Lionsgate hints at a potential sequel to the Michael Jackson biopic after its record-breaking $217 million global opening weekend. While nothing is confirmed, discussions are underway, with director Antoine Fuqua and producer Graham King facing scheduling challenges. The first film, focusing on Jackson's rise, received a 97% audience score but a 37% critic rating, leaving room for improvement in a sequel.
This article includes mention of sexual abuse. A potential Michael sequel gets a promising update. The Michael Jackson biopic was released in theaters on April 24 and has been an immediate box office hit, grossing $97 million domestically and $217 million worldwide during its opening weekend, which is an all-time best for a music biopic.
Between the box office success, the film focusing on the rise of the pop star rather than his full life story, and the words "His story will continue" appearing before the end credits roll, there was already ample speculation that a sequel would be made. On Matthew Belloni's podcast The Town, Lionsgate film chair Adam Fogelson teased that there have been talks about a potential Michael sequel.
However, nothing has been officially confirmed or announced yet, with one challenge behind the busy schedules of director Antoine Fuqua and producer Graham King. While nothing is official as of this writing, consideration of a sequel less than a week after the movie's theatrical release is a sign of confidence after the biopic's dominant box office opening weekend. It is also an indicator of Lionsgate wanting to further capitalize on the existing momentum as soon as possible.
While speaking with ScreenRant prior to the film's theatrical release, Jaafar Jackson and King teased ideas for Michael 2. King shared that "I've definitely been thinking about some things" and Jackson said, "I absolutely do" have more interest in reprising the role of his real-life uncle again. It now appears more likely King will be able to incorporate some of those ideas in a sequel once again starring Jackson.
The majority of the general audience loved what the first movie did, as it has a"Verified Hot" 97% Popcornmeter score on Rotten Tomatoes, which is the highest of all time for a music biopic. Critics' Michael reviews tell a different story, though, as the Tomatometer score is 37%. A sequel has the opportunity to win over critics more this time.
One of the main issues cited in many reviews, and one of the reasons why Michael has been so controversial, is because of how it avoids anything related to allegations of sexual abuse. An earlier version of the film did feature scenes related to this, but they had to be cut for legal reasons.
Michael Jackson was accused of sexually abusing 13-year-old Jordan Chandler, but a condition of the legal settlement is that nothing from this case can be mentioned or depicted in a movie. The stipulation related to the Chandler case would still apply to the sequel.
However, it would be more challenging and arguably even more controversial to avoid the subject of the allegations entirely this time as the next parts of Jackson's life are explored in a possible Michael sequel. 9.4/10 9/10 Michael 10 stars 9 stars 8 stars 7 stars 6 stars 5 stars 4 stars 3 stars 2 stars 1 star Like Follow Followed PG-13 Music Drama History Release Date April 24, 2026 Runtime 130 minutes Director Antoine Fuqua Writers John Logan Producers Graham King, John Branca, John McClain Cast See All Powered by Expand Collapse
Michael Jackson Biopic Box Office Success Sequel Development Antoine Fuqua Graham King
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