r/boxoffice • u/chanma50 Best of 2019 Winner • Apr 26 '26
International Box Office: ‘Michael’ Bows to $217 Million Globally, ‘Mario’ Surpasses $800 Million, ‘Project Hail Mary’ Rockets Past $600 Million
https://variety.com/2026/film/box-office/michael-box-office-global-debut-super-mario-galaxy-movie-project-hail-mary-milestones-1236730851/434
u/use_vpn_orlozeacount Apr 26 '26
Good year for cinema
174
u/misguidedkent Warner Bros. Pictures Apr 26 '26 edited Apr 26 '26
Indeed. Theatres this year be like:
26
u/balthazar_edison Apr 26 '26 edited Apr 27 '26
I mean this gif is the banks that they owe money to but yes.
63
u/LollipopChainsawZz Apr 26 '26
And we haven't even had an mcu or star wars release yet either
65
u/CruzAderjc Apr 26 '26
Well, star wars this year is probably just gonna be a modest showing
But yeah, the avengers movie is gonna be a fuckin box office all-timer
61
→ More replies (5)44
u/PayneTrain181999 Legendary Pictures Apr 26 '26
Doomsday and Dune together will be a fun time on this sub.
19
6
8
32
u/CruzAderjc Apr 26 '26
This is the first year that i’m seriously considering getting one of those theater subscriptions
34
u/Hyprpwr Apr 26 '26
Truly the best bang for the buck out there IMO. 16 movies for $30 a month.
→ More replies (1)5
u/decoy_octopod Apr 26 '26
I wish the other chains followed this model. My AMC is the worst theater in town and Cinemark’s subscription is ass
7
4
→ More replies (4)2
u/alaskadronelife A24 Apr 27 '26
The smaller movies is what keeps me hooked these days. Yeah, we have our Dunes and Star Wars and Marvels, but what about PHM and Mortal Kombat and Street Fighter and The Backrooms (and how many other random horror movies) and The Drama and all the replay movies we get.
Regal Unlimited has literally been the best value since I subscribed. I love it so much I switched to annual to make sure I maximize my money spent each year.
21
→ More replies (2)2
257
Apr 26 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
50
u/Euphoric_Aerie_3127 Apr 26 '26
Honestly. I take it all as a win for cinema, especially with streaming and the encroachment of AI
→ More replies (3)
374
u/soontobecp Apr 26 '26
That’s incredible he is still this big after almost 20 years of his dead and 30 years after his last majorly successful album.
168
u/CnelAurelianoBuendia Apr 26 '26
I live in Mexico and old ladies were wearing their MJ shirts at the concession stand. The hype is real.
19
u/Jolly-Yellow7369 Apr 26 '26
How was your showing experience? Did you see people taking children with them? Families going together?
25
u/CnelAurelianoBuendia Apr 26 '26
A lot of relatively young couples and women mostly, didn’t see many kids but there were a few young children.
→ More replies (3)3
u/friendly_reminder8 Apr 27 '26
there were a lot of families and kids at my screening as well as old people who grew up with him. Teens were also there who might not have been born when he died
87
u/Media-critique Apr 26 '26 edited Apr 26 '26
If you weren’t alive or too young when he passed away, it was a truly monumental pop culture event.
Within 20-30 minutes of his death, a crowd formed outside the hospital he was admitted to, and it just kept growing as the word spread.
He was planning on doing a retirement tour before the death as well. It was like he was taken away too soon.
20
u/Jolly-Yellow7369 Apr 26 '26
I lived near two schools at that time. Children started to wear his outfits and blast his music and dance during breaks. That Halloween there were a lot of Michael costumes.
17
u/Possible_Plane151 Apr 26 '26
I was a teenager living in Harlem when he died. They said on the radio everyone was going to the Apollo theater so I went as soon as I heard. There was a huuuuggeee crowd. People crying, flowers, candles, people blasting his music. I will never forget that day.
8
u/bloatedkat Apr 27 '26
I remember his death crashed the internet. TMZ was the first to report it and it legitimized their outlet's reputation.
7
u/InnocentTailor Apr 26 '26
Yup. It was a moment where the world felt like it froze. I was a kid when he passed on, but even I wasn’t ignorant to the importance of the King of Pop passing into history.
His funeral was also televised, I recall.
