“Michael” stormed the Australian box office on debut, pulling in close to $8 million in its opening weekend.
The controversial biopic, chronicling the life of Michael Jackson, opened with $7,979,436 over the ANZAC Day weekend, beating the likes of “Project Hail Mary” with $1,805,664 million and “The Super Mario Galaxy Movie” with $1,734,837 million.
The strong local result mirrors the film’s international performance. Globally, “Michael” had the biggest opening weekend of all time for any musical biopic, with US$217 million in the box office. Previously, 2018’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” held the record for the largest worldwide start for a musical biopic with $122 million.
“Michael” also ranks as the year’s second-biggest global debut, behind Universal’s sequel “The Super Mario Galaxy Movie” with $372.5 million.
Directed by Antoine Fuqua and produced in part by Michael’s estate, the film covers the King of Pop’s life from 10-year-old member of the Jackson 5 through to the apex of his popularity – somewhere around 1988, when he was 30 years old and touring behind the epochal album “Bad.”
Originally, the film extended further into the future, addressing the shocking 1993 accusations of child molestation levied against Michael and the subsequent investigation. However, lawyers from the Jackson Estate found that a settlement with one accuser had precluded any depiction or mention of them in a film. The discovery meant a new third act had to be developed, requiring 22 days of reshoots at the cost of $15-20 million.
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The film has proven divisive, with many critics complaining it paints a sanitised portrait of Michael because it does not address the child molestation allegations. However, some have argued that was the right decision, as mainstream audiences don’t necessarily want the warts-and-all story about their icons.
Elsewhere in the Australian box office, “Lee Cronin’s The Mummy” sat comfortably in fourth with $581,318 while “The Magic Faraway Tree” brought in $573,623. “The Drama” starring Zendaya and Robert Pattinson grossed $520,767, followed by Disney’s “Hoppers” with $388,200.
Overall, the top 20 of the weekend grossed $14,771,714.