Earlier this year, Puck’s Matt Belloni mentioned how Lionsgate had some very high expectations for Antoine Fuqua’s upcoming Michael Jackson biopic, which the studio believes could hit the $1B mark at the box-office when it gets released early next year.
Now, Lionsgate president, Jim Packer, is seemingly confirming Belloni’s reporting and saying that he believes “Michael” could be become the Hollywood studio’s biggest film ever.
“The buzz that we’re getting every time a photo gets released is kind of crazy. And I think that’ll be the biggest movie we’ve ever had,” Packer forecasts.
As it stands, Lionsgate’s highest-grossing movie ever is 2013’s “Hunger Games: Catching Fire” which racked up $865M worldwide. It’s quite clear they are hoping “Michael” clears, or comes close to, the $1B mark. The film only cost $155M to produce.
I say, it all depends on the kind of film Fuqua has made. Will it be an entertaining one? A crowd pleaser. His last one, the Apple-produced “Emancipation,” was not well-received, and that might certainly have to do with it having been Will Smith’s first film since his infamous Oscar slap. Regardless, has Fuqua actually made a good film in his career? So far, his three best-received films have been “Training Day,” “The Equalizer” and “Southpaw.”
Back to “Michael,” it’ll be interesting to see how its portrayal of Jackson will be met by mainstream audiences. If you ask me, I don’t believe the general moviegoer will care all that much about the endless accusations that plagued the musician during the latter half of his career.
Critics will be shooting darts at this film. There’s no doubt about it. Belloni read the script and reported back that, with the full approval of the Jackson family estate, the film “wants to very much convince you that Michael is innocent” and “goes to great lengths to minimize and downplay” the controversies.
“Michael,” set to hit theaters worldwide, on April 18, 2025, recently wrapped its five-month production in California.
The condemned film is Ilya Khrzhanovsky’s “DAU,” which will compete for the Golden Lion next month. The 3h15-minute film follows the release of “DAU. Natasha,” which won the Silver Bear in Berlin in 2020.