Michael | April 18, 2025 | Michael Jackson biopic | Lionsgate | Graham King and the Jackson estate produce

[WorkingonaName]

could make $1B. MJ is massive globally and has more appeal to younger people then something like queen, 

[DAJK]

I genuinely think this has the potential out-gross Bohemian Rhapsody. A Michael Jackson biopic would be, like, the ULTIMATE Hollywood biopic (at least box office wise). That's the peak. That's it. Nothing has more potential box office-wise than this.

 

Buuuuut Fuqua in the director's chair kind of has me worried. Sure, he directed Denzel to an Oscar. But his movies don't have the glitz and glamour that a MJ biopic would need. For better or for worse, they very much feel conveyor belt, sometimes drab and colourless. It works for the type of film he often makes (Equalizer, Olympus has Fallen, etc.) but I don't know how that would suit a musical biopic. Baz was a great choice for Elvis, Fletcher did an awesome job with Rocketman, and heck even Bohemian Rhapsody had some fun directing. I just don't think Fuqua's style suits this material, but who knows maybe he had a killer pitch.

 

Anyways, this has the potential to gross 300/800 or something crazy like that, if it gets Elvis/BR reception with audiences and has massive marketing campaigns/Oscar pushes. But as it seems to be shaping up so far with the studio/director, I could see it grossing less than This Is It.

[filmlover]

This is either going to be a bomb for the ages or a hit due to morbid curiosity over how they try to tackle the landmine that is his life if a "birth to death" biopic is what they're going for (which it sounds like it is), which definitely sounds like the ultimate recipe for disaster for an estate-controlled biopic about this particular icon.

 

Personally, I think it'll be lucky if it even makes it past the casting stage, because I can't think of a single actor who would be right for this due to the obvious challenges or would even accept it because it's not worth the inevitable discourse.

[Firepower]

Just don't read twitter, problem solved. If done right commercially (main focus on songs and concerts and less on personal dirt, just like Bohemian Rhapsody), it could be massive. Doesn't necessarily mean it's gonna be a good movie of course.

[marveldcfox]

Lions gate!!!

 

Seriously?

 

This needs paramount, universal, wb, Sony and a proper musical/drama director.

 

Ugh.

[filmlover]

58 minutes ago, marveldcfox said:

Lions gate!!!

 

Seriously?

 

This needs paramount, universal, wb, Sony and a proper musical/drama director.

 

Ugh.

Honestly? It's probably a project and a gig no one really wants given The Jackson Estate's involvement, especially when this already has plenty of hurdles to overcome from casting (are they gonna cast two actors or actually go through with the makeup challenges? Disaster in waiting!) to how much they'll sanitize his controversial later years. I wouldn't be surprised if this ends up going the route of that Madonna-directed biopic about her life and implodes during development.

 

Studios would be better off just making Mamma Mia!-style jukebox musicals using the songs by people like MJ and Whitney instead of asking everyone to endure their not-too-long-ago downfalls all over again. There isn't a generation (yet) that doesn't already know that their lives were ultimately tragedies.

Edited January 20, 2023 by filmlover

[excel1]

On 1/18/2023 at 6:46 PM, excel1 said:

This is tougher than some may initially suspect. 

 

The potential of this is higher than any of the other rumored biopics out there, ala THE BEATLES. This certainly has the potential for spectacle and flair of ELVIS though it isn't any creative hands ala Baz Lurman. MJ was/is insanely popular for decades, unlike Whitney Houston (no offense) who an extremely high but much shorter peak.

 

The issue is...like Whitney, MJ was more or less a joke act the end of his life. Also like Whitney, pretty much everyone over the age of 30 remembers it. The guy hanging his baby off the balcony, SCARY MOVIE 3 spoofing him as the ghost - IN THE TRAILERS AND TV SPOTS! Obviously the pedophile stuff. And then of course, prescription drugs and eventually death. There is no triumphant, happy ending.

Unlike Elvis or Freddie Mercury, whose tragic stories ended decades ago allowing enough time to pass for people to rediscover them, MJ's problems and death still feel recent. I am not so certain there is a huge hunger for the over 30 crowd to go relive all their fallen idols problems at the end of his life. 

