Lionsgate is opening the doors to Neverland earlier than expected, and that's great news for Michael's quality. Hoping to follow in the footsteps of the successful Bohemian Rhapsody, Elvis, Rocketman, and other blockbuster-scale musical biopics, the King of Pop himself, Michael Jackson, is next up. Fans have expressed concerns about Michael's quality after the flick underwent a hefty 22 days of reshoots last summer to retool its third act.
According to a post on X from Embargo Lifts For, critics' first reactions to Michael will be released on socials on Friday, April 10, two weeks before the Michael Jackson biopic lands in theaters on Friday, April 24. This date is on the earlier end for the first critic reactions to a major blockbuster to surface online, signaling that Lionsgate is confident in its much-anticipated biopic and its quality.
Early social reactions will be followed by the first full Michael reviews on Tuesday, April 21, one day ahead of limited early-access screenings in premium formats:
- Social Reactions Embargo - Friday, April 10 at 11 a.m. PT/2 p.m. ET
- Full Reviews Embargo - Tuesday, April 21 at 6 a.m. PT/9 p.m. ET
- Limited Early Access Fan Screenings - Wednesday, April 22
- U.S. Release Date - Friday, April 24
Historically, studios have allowed earlier reactions for movies they are most confident in, expecting positive word of mouth to spread for a longer period on the road to release. The exact inverse can also be said and was recently proven with The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, which opened the floodgates to its first reactions just days before its release and was ultimately panned by fans and critics.
Michael's Post-Production Journey Still Rings Some Alarm Bells
According to Variety, Lionsgate made major changes to Michael after principal photography, removing an entire third-act storyline devoted to the King of Pop's child sex abuse allegations due to a legal settlement with one of his accusers.
These changes not only delayed Michael by a year from its original April 2025 release, but also required 22 days of reshoots to "shoot the new third act and flesh out scenes from earlier in the movie."
Of all the footage cut from Michael, Variety noted that roughly 30% could be shifted into a potential sequel that hinges on the first biopic's success, as Lionsgate is reportedly hoping to gross over $700 million globally. Michael has been widely predicted to be one of this year's 10 highest-grossing movies.
Michael reportedly runs for just over two hours, which is a far cry from the 3.5 hours of footage supposedly shot before reshoots. There's no denying that the King of Pop's life is worthy of the big screen, but Michael's post-production changes raise some concerns.
In the unpredictable realm of modern cinema, word-of-mouth is more important than ever in a movie's success, meaning the Michael Jackson name alone may not be enough to carry it to box office glory. As such, Lionsgate and fans alike can only hope that Michael is as strong as its choice of early reactions date indicates.
