The Michael Jackson biopic is a major box-office hit, hardly surprising. We delve into its economics and outline who benefits, in a video feature.
Like Bohemian Rhapsody in its day, Michael has been rocking the box office for four weeks, and it’s not running out of dance moves yet. The biopic directed by Antoine Fuqua and co-produced by Lionsgate has come a long way since its rough start: filming was halted and budgets ballooned, making headlines in the trade press, but not only there.
Behind this success stands, above all, one man: Graham King. The producer had previously steered Hollywood by bending Freddie Mercury’s memory a bit, and he repeats the same playbook, this time applied to the king of pop. Indeed, this blueprint sells dreams not only to American studios, but also to the rights holders of discographies abruptly paused, who are now flocking to the big screen. Michael marks the crowning achievement of a potentially very lucrative subgenre, as noted by Mathieu in his financial review.