 

QFT

 

This is a set up to fail movie. 

[grim22]

3 hours ago, excel1 said:

 

QFT

 

This is a set up to fail movie. 

Did you..... just quote your own comment from 2 days ago?

[dudalb]

Whitewash coming up. probably.

I lost hope when I saw the Jackson wstate was porducing this.

I think a movie that does not deal honetly with Jackson's dark side is simply not going to be taken seriously.

Edited January 20, 2023 by dudalb

[excel1]

1 hour ago, dudalb said:

Whitewash coming up

 

In more ways than one! 

[excel1]

5 hours ago, grim22 said:

Did you..... just quote your own comment from 2 days ago?

 

yeah I didn't feel like repeating it, less typing and clicks to just quote 

[dudalb]

23 minutes ago, excel1 said:

 

In more ways than one! 

I thought of that just after I posted..thogh what I meant was that with the estate in charge, a lot of Jackson's self destructive behavior is going to be glossed over. And the recent death of Lisa Marie gives them a whole new set of problems.

[excel1]

this clearly needs a much more high energy director or it should be scrapped

[Sophia Jane]

Curious to see how much will this one doing,Bohemian Rhapsody doing over 900m,this one potential to do 1B?

Michael Jackson is really Global Icon and culture symbol of USA,I remeber when I was a kids,like 2 or 3 years old,everytime when I show some dance move and sing some cartoon song,my grandmother will always told me “Wow you’re little female version Michael!”,that’s in China,he has so many fans,he is even become some word which describe a person who have nice dance move….But I don’t know if today’s kids still like him,that’s the real problem:Is Michael Jackson still have impact among today’s new generation’s kids?

depends on this,I think this one max 1B,min 500m

 

Edited January 21, 2023 by Sophia Jane

[dudalb]

On 1/20/2023 at 3:19 PM, excel1 said:

this clearly needs a much more high energy director or it should be scrapped

It needs to be made by somebody who is not intent on giving us a fairy tale version of Jackson's life.

[dudalb]

On 1/21/2023 at 7:08 AM, Sophia Jane said:

Curious to see how much will this one doing,Bohemian Rhapsody doing over 900m,this one potential to do 1B?

Michael Jackson is really Global Icon and culture symbol of USA,I remeber when I was a kids,like 2 or 3 years old,everytime when I show some dance move and sing some cartoon song,my grandmother will always told me “Wow you’re little female version Michael!”,that’s in China,he has so many fans,he is even become some word which describe a person who have nice dance move….But I don’t know if today’s kids still like him,that’s the real problem:Is Michael Jackson still have impact among today’s new generation’s kids?

depends on this,I think this one max 1B,min 500m

 

I see that Michale Jackson pretty much went crazy in the last decade of his life and wrecked much of his reputation passed you by.

Yeah, he has a few fans who have their head in the sand, but I don't think you can sell a version of Jackson to the GA that ignores the craziness of his last decade.

It's like Elvis:Jackson;'s life  ended up a tragedy : He was a guy who literally got everything and could not handle it, and it destoryed him.

Edited January 23, 2023 by dudalb

[BoxOfficeFangrl]

 

 

As you can see from the video below, the young man has the voice and moves to do right by his uncle. As an actor, he might well learn more than he wanted to about his world famous uncle, as we’ve heard the film will not shy away from the controversies of Jackson’s life, the pedophile accusations that haunted his latest years up to his death in 2009 at age 50, from cardiac arrest caused by a cocktail of sedatives.

 

 

[AJG]

7 minutes ago, BoxOfficeFangrl said:

 

 

 

That song is arse. The MJ mimicry is painful.
 

He’s in that puddle dancing around like Sean Fury. 
 

 

 

 

[CoolioD1]

casting a relative was probably the smartest move since it was always gonna be a tricky one to cast. surprised to hear the film will actually tackle the pedo accusations. good luck to 'em, i guess.

[grim22]

57 minutes ago, BoxOfficeFangrl said:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Smartest way to avoid the casting minefield that any Jackson project brings with it. Hopefully the kid is a good enough actor and dancer.