The Michael Jackson biopic “Michael” has become a box office phenomenon, tracking to become the highest-grossing musical biopic ever made after earning over $100 million in its opening weekend. The film’s success stands in stark contrast to big-budget studio flops like Disney’s “Snow White,” which cost over $400 million and underperformed, highlighting a shift in audience appetite toward straightforward biographical storytelling. But the financial triumph has been overshadowed by a storm of controversy involving the Jackson family, the film’s creators, and the decades-old abuse allegations against the late singer. At the center of the dispute is Paris Jackson, Michael’s daughter, who has publicly condemned the film as containing “full-blown lies” after her notes on an early draft were ignored.
She has distanced herself from the project entirely, telling her followers to enjoy the movie but to leave her out of the conversation. Paris’s criticism was amplified when Colman Domingo, who plays Joe Jackson in the film, claimed she and her brother Prince were fully supportive of the production. Paris responded sharply, stating she had only met Domingo twice, briefly, and had no meaningful involvement with the film. She clarified she is not boycotting the movie but believes it is dishonest and was produced in a way that controls the narrative.
The director, Antoine Fuqua, has dismissed the abuse allegations raised against Jackson, telling The New Yorker, “Sometimes people do some nasty things for some money,” a statement made while he reportedly earned $25 million for directing the film. Critics have noted the movie ends during the “Bad” tour era, a period that Wade Robson and James Safechuck—the two men who allege Jackson abused them as children—say was when the abuse occurred. Robson and Safechuck have maintained they have never profited from any Michael Jackson-related projects, including their lawsuits or the documentary “Leaving Neverland. ”
The Jackson family itself has fractured over the film.
A private screening in Los Angeles reportedly devolved into a heated confrontation, with Janet Jackson critical of the movie and Jermaine Jackson, whose son Jaafar stars as Michael, allegedly accusing her of jealousy. Sources told TMZ that Janet was the only person in the room with a negative reaction, though family members including Austin Brown have publicly denied the fight took place. Notably, Janet Jackson has not endorsed the film and has been openly supportive of Paris in her legal disputes with the estate. Quincy Jones, the legendary producer behind “Thriller,” “Off the Wall,” and “Bad,” is almost entirely absent from the movie.
The film omits “The Wiz,” the 1978 production where Jones and Jackson first met, and reduces Jones’s contribution to a minor role. Before his death, Jones gave interviews accusing Jackson of being “greedy” and of taking credit for work that was not entirely his, including allegations that Jackson appropriated parts of other songs. Jones also sued the estate after Jackson’s death, winning a $9. 4 million judgment that was later partially overturned.
On the film’s opening day, James Safechuck appeared before cameras to say his thoughts were with other survivors, adding that he did not think it was a good idea to support people who abuse children. When asked if he would see the movie, he said no. Wade Robson has made similar statements. The Jackson estate has consistently denied all allegations, pointing to Jackson’s acquittal at his 2005 criminal trial, and maintains his innocence.
A $400 million civil case brought by Robson and Safechuck has not yet gone to trial. Perhaps the most damaging development came from the Cascio family. Four adult members—Edward, Dominic, Marie Nicole, and Aldo—came forward on opening day to allege they were sexually abused by Jackson, beginning when some were as young as seven or eight, spanning more than a decade. This accusation carries particular weight because, in 2010, the same family sat with Oprah Winfrey and told her on national television that Jackson never did anything inappropriate to them.
Eddie Cascio now says those statements were the result of being “brainwashed,” claiming Jackson trained them from childhood to defend him publicly whenever accusations surfaced. He says they only began understanding what had happened after watching “Leaving Neverland” in 2019. The estate reportedly paid the Cascio family roughly $16 million over five years starting in 2020, with the estate claiming the family took the money and sought more, while the family’s lawyer says the settlement was coerced. Both sides acknowledge the money changed hands, but they describe it very differently.
The estate paints the family as opportunists; the family says their behavior is precisely what grooming looks like. Meanwhile, “Leaving Neverland,” the Emmy-winning 2019 documentary that detailed Robson and Safechuck’s allegations, is no longer available to stream in the United States. The estate used a non-disparagement clause in an old contract to force HBO to pull the film from US and Canadian platforms, and it will not be available again until 2029. Dan Reed, the documentary’s director, told Variety that the biopic “reinstates the myth” and that the press is afraid to criticize Jackson due to the estate’s legal and financial power.
The estate maintains that the press has been fair to a man who was acquitted and whose guilt was never legally established. What remains factually clear is that a $285 million film celebrating Jackson is playing in theaters while the documentary presenting a completely different version of his story is unavailable to stream in the country where it originally aired.