NEW YORK, NY, September 25, 2026 — This year a new estate-backed biopic about Michael Jackson has gone on to become a box office hit. Fuqua’s Michael took in over $800 million globally. The film has also sparked discussion about what aspects of Jackson’s life it decided not to include.
What the Film Covers
The film follows Jackson’s childhood in Gary, Indiana back to his family’s beginnings in music. Chronicling his ascent with the Jackson 5 through to him breaking out as a solo artist. The narrative draws to a close during the 1984 Victory Tour, depicted as an emancipation event.
Michael’s real life nephew, Jaafar Jackson, plays the lead role for the entirety of the film. Colman Domingo plays Joe Jackson, portrayed here as a tough and often abusive father. Indeed, Jaafar Jackson’s turn in the leading role has been arguably the film’s most-highlighted strength among critics.
Major Omissions Draw Scrutiny
The film stops long before the controversies that would mar much of Jackson’s later public life. But he does not confront the earliest child molestation claims against him in 1993. The case was settled, and reportedly included terms preventing any future films from mentioning the accuser.
The 2005 criminal trial, in which Jackson faced further molestation allegations, and his acquittal are also absent. It also glosses over his later marriages, drug use and a host of other headlines. Critics point out the film concludes nearly 20 years before Jackson died in 2009.
Missing Family and Career Milestones
Despite being Michael’s youngest sister, Janet Jackson appears only very fleetingly. She has what reviewers are describing as a limited role, one of the film’s more glaring omissions. Diana Ross, a longtime friend and collaborator of the film was not present for almost the entire film.
Jackson’s 1978 film role in The Wiz, which helped define the early part of his career, is also omitted from the movie. One of those projects led to a collaboration with producer Quincy Jones, who became an important collaborator thereafter. Leaving it out was a mistake, critics argue, weakening the film’s account of his artistic development.
The Biopic Template Common Place to Music
Entertainment reviewers have noted the effective criticism of recent musician biopics for exclusionary storytelling. Movies about other bigger artists have met similar criticism for downplaying tough periods. Michael proceeds in that manner, by stressing victory over even the tangled net of Jackson’s complete saga.
A few critics argue that the film’s hermetic nature is an effective choice for a work of art. Others argue that a true biopic should wrestle with the full complexity of a subject. That’s been the source of much of the public debate around the film’s release.
What Comes Next
The film is apparently such that it has been designed with a follow-up planned all along, according to reports. The likelihood of that follow-up getting made probably relies on sustained box office performances. In fact, the second installment can easily feel like a completely new movie instead of a sequel because these are chapters this film decided to leave untold.
For now, Michael is a testament to Jackson the artist rather than Jackson the man. Viewers attracted to his music might consider that framing satisfying in and of itself. Anyone looking for a fuller account of his life will have to go elsewhere.
Despite widespread criticism, the fact that the film is a box office success demonstrates, I think, that there is an appetite for Jackson’s story. The film also outpaces a number of recent musician biopics from over the past few years in ticket sales. Whatever that commercial performance is, it will likely affect the approach taken on future installments during the tougher chapters.
Industry watchers say this tension between truth and image is often built into estate-backed biopics. Creative control over a subject tends to remain substantial with families and estates. This dynamic is responsible for many of the current music biopics, not just this one.
Jackson is such an enigma, music historians say it helps to have a complete portrait for perspective on how his cultural legacy remains far-reaching today. Currently, his influence on pop music, dance and visual storytelling is still studied widely. An open question is how films of the future choose to balance that legacy against his controversies.
