Bob Mandello
👤 SpeakerAppearances Over Time
Podcast Appearances
A week ago, industry observers were saying Antoine Fuqua's long-delayed portrait of pop superstar Michael Jackson was likely to sell about $50 million worth of tickets in the U.S.
Then critics weighed in, talking about a troubled production history and mostly crashing the film as a sanitized PR pitch by the Jackson estate.
And audiences apparently decided they didn't care.
With about $40 million in the till for Michael on its first day, weekend estimates have risen to as much as $100 million in North America and another $100 million plus overseas, easily a record for a pop music biopic.
Ticket sales of about $900 million since January 1st have cinemas riding high at what's usually a slack time for the film industry.
Holiday hits like Avatar Fire and Ash and Marty Supreme are still doing well.
So is the Valentine's Day smash Wuthering Heights, and the spring lineup looks promising, with everything from a new Pixar comedy to a Michael Jackson biopic... I believe music could change the world.
...to the sci-fi thriller Project Hail Mary about a reluctant astronaut... I've never done a space... I can't even moonwalk!
...plus The Devil Wears Prada 2, a big-screen finale for Peaky Blinders, and the first Star Wars film in seven years...
All before the summer blockbusters arrive on Memorial Day.