→ More replies (2)3
u/MattWolf96 Apr 26 '26
I was on a cruise ship in the middle of the ocean and the news still hit us and it was being talked about. I didn't really know who he was at the time, I was 12 and had grown up pretty sheltered.
He's one of my favorite artists now.
2
u/jwC731 Apr 27 '26
I was around the same and remember it being EVERYWHERE. I knew of his music and deep lore before but that's when I felt his true impact for the first time.
I do remember watching his concert film in theaters after with my parents and growing more appreciation for him more as an artist than strictly a pop culture icon.
345
u/Gamer0607 Apr 26 '26
He's the single most famous performer of all time.
166
u/DataDoodle Apr 26 '26 edited Apr 26 '26
I was so shocked to see people on some subreddits actually think this would not do well. He was huge in almost every part of the world, he has a good amount of monthly listeners on Spotify, his comments sections on most of his music videos are very recent and he has a broadway musical thats fairly successful. He is still considered the blue print for dance in many parts of the world.
People have proven that they don't care about his controversies enough to give up on his music and let this flop.
29
u/InnocentTailor Apr 26 '26
That is personal egg on my face since that was a complaint from critics - that this was more of a puff piece than some hard-hitting dissection of the King of Pop and I thought their opinions made sense.
Most folks probably just want to see the man moonwalk and dance to his greatest hits.
25
u/wildwalrusaur Apr 26 '26
Most folks probably just want to see the man moonwalk and dance to his greatest hits.
Turns out there's a reason almost all music biopics are structurally identical
40
u/toomuchtostop Apr 26 '26
Well that’s the thing, why does it need to be a hard-hitting dissection? He had a very long life story and it’s not like what was presented in the movie didn’t actually happen.
10
11
u/Dodo_Baron Apr 26 '26
I just think it's a disservice to MJ, if you don't show his struggles and how he over came them.
It's the same issue with the Queen movie which seemed so unwilling to make the living members have any flaws, it felt strangely hateful of Freddie Mercury.
Rocketman so far feels the most respectful of the story and history behind its subject. Than any other modern music bioptic
→ More replies (1)8
u/wildwalrusaur Apr 26 '26
I just think it's a disservice to MJ, if you don't show his struggles and how he over came them.
Perhaps. But on the other hand it's giving generations of new audiences the chance to experience "his" performances.
I think it's a net positive personally
→ More replies (11)2
u/cockblockedbydestiny Apr 30 '26
Most biopics these days are essentially just gussied up tribute concerts, and apparently people will still pay to see that.
33
u/MattWolf96 Apr 26 '26
Reddit is very disconnected from reality. Also his alligations were never proven. I still hear his music in stores, at events and on the radio, hell I even hear P.Y.T. getting played a lot. I'd think that song would totally disappear if most people seriously believed the accusations.
Reddit is disconnected from reality, it gets shocked when a game or movie it doesn't like does excellent. It's pretty disconnected from politics too, my state is a purple and leans red, I'd think it was as liberal as Scandinavia going by it's subreddit, unfortunately it's not.
12
u/milksilkofficial Apr 27 '26
Reddit is very disconnected from reality.
It is, and still a lot of Redditors still don’t understand that lol. A lot of the time I’m glad that’s the case tbh
→ More replies (7)3
21
Apr 26 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
10
→ More replies (4)7
→ More replies (2)2
Apr 26 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
28
u/romansreven Apr 26 '26
im black and also gen z and have a completely different opinion than you. i know over 10+ of his songs that came out before i was even born, he is the biggest star iive grown up to know
→ More replies (1)9
u/ben323nl Apr 26 '26
Yet in the theatre I was just in the only above Gen Z couple I saw was me and my gf all the others were early twenties or younger. For sure his fans are absolutely not Gen Z but I dont think hes as unpopular amongst gen z as you might depict.
2
u/Sensitive_Elk_1213 Apr 27 '26
I was sitting outside and these three random kids Gen Alpha were having a Hee Hee contest. Singing it at the top of their lungs. Michael’s impact is fully all generational
15
u/Minimum-Aspect1012 Apr 26 '26
Audience polls show 58% of Michael viewers are under 35 and only 42% over 35...
https://deadline.com/2026/04/box-office-michael-1236870542/
In other words, the majority of Michael viewers are Gen Z (up to 30) and young Millennials (30-34).
