Michael Jackson just strolled past J. Robert Oppenheimer at the global box office. Michael, the new biopic about the pop star, has taken in $977 million worldwide, edging out Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer to become the highest-grossing biographical film to date and cementing its status as the top-earning music biopic, taking the title from 2018's Bohemian Rhapsody, the BBC reports. It's also now Lionsgate's biggest release ever, surpassing The Hunger Games: Catching Fire.
Directed by Antoine Fuqua and starring Jackson's nephew Jaafar as the singer, Michael traces Jackson's rise from Jackson 5 prodigy to solo superstar, using the late artist's original vocals throughout. Critics have largely slammed the movie, with some calling it a sanitized portrait backed by Jackson's estate that sidesteps long-standing sexual abuse allegations. It ends in 1988, when Jackson was 30. Sources tell Variety that large parts of the film, including the 1993 child molestation allegations and their impact on Jackson's life, were cut after lawyers from the late singer's estate stepped in. The cast reassembled for 22 days of reshoots to create a new third act for the movie, the sources say.
Audiences, however, have been far more enthusiastic than critics, packing theaters and pushing Jackson's catalog back up the charts: he recently topped YouTube plays in the UK, became the most-streamed artist on Spotify there after the film's release, and sent The Essential Michael Jackson back to No. 1 on the UK albums chart. Lionsgate is expected to release at least one more film on Jackson's life, Variety reports.
,
uBlock 
,
and
Ghostery 
)
