Tomatoes audience score stood at 97% positive Saturday. And ticket buyers gave “Michael” an A-minus grade in CinemaScore exit polls.

A month ago, “Michael” was on track to collect about $50 million in its first weekend in theaters in the United States and Canada, with analysts basing that estimate on advance ticket sales and surveys that track moviegoer interest. As Lionsgate’s marketing campaign for the film increased in intensity over the past two weeks, opening-weekend expectations rose to roughly $70 million.

On Saturday, Lionsgate said “Michael” was “roaring” toward $90 million to $100 million in domestic ticket sales, setting a record – even after adjusting for inflation – for a musical biopic. “Straight Outta Compton” has held the record since 2015. It opened to $60 million, or nearly $85 million in today’s dollars, and ultimately grossed $200 million (or an adjusted $283 million).

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.