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Michael

Play trailer 1:00 Poster for Michael PG-13 Apr 2026 2h 7m Biography Drama Music Play Trailer Watchlist
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38% Tomatometer 294 Reviews 97% Popcornmeter 25,000+ Verified Ratings
MICHAEL is the cinematic portrayal of the life and legacy of one of the most influential artists the world has ever known. The film tells the story of Michael Jackson's life beyond the music, tracing his journey from the discovery of his extraordinary talent as the lead of the Jackson Five, to the visionary artist whose creative ambition fueled a relentless pursuit to become the biggest entertainer in the world. Highlighting both his life off-stage and some of the most iconic performances from his early solo career, the film gives audiences a front-row seat to Michael Jackson as never before. This is where his story begins.
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Michael

Michael

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Critics Consensus

While Jaafar Jackson's smooth moves bring the King of Pop to uncanny life, this musical biopic mostly plays like a "greatest hits" album that could've benefitted from including liner notes to give actual insight into the icon.

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Audience Says

Boosted by stellar performances, most notably Jaafar Jackson’s breakout turn, Michael tops the charts and has fans moonwalking across the globe.

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Critics Reviews

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Sergio Burstein Los Angeles Times Jun 3
Michael is a work with high production values ​​whose ability to entertain makes it susceptible to being watched several times, even though its superficiality extends to other areas. [Full review in Spanish] Go to Full Review
Dwight Brown DwightBrownInk.com Jun 2
2.5/4
You feel his presence, joy and music. Does the footage push biofilm genre boundaries? No. Go to Full Review
Christy Lemire FilmWeek (LAist) May 6
A hokey, corny, safe, clichéd, sanitized look at Michael Jackson. Go to Full Review
John Serba Decider 2d
It’s bad, it’s bad, you know it. Go to Full Review
Graeme Tuckett The Post NZ 4d
2/5
Fuqua chooses to end the film on an odd shot of Michael holding his hand up to mostly obscure his face. It seems appropriate, for a film which is sporadically impressive, but also dishonest and incomplete. Go to Full Review
Mini Anthikad-Chhibber The Hindu 4d
By ending the biopic with ‘Bad’, Antoine Fuqua delivers a disappointing look at the life of the King of Pop, revealing little about the person behind the explosive music and electric dance numbers, who is brilliantly brought to life by Jaafar Jackson Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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Sabrina L 1h The movie was excellent I would recommend watching it See more TheWitchQueen1692 4h REALLY GOOD WISH WE ELABORATED ON MORE OF HIS LIFE STORY See more Kadi T 6h Saw this movie twice and still can’t get enough of it 🎩 See more Ariel 6h Amazing!!! Jaafar made me believe that he WAS Michael! The voice and the perfection of all of the movements… just amazing! 🙌🏽 See more Chris D 8h This is the MJ I remembered and loved. Brings back great times with great music. See more Sue 8h Jafar Jackson is stellar! See more Read all reviews
Michael

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Michael

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Movie Info

Synopsis MICHAEL is the cinematic portrayal of the life and legacy of one of the most influential artists the world has ever known. The film tells the story of Michael Jackson's life beyond the music, tracing his journey from the discovery of his extraordinary talent as the lead of the Jackson Five, to the visionary artist whose creative ambition fueled a relentless pursuit to become the biggest entertainer in the world. Highlighting both his life off-stage and some of the most iconic performances from his early solo career, the film gives audiences a front-row seat to Michael Jackson as never before. This is where his story begins.
Director
Antoine Fuqua
Producer
Graham King, John Branca, John McClain
Screenwriter
John Logan
Distributor
Lionsgate
Production Co
GK Films
Rating
PG-13 (Smoking|Language|Some Thematic Material)
Genre
Biography, Drama, Music
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Apr 24, 2026, Wide
Release Date (Streaming)
Jun 9, 2026
Box Office (Gross USA)
$184.2M
Runtime
2h 7m
Sound Mix
Dolby Atmos, Dolby Digital
Aspect Ratio
Flat (1.85:1)