Today is the day. Michael, the long-awaited biographical film about the life of Michael Jackson, officially opens in theaters nationwide on April 24, 2026. Directed by Antoine Fuqua and written by John Logan, the film has been one of the most talked-about releases of the year — and after $12.6 million in Wednesday and Thursday preview screenings alone, it is already clear that audiences have been waiting for exactly this moment.
At the center of everything: Jaafar Jackson, the 29-year-old son of Jermaine Jackson, making his film debut as his uncle. And the conversation around his performance is already electric.
What Critics and Audiences Are Saying About Jaafar
Variety’s Owen Gleiberman wrote that what holds the film together and gives it meaning is the deft command and high energy of Jaafar Jackson’s performance — noting that he nails the look, the voice, and the electrostatic moves, and more than that, captures the mixture of delicacy and steel that made Michael Jackson who he was.
First reactions from the Los Angeles premiere went wide on social media immediately after screenings. Multiple attendees described Jaafar Jackson as an unreal revelation, saying he embodies the music icon in every way imaginable; Colman Domingo was called an unbridled force of nature as Joe Jackson; and multiple reviewers said the film demands to be seen with a crowd.
The Rotten Tomatoes audience consensus has broken in a notably different direction than critics, with viewers describing performance sequences that transported them back to the feeling of watching Michael Jackson live — a reaction that speaks to what Jaafar brought physically to the role. For fans of the music, the word from early screenings has been consistent: the concert and performance scenes are worth the ticket price on their own.
The Story Behind the Casting
Michael’s mother and Jaafar’s grandmother, Katherine Jackson, approved of the casting, saying he “embodies” her son; Jaafar described himself as “humbled and honoured” to be cast, following a two-year casting process overseen by casting director Kimberly Hardin.
That two-year process was not a formality. Hundreds of actors were considered before the production landed on Jaafar — a choice that carries a weight no outside casting could replicate. He shares DNA with the man he is portraying, grew up with the Jackson family name, and spent years working toward this role. That the family’s matriarch gave her endorsement before cameras ever rolled added a layer of cultural legitimacy that the production leaned into throughout its promotional campaign.
Jaafar was just 12 years old when his uncle Michael Jackson died in 2009. That biographical detail has not been lost on audiences, who have responded to his performance with a level of emotional investment that goes beyond the typical biopic experience.
Colman Domingo as Joe Jackson
If Jaafar is the film’s heartbeat, Colman Domingo is its iron fist. First reactions consistently pointed to Domingo as a chilling presence in the role of Joe Jackson — the patriarch whose relentless discipline shaped his sons into stars and left lasting marks on all of them.
Domingo, coming off an Academy Award-nominated stretch that has made him one of the most visible actors working today, brings a particular kind of stillness and menace to Joe Jackson that has generated its own conversation separate from the film’s overall reception. Nia Long plays Katherine Jackson, grounding the family story with warmth and quiet strength against Domingo’s severity.
The film covers Michael Jackson’s life from his involvement in the Jackson 5 in the 1960s through the 1980s Bad tour, tracing his journey from Gary, Indiana to global stardom. It ends before the first allegations against Jackson emerged in 1993 — a creative and legal decision that has divided critics but has not dampened audience enthusiasm.
Box Office Tracking and What Comes Next
Michael opened to $12.6 million in Wednesday and Thursday previews, the largest preview total of the year so far, with the film tracking toward an opening weekend of $85 million or more — which would make it a record-setting debut for a music biopic.
For comparison, Straight Outta Compton — the previous record holder for a music biopic domestic opening — launched with $60 million in 2015. If Michael hits its projected range, it clears that benchmark with significant room to spare.
The film closes with a title card reading “His Story Continues” — a direct signal that Lionsgate is already positioning Michael as the first chapter of a franchise, with a sequel that could finally take on the darker chapters of Jackson’s story.
Whether that sequel materializes depends on how the next several weeks play out at the box office. But based on everything that has happened in the past 48 hours — the preview numbers, the audience reactions, and the wave of social media clips circulating from the performance sequences — Michael is not leaving the conversation anytime soon.
Michael is in theaters now, rated PG-13.
