The Michael Jackson biopic “Michael” has crossed $808 million worldwide, becoming the second-highest-grossing music biopic of all time and setting a new record for the genre’s opening weekend. Directed by Antoine Fuqua and starring Jaafar Jackson, Michael Jackson’s real-life nephew, the film opened on April 24, 2026, with a $97. 2 million domestic debut—the biggest in music biopic history. By week six, it had reached $808 million globally, with $324 million from domestic theaters and over $500 million from international markets.
It currently trails only “Bohemian Rhapsody” ($910 million), and industry observers are openly speculating whether it can close that gap on its road to a billion. What makes the film’s performance notable is the stark divide between critical and audience reception. “Michael” holds a 38% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes from critics, compared to a 97% audience score. That gap has become a focal point in Hollywood discourse.
The film’s global gross also exceeds the combined earnings of all three Marvel Studios releases from 2025—“Captain America: Brave New World,” “Thunderbolts,” and “The Fantastic Four: First Steps”—despite a production budget of around $200 million. The film’s success has revived attention on a pattern involving several high-profile actresses whose recent theatrical releases underperformed after they made public statements that alienated portions of their audience. Rachel Zegler, star of Disney’s live-action “Snow White,” faced backlash beginning in 2022, when she described the original 1937 animated film as outdated and called its romantic storyline problematic. In an interview, she said the prince in the original “literally stalks” the title character, a remark widely circulated online.
In August 2024, she shared a promotional post for the film that concluded with a political statement, drawing further criticism. Months later, after the 2024 U. S. election, she posted a now-deleted Instagram story that wished harm on Trump supporters and the former president himself.
When “Snow White” opened in March 2025, it became the biggest box office bomb of that year, earning approximately $205 million worldwide against a production budget estimated between $270 million and $336 million. Analysts projected losses above $200 million. Disney also re-released the film in May 2025 on over 1,300 screens, but it grossed just $335,000 in that weekend, averaging roughly $251 per theater. Zegler later addressed the backlash in a public video, becoming emotional and acknowledging the difficulty of the experience.
She referenced the Winged Victory of Samothrace, saying it arrived at the Louvre in pieces but people still line up to see it. Zegler’s situation followed a template established earlier by Brie Larson. In June 2018, while accepting an award at the Crystal + Lucy Awards, Larson cited a diversity study on film criticism and noted that the press corps did not reflect the U. S.
population. She explicitly stated she was not saying she hated white men, a comment that went viral. The backlash was significant enough that when “Captain Marvel” opened in March 2019, fans review-bombed the film on Rotten Tomatoes, leading the platform to remove its “want-to-see” feature. Larson was asked in interviews whether she would return to the role, responding at the time, “I don’t know,” and expressing uncertainty about whether the character would continue.
“Captain Marvel” was commercially successful, but the sequel, “The Marvels,” released in November 2023, grossed only about $206 million worldwide and was estimated to have lost Disney up to $237 million. The figure is nearly identical to “Snow White’s” worldwide total of roughly $205 million, a coincidence that observers have pointed to as evidence of a pattern rather than isolated failures. The third case is unfolding in real time. Milly Alcock is set to star as Supergirl in James Gunn’s rebooted DC Universe, with the film scheduled for release on June 26, 2026, on a reported budget of around $170 million.
Before opening, Alcock has generated controversy through comments about her critics. In a May 2026 Variety interview, she described much of the backlash she receives online as coming from anonymous burner accounts, specifically mentioning profiles identifying themselves as “dad of four Christian. ” She called them “hilarious” and added, “If you’re pissing the right kind of people off, you’re doing okay. ” Earlier in the press campaign, she also addressed fan criticism regarding ownership of women’s bodies, saying, “We have become very comfortable having this weird ownership of women’s bodies.
I can’t really stop them. ”
Those comments drew sharp reactions, particularly in the context of a film intended to attract family audiences. Tracking data has reportedly reflected the controversy. The film is currently forecast to open between $47 million and $65 million domestically, a far cry from the $122 million opening of “Superman,” the previous DCU installment.
Research group The Quorum reportedly showed the film at 53% awareness but only 46% interest, with that number declining following the comments about Christian critics. Meanwhile, DC Studios co-head Peter Safran reportedly reached out to Alcock during the backlash and told her she was handling the situation well and should be true to herself. The box office trajectory of “Michael” stands in contrast to these developments. Its record-breaking run, achieved despite lukewarm critical reviews and a significant budget, underscores a widening gap between critical opinion and audience behavior.
Whether “Supergirl” follows the path of “The Marvels” and “Snow White” or avoids it may depend on factors that remain to be seen in the coming weeks.
