When Lionsgate announced it was greenlighting a Michael Jackson musical biopic produced by Graham King, who also produced the Queen biopic Bohemian Rhapsody, it immediately became one of the most anticipated movies on the 2026 movie schedule. Despite mixed critical reception upon release, the Michael movie danced its way to a major box office milestone after spending over 2 months in theaters, and the singer’s nephew responded to the news.
It’s cause for celebration when any movie hits $1 billion in box office sales, especially in this era of streaming. But the Michael movie is a special exception, given the mixed reception from the public and from within the Jackson family itself. However, there is no denying Jermaine Jackson’s son and Michael Jackson’s nephew, Jaafar Jackson, absolutely nailed his portrayal of the king of pop. And TJ Jackson wasted no time shouting out his cousin’s latest accomplishment on X:
1 Billion Box office!!! 💫 Shout to [Jaafar Jackson], [GK Films] and the entire production team. You all did your thing! And shout out to the fans and the movie goers around the world. You ignored the obvious and predicted negative critics and still showed up and got to witness and FEEL the magic of my uncle. He was one of one and the world got to experience that.
First off, that’s a huge accomplishment for everyone involved with the Michael movie over at Lionsgate. There are only 64 movies that have grossed $1 billion at the box office worldwide, and Michael is the first and only biopic (as of this article being written) to hit that threshold.
Jaafar Jackson’s cousin and Michael Jackson’s nephew publicly celebrating the film is a big deal as well. Not all the Jacksons supported the script. Janet Jackson, as well as Michael Jackson’s daughter Paris Jackson, wanted nothing to do with the film after seeing early versions, citing inaccuracies and a sanitized narrative.
The film received similar complaints from critics, who said the movie refused to address the more difficult and controversial parts of Jackson’s story, either just scraping the surface or leaving them out entirely. This was partially due to legal barriers regarding the accusations of child abuse made against Jackson in 1993, which forced Michael into reshoots. However, inside sources also claimed the biopic intentionally “avoids the ugliest chapters” of Jackson’s life at his family’s request.
There’s a lot of back and forth opinions regarding the Michael movie, but hasn’t that always been the case when it comes to the singer's life? Taj Jackson, the eldest son of the late Tito Jackson, agrees with his brother TJ, that the media has always had a controlling hand in his uncle’s narrative, and this movie gives audiences a chance to make up their own minds.
More to TJ Jackson’s point though, I think the biggest draw wasn’t the narrative’s accuracy (or lack there of), but rather Jaafar Jackson’s uncanny ability to impersonate and mimic the “Thriller” star’s mannerisms, voice, and dance moves. That’s the magic his cousin is referring to, the “Michael mania” which was so clearly captured in this biopic.
At the end of the day, this billion dollar accomplishment speaks for itself and goes to show that any press is good press when it comes to filling seats in theaters. As for the potential sequel in the works receiving the same treatment, that’s to be determined. But I doubt it will carry the same inspirational spirit of Michael, given the darker themes it might address. For now though, what an spectacular addendum to Jaafar Jackson’s first feature credit.
