Why don’t people care about the Michael Jackson allegations?
episodePreviously titled “The Michael Jackson movie is a smash hit - should it have been made, though? ” — renamed by the publisher on Aug 3, 2026
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What is the significance of the new Michael Jackson biopic?
Hey there, we are Indosport with me, John Molloy. We cover sport and we have things like this.
If you ask Arsenal's defenders, Gabriel and Saliba, to play in that PSG team or that Bayern team, they would be exposed as much as those centre-backs were last night. Because effectively, the attackers were on top. Then you ask the question, how many defenders were actually on the pitch last night? Because none of the full-backs have no interest in defending. They're like wingers. And I've seen Saliba and Gabriel in an open game in that League Cup semi-final doubleheader against Newcastle last season get torn apart by Izak. I won't have anyone convince me that they can defend in that space. Last drink before bed should be water. If it's a big night out, then you go electrolytes. They're everywhere. It's like the new, last year and this year, it's like the new trend.
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How did the film's troubled production affect its reception?
I knew how challenging this would be to take on playing Michael Jackson. And it was not easy. Definitely wasn't. I really had to earn the role and prove to the filmmakers that I was capable of becoming Michael.
They're dancing in the aisles to the tune of a $270 million opening weekend, and you can expect the box office numbers to keep on soaring. Almost 20 years on from the death of Michael Jackson, the King of Pop is alive as ever in the public consciousness, with his new biopic breaking records and seemingly delighting audiences worldwide.
The King of Pop is now officially King of the Box Office. Michael, the highly anticipated biopic about Michael Jackson, debuting at number one in theaters this weekend.
In fact, it doesn't seem to matter if the film's not actually good at all. The fans don't care because they tuned up. So even if it's crap, people just wanted a little more MJ in their life. Or how many troubling allegations continue to emerge about the late superstar?
This is a sanitized portrayal of an artist. The film will not do anything to cast the singer in a bad light whatsoever. He is so pure.
What controversies surround Michael Jackson's legacy?
He is so gifted, so talented. Songs just come like that. In his spare time, he goes to toy stores, buys everything and goes to hospitals and gives out those gifts to children. I thought that was quite tone deaf, to be honest. That this guy could do no wrong.
It would appear that Michael Jackson is the ultimate separate the art from the artist's success story. But why? I'm Kevin Doyle, and today on the Indo Daily I'm joined by the Irish independent film critic Chris Wasser to look at the trills and spills of Michael the Movie, go behind the scenes of its troubled production, and ask if his life should be celebrated and unchallenged in this fashion. Chris Wasser, the Michael Jackson movie has arrived in Irish cinemas and I think we should be upfront and transparent for how this is going to play out. I have not seen the movie. You have seen the movie. But I think we should operate on the basis that most people have a fair idea of the Michael Jackson story, the good bits and the really bad bits.
The movie doesn't cover all of them and we'll get to that. But surprisingly... when we talk about the controversy around this, it's a box office hit.
How has the audience responded to the film despite criticism?
Oh, it's a hit, Kevin. I mean, we're five days into the film's release in most international territories. And it made more in its first three days at cinemas than any other biographical film. So it grossed $217 million. And that's its entire production budget and a bit of change back.
Talking bigger than Bohemian Rhapsody.
Bigger than Bohemian Rhapsody, Oppenheimer. I think this thing cost $200 million to make. God knows how much it cost to market, maybe an additional $100 million. But when Oppenheimer was released in 2023, it made 180 million in its opening weekend. When Bohemian Rhapsody, a pre-pandemic release, was released in 2018, that made 124 million in its opening weekend. So for the Michael Jackson film, as controversial as it is, and given the overwhelmingly negative response from critics, to gross that much money, 270 million is an astonishing feat.
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Chapters
8 chapters
1
What is the significance of the new Michael Jackson biopic?
0:00–1:07
2
How did the film's troubled production affect its reception?
1:07–2:19
3
What controversies surround Michael Jackson's legacy?
2:19–3:28
4
How has the audience responded to the film despite criticism?
3:28–4:22
5
What elements of Michael Jackson's life are omitted in the biopic?
4:22–5:43
6
How does the film portray Michael Jackson's family dynamics?
5:43–6:47
7
What are the implications of the film's sanitized portrayal of Jackson?
6:47–7:25
8
Are biopics like Michael here to stay in the film industry?
7:25–28:53
Speakers
5 identifiedMore from The Indo Daily
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