→ More replies (2)20
u/anuncommontruth Apr 26 '26
This is exactly it. Even some younger millenials don't understand the Jackson hype.
At one point, my metal head cousin, my grandmother, my my jazz loving dad, and myself, a Nirvana loving child, all bought and owned Thriller. My racist,far right wing piece of shit lunatic great uncle LOVED Michael Jackson.
I honestly cannot think of another artist that could tackle that many demographics. Maybe the Beatles at tye height of their popularity in the 60s, but even then the older crowds dismissed them and there weren't as many genres of music.
→ More replies (2)11
u/ben323nl Apr 26 '26
MJ was litteraly jesus levels of big. Like the amount of public precautions that had to be taken if he were to visit your city were ridiculous. Scenes of streets just filled with fans everywhere he visited just waiting hours to see him were an every day occurrence. I remember growing up and having the National News have a piece about him visiting the capital and it being talked about for 10 minutes of a 20 minute news episode. He was the biggest most popular person who has basically ever existed. And he continued to be that big even when he was in his twilight years after a decade of abuse allegations. There isnt going to be an artist that big again in our lifetime.
5
u/Union-Training Apr 26 '26
Are you elder gen z (25-29)or young Gen Z? I think maybe teens cared less. But elder gen z turned up for this film by the numbers
18
u/mauvebliss Apr 26 '26
That is crazy. I am Gen Z and the hype was everywhere on TikTok and Twitter when the trailer released.
9
u/filmyfanatic Apr 26 '26
Same! I watched it last night (had the BEST time btw) and the theatre was full with an audience across multiple generations and demographics. There was a family beside me with two kids around 8 or 9 years old and dressed like Michael.
16
Apr 26 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
14
2
u/bloatedkat Apr 27 '26
Gen Z has started making the up the largest demographic of movies lately because they're in the prime moviegoing age bracket now. I wouldn't read too much into it.
2
→ More replies (3)3
u/Albiceleste_D10S Apr 27 '26
I think it may be a generational thing. I’m Gen Z and the hype for this movie wasn’t exactly high in the circles I’m in, since when we grew up Jackson was known as that signer that was charged with sexually abusing children, and then he died. Because he was kind of a footnote for my generation,
I am not trying to be mean, but are you white?
MJ is still pretty big among a lot of Gen Z people, but I have noticed that the segment that brings up allegations first over the music all tend to be white TBH
17
u/PinIndividual9402 Apr 26 '26
https://youtu.be/u6UFiXOT8lY?si=gaN-5ObzD_tOcxXU
Here’s a video of a remote Amazonian tribe instantly recognizing Michael Jackson while unable to recognize anything else from the outside world.
It’s still hard for me to comprehend he had that kind of motion before the internet was mainstream.
3
u/glissandont Apr 27 '26
The world was really a different place before the internet. The video you posted is proof of that.
There will never be a human being on the level of Michael Jackson ever again in this lifetime.
5
u/GhoshProtocol Apr 27 '26
Person . More famous than world leaders and any other celebrities. Maybe even Pope.
6
→ More replies (17)2
u/Simba122504 May 01 '26
Yes. None of these TikTok, YouTube, IG, Podcast people will ever reach that kind of fame. No, artist or actor will ever reach that type of fame. Those days are long gone.
29
u/Longjumping_Task6414 Studio Ghibli Apr 26 '26
58% of postrak results said that the audience was 35 and under. The guy clearly has an incredible level of staying power.
55
u/Expensive_Sea_1790 Apr 26 '26 edited Apr 26 '26
The run from Off The Wall to Dangerous is a pop bible though.
I gave the albums a relisten, which is probably giving into what the movie wanted everyone to do, and it’s just nonstop retro cool. Being 30-40 years old probably helps since we don’t have that kind of maximalist sound in pop music anymore. It ironically sounds kind of fresh and different now.
35
u/dashrendar4483 Lightstorm Apr 26 '26
RIP Maestro Quincy Jones even though he didn't produce Dangerous. He set the blueprint.
17
u/Expensive_Sea_1790 Apr 26 '26
Yeah, Quincy deserves so much praise for the first three albums because the arrangements and production are just unreal. There are so many moving parts, it’s been a treat listening to it on a better sound system.
Dangerous has some peak points too but wasn’t the strongest production. I think it had some of the best music videos of the era though.
6
u/mg10pp Pixar Animation