The long-awaited biopic movie Michael, which is inspired by the life of Michael Jackson, has had a good opening in the Indian box office even though it has been poorly received in other parts of the world. The movie, now starring Jaafar Jackson in the lead role has attracted a lot of attention with the audience, especially in India where the King of Pop has a massive following.
Released in all states on Friday and paid previews on Thursday, Michael grossed about ₹2.40 crore in previews, and then over ₹4 crore on its first day. The opening day collection of the film was approximately ₹5.50 crore net (₹6.60 crore gross), the highest opening of a musical biopic in India. It easily outdid other standards that were already established in the past by movies such as Bohemian Rhapsody and Elvis.
However, in a twist, the movie did better than the big releases in Bollywood such as Dhurandhar 2 and Bhooth Bangla which had already been playing in theatres. Although it was Bhooth Bangla that controlled 5.15 crore on the same day, Dhurandhar 2 was behind with 1.60 crore, in part because it was in the later theatrical release.
The movie has also recorded good figures in other parts of the world as it is said to bring in around 30 million dollars abroad including the Indian market share. The film directed by Antoine Fuqua and written by John Logan follows the path of Jackson since his childhood with the Jackson 5 to becoming a music icon around the world.
Michael would be in a good position to keep its successful run in India and abroad as it has the strong initial momentum.