Mark Binelli

The average person who's going to see this movie, who's made this movie such a massive hit, probably isn't carrying that baggage, probably isn't even aware of...

the reshoots or these other versions of the film that existed or could have been made.

And if you just watch it for what it is, it's a sort of celebration of this specific period of his life.

And just to say, you know, the movie made $200 million, its opening weekend, which is, you made it the most successful opening for a music biopic ever.

And it could make a billion dollars worldwide.

We choose not to do it.

I think that's exactly right.

And I think the fiasco of having to remake the movie, all of that bad press they got in the lead-up, I think that ended up being the best thing that could have happened to the filmmakers in the estate.

Because had that original version of the film come out, I think it would have...

situated the audience right in the middle of that messiness that you're describing even though they were doing their best to proclaim his innocence i don't know how that would have sat with audiences who knows maybe people would have just bought it but i think that would have been a much more uncomfortable position to put audiences in it would have made it much more difficult to just enjoy the music the version of the movie that they ended up having to make

completely elides that, and I think it's been to their benefit, and it's certainly what a lot of audience members want to see.

Yeah, and I think that largely rests on, you know, the sui generis nature of Michael Jackson himself and his music.

And I mean, I think you have to give credit to John Branca and the estate.

He's a very shrewd operator, and they've made a number of incredibly savvy moves since Jackson died.

But ultimately, without Jackson's music, without songs like Billie Jean, P.Y.T., You Rock My World, Thriller...

Man in the Mirror, Will You Be There?

Without his singularity as, you know, one of the most important artists of his era, you don't get people coming out to this movie in these numbers.

You don't get this kind of worldwide show of love.

It all comes back to what he did as a musician.

Right.