“Michael” breaks biopic debut record

This past weekend, the late great Michael Jackson continues to make history as the movie based on his life. Having the biggest opening weekend of any biopic ever. According to BBC.com, directed by Antoine Fuqua, “Michael” earned $217 million dollars over the weekend, which is the highest of any biopic ever. Nearly tripling the original record of $60 million for “Straight Outta Compton” (2015).

The movie was made with a budget of $200 million. Which means they broke even and began profiting just 48 hours into its release. Michael Jackson was brilliantly played by his nephew and son of Jermaine Jackson, Jaafar Jackson. There’s a lot to cover on this historical blockbuster. Let’s first, dive into who Michael Jackson was and how his legacy continues to grow long after his death.

Who was Michael Jackson?

Michael Jackson

Jackson 5

Michael Jackson was a singer, songwriter and dancer from Gary, Indiana. Here he began his career as part of a family band between him and his four brothers. This band would be known as the Jackson 5. Michael became the face of the franchise and lead singer at just 5 years old. The Jackson 5 traveled around the Midwest booking small gigs. However, they didn’t become universally popular until they signed with Motown Records in 1969. At this point, Michael was only 10.

Solo Career 

Motown was founded by Berry Gordy, who played a crucial role in introducing Michael Jackson to the creation of music. Gordy later said in an interview that Jackson was “The greatest entertainer who ever lived.” As Michael grew older, it became clear that he was different from the rest of his brothers. He soon began to break away from the Jackson 5 and pursue a solo career. Due to fame and recognition as a child star, Michael Jackson’s first major solo album “Off the Wall”. It became a huge success, selling over 20 million copies worldwide.

This would also lead to him winning his first Grammy for “Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough.” Now that he had broken into the major music industry as a solo artist, Jackson began working to become the greatest of all time. Jackson released “Thriller” in 1982. An instant hit that would go on to become the biggest selling album of all time. Selling 70 million copies globally, a record that still holds today.

Michael Jackson

Thriller would also lead to Jackson holding the record of winning the most grammys in a single night at 8. On top of this, each song got their own creative music video to go along with it. Thriller’s most notable video being a zombie dance routine that was featured for the Halloween song of the same name. Many people credit Michael Jackson as the pioneer of common music video production. Michael Jackson continued to make history all the way up to his death in 2009. His story could last pages upon pages, but let’s dive into how his life was captured on the big screen. 

The Plot

Jaafar Jackson as Michael Jackson

The “Michael” Movie covers the first 30 years of Michael Jackson’s life. Spanning from his time as the face of the Jackson 5. All the way up to when he released his third major studio album “Bad” in 1987. The movie is mainly centered around Jackson’s complicated relationship with his father. His father also served as his manager and manager of the Jackson 5. The movie’s triumphant moment was when Michael finally stood up to his father and broke away from the Jackson family to be Michael Jackson by himself.

The movie also does a fantastic job of portraying Michael Jackson as an outcast, even in his own family. Someone who has been under the spotlight since they were 5 years old can have its positives and negatives and Michael Jackson was no stranger to that lifestyle. As mentioned before, Michael Jackson is portrayed by his nephew Jaafar Jackson and a younger version of him was played by Juliano Valdi, both in their first ever roles. 

Performances

Jaafar is the son of Jackson 5 member, Jermaine, and grew up around the musical lifestyle that would ultimately be a big part in his preparation to play his famous uncle. This is a biopic trend we’ve seen in the past, with actors like O’Shea Jackson Jr who played his father, Ice Cube in the NWA biopic from 2015.

Jaafar and Michael Jackson

Jaafar Jackson gave an absolutely exceptional performance with his moves and vocals matching Michael’s almost perfectly. He had to undergo two years of preparation to play his uncle, with the support of his family.

“I started to rehearse for hours upon hours upon hours until one single move was right – dancing until my feet would bleed or have them go numb.”

Jackson told NME magazine. The hard work definitely paid off as many people have created side by side comparisons of Michael and Jaafar and you often can’t even tell the difference between the two. Jaafar’s inspiration for the character went deeper as he wanted people to understand Michael Jackson on a human level rather than the pop superstar we know and love.

“I hope the audience will have a deeper understanding of Michael and a lot of the decisions and choices he made as well as his artistic freedom”. Jaafar tells GQ magazine in an interview. Along with Jaafar, Coleman Domingo gave an outstanding performance as the Jackson family patriarch, Joe Jackson. Joe Jackson serves as the antagonist of the movie and Domingo does not hold back in his portrayal as his manipulative nature constantly antagonizes Michael’s character and the audience. 

Opening weekend and fan reaction

“Michael” cast and crew

The reaction was an emotional one as many fans felt prompted to stand up and dance along with Michael. Others showed up in their best Michael Jackson outfits in order to pay homage to the late great entertainer. There’s also plenty of reports of people crying and fainting in the theaters as well, almost as if they were in an actual concert.

The Michael Jackson biopic has earned a 97% on Rotten Tomatoes and many people believe this is because of the nostalgic feeling the movie brings to older fans who got to experience the King of Pop in person. The movie also serves as a story to the younger generations who never got to learn about Michael Jackson. 

Because of its success, “Michael” is already in talks for a sequel that would cover the second half of his career. In his first role Jaafar Jackson broke records, inspired millions, and honored his uncle’s legacy to perfection. A legacy that the past, present, and now future generations can enjoy, all thanks to the hard work of Jaafar Jackson, Antoine Fuqua, and the amazing crew that brought Michael Jackson’s story to life.