He was called the King of Pop, the greatest entertainer who ever lived, a man who could stop time with a single moonwalk. Now, Michael — the long-awaited biographical film directed by Antoine Fuqua and written by John Logan — arrives in cinemas to tell the story of Michael Jackson on the biggest possible canvas. Released on April 24, 2026, it shattered records with a $218.8 million global opening weekend — the biggest debut in history for a music biopic. The numbers alone make a statement. But it’s the performance at its centre that has audiences standing and cheering.

Jaafar Jackson: A Star Is Born

The film’s most extraordinary achievement is its lead. Jaafar Jackson, the real-life nephew of Michael Jackson and son of Jermaine Jackson, makes his acting debut by stepping into his uncle’s shoes — and the result is genuinely astonishing. The voice, the movement, the physical grace and the unmistakable stage magnetism: Jaafar doesn’t just imitate Michael Jackson, he channels him. Audience members who grew up watching MJ perform have described the experience as watching a ghost come to life. His performance is the reason this film earned a 97% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes even as critics were more divided.

The Supporting Cast Delivers

Colman Domingo plays Joe Jackson — Michael’s imposing, complicated, and often feared father — and delivers what many are calling an Oscar-worthy performance. The relationship between Joe and Michael is one of the film’s most emotionally complex threads, and Domingo brings every shade of it. Nia Long, Miles Teller, Laura Harrier, Jessica Sula, Mike Myers, and KeiLyn Durrel Jones round out a strong ensemble that populates the world of the film with vivid supporting characters.

The Story: From Jackson 5 to Bad

The film traces Michael’s arc from his early days as part of the Jackson 5 in the 1960s through to the Bad world tour in the late 1980s — capturing the period in which he transformed from child prodigy to global phenomenon. Along the way it explores the extraordinary pressure of growing up in the spotlight, the creative genius that produced some of the greatest pop records ever made, the complex dynamic within the Jackson family, and the loneliness that seems to have shadowed Michael even as the world adored him.

Critics vs. Audiences: A Historic Divide

The film carries one of the most striking gaps between critics and audiences in recent memory. With a 37% critics score on Rotten Tomatoes against a 97% audience score, Michael is a clear case of a film that means something profound to general viewers while leaving professional critics cold. Critics have argued that the film takes a sanitized approach, sidestepping the more controversial chapters of Jackson’s life. Audiences, for their part, have responded to it as a celebration — an opportunity to reconnect with the music and the man behind it, performed by someone uniquely placed to honor that legacy.

A Record-Breaker by Any Measure

Whatever you make of the film’s creative choices, the commercial reality is extraordinary. $97 million domestically and $218 million globally in its opening weekend made Michael the highest-grossing opening in the history of the music biopic genre — surpassing even Oppenheimer in the biographical category. Antoine Fuqua has delivered a film that audiences desperately wanted to see, and they have turned up in record numbers. Whether Michael earns awards recognition will depend on how Academy voters weigh its critical reception against its undeniable popular impact.

Michael is now playing in cinemas worldwide. Love it or debate it — this is the Michael Jackson story that his fans have been waiting decades to see told on the biggest screen possible. And with Jaafar Jackson in the role, it could only have been made this way.