Michael Jackson biopic shows franchise thriving despite abuse claims

Michael Jackson performs in Kansas City, Mo., Feb. 24, 1988. (AP Photo/Cliff Schiappa)

NEW YORK -- The release of a new Michael Jackson biopic -- 16 years after his death -- highlights a robust franchise seemingly immune to the child sex abuse claims that still haunt the “King of Pop.”

Film studio Lionsgate is banking on making US$700 million in global box office receipts for the feature-length “Michael,” which has its world premiere in Berlin on Friday.

That figure would far surpass other productions in the same genre except for the Freddie Mercury-inspired “Bohemian Rhapsody,” which took in $910 million.

“Michael” is just the latest installment of a flourishing economic empire in Jackson’s name.

“MJ: The Musical” opened on Broadway in 2022 and has been staged in other countries, while the Cirque du Soleil production “Michael Jackson ONE” has been running in Las Vegas since 2013.

Mychael Darklighter, a fan who lives in Australia, said he has twice seen the musical and recalled a consistently enthusiastic audience.

“A crowd of all ages was going nuts for it each time I attended,” he said.

Last year, for the thirteenth time since his death in 2009, Jackson topped the Forbes list of deceased celebrities generating the most revenue.

And on Spotify, the artist has more monthly listeners than Beyonce, Post Malone, or Olivia Dean -- major figures in contemporary pop.

Vincent Amen, a former advisor to Jackson, said he believes the new film will boost that clout even further.

“With the fan base, I think that they’re putting themselves on the right path to commercial success,” he said.

Baby over balcony

Kimberly Krautter, of the public relations firm K-Factor Strategies, said that Jackson’s business is more profitable after his death as it is “less fraught with controversy.”

She pointed to several PR missteps Jackson made, including the moment in 2002 when he famously dangled his baby over a hotel balcony ledge in Berlin while waving to fans gathered below.

Amen agreed that the positive attention during the singer’s career was regularly offset by contentious moments.

“Whatever publicity he had that was positive sometimes was countered with Michael’s mistakes as negative publicity, and that made it very difficult to do business with him,” he said.

Another example was in the 2003 documentary “Living with Michael Jackson,” where the star explained that he still invited children to sleep in his bed, even though he was already the subject of child sexual abuse allegations.

‘Destroy his character’

Despite his 2005 acquittal in a criminal trial for child molestation, Jackson never managed to restore his image while alive.

Other alleged victims filed civil lawsuits after his death and several proceedings are ongoing. The artist has never been convicted in criminal or civil court.

According to several media outlets, none of these episodes appear in the biopic which was produced under the supervision of the Jackson family.

“I would love that the film would tell the most human story about Michael Jackson possible,” said Mark Anthony Neal, professor of African and African American Studies at Duke University.

“But I also realize that we’re in a period of time where Hollywood does not deal with celebrities in that way,” he added.

For Krautter, Jackson’s image has been relatively spared because he died before the MeToo movement, which notably brought down singer R. Kelly over child sexual abuse.

Meanwhile, the fan Darklighter remains convinced that Jackson did nothing wrong.

“I think his legacy is pretty secure, all things considered. No matter how much they try to destroy his character,” he said.

By Thomas Urbain, AFP