“Michael,” the long-awaited biographical film about the life of pop music megastar Michael Jackson, hit theaters with a record-breaking start on its first weekend. The film earned $97 million domestically and $217 million worldwide between April 24-26, the biggest opening weekend for a biopic in history.  

While “Michael” reinforces the commercial success of biopics centering iconic figures, the film has been met with mixed reviews. These reactions highlight the disdain some viewers have for the genre. Critics also cited the omission of controversies in Jackson’s life, including the 1993 and more recent child sexual abuse allegations. 

Allen Flint, a recent DePaul graduate, said biopics often fall short of telling a truthful story.

“I don’t love that they’re dramatized,” Flint said. “I wish they were more accurate. I come out of it thinking I understand something about a person, and it may have just been made up for the film.”

“Michael” is now a part of Hollywood’s recent surge in biopics, giving audiences the familiarity of a well-known figure’s life story shaped for the big screen, like “Elvis” and “Oppenheimer.”

Directed by Antoine Fuqua, “Michael” explores Jackson’s rise to fame, beginning with the Jackson 5 and ending at Jackson’s first solo-headlining tour, “Bad,” in 1988. Michael Jackson’s nephew, Jaafar Jackson, makes his acting debut portraying the King of Pop, with Nia Long and Colman Domingo as Joe and Katherine Jackson, Michael Jackson’s parents.

Fuqua recently confirmed that the film included the abuse allegations. However, due to a legal clause barring the depiction of one of the accusers in the film, the scenes were cut.

While recent biopics have also seen great success, like “Michael,” they contribute to critics’ claims that these films are predictable and formulaic.

Dan Bashara, a teaching fellow in DePaul’s College of Communication, said the biopic pattern is not a new development.

“The biopic is the one genre I simply refuse to watch,” said Bashara, who has a master’s and doctorate degree from Northwestern University’s screen cultures program. “I don’t think it’s gotten stale. I think it has been stale since the very first one. 

“It’s just a fundamentally uninteresting form.”

Critics on Rotten Tomatoes echoed Bashara’s sentiments, giving “Michael” a “rotten” score of 38%, while audiences rated it 97%, revealing a clear divide in opinion.

Bashara said this contrast is rooted in the different ways critics and viewers approach the genre.

“Fans just want to love their favorite celebrity or musician,” Bashara said. “Whereas critics are looking for cinema, and it’s really hard to make a biopic cinema.”

Beyond any viewer expectations, Bashara pointed out the ethical problem with biopics.

“You have one of two choices,” Bashara said. “Either you get the blessing of the celebrity, their family or their estate, and then you can’t say anything true. Or you look at the dark underbelly of this person’s story, and then you’re still misrepresenting real people’s pain and suffering. I just think it’s such an ugly thing to do.”

Members of the Jackson family supported and executive produced the film. They include brothers Jermaine, Jackie, Marlon and Tito, as well as sister La Toya and Prince Jackson, Michael Jackson’s eldest son.

Sister Janet Jackson and daughter Paris Jackson were notably absent from the film’s premiere in Los Angeles on April 20.

Despite criticism over what was left out and wavering family support, the film’s historic box office success has fueled discussion about Lionsgate developing a sequel to continue Jackson’s life story. 

For “Michael,” fans seem to be more focused on the artistry and musical performances than what is missing from the film. Some have praised Jaafar Jackson’s embodiment of his uncle.

Laura Marin, a Michael Jackson fan, saw “Michael” a day before its release.

“I think it’s my favorite movie,” Marin said. “It’s unmatched.”

Marin added that the film strengthened her perspective on Jackson’s life.

“It clears up a lot of the controversy just by the fact that it shows his childhood,” Marin said. “Any doubts I ever had about him are cleared. He’s going to be hated, but he was the apex of innocence.”

Flint believes social media culture may be influencing how audiences respond to “Michael” and recent biopics.

“Nowadays, with social media, we’re used to amusement over quality,” he said. “That could contribute to why critics are rating it lower and why people are seeing it in theaters and just having fun.”

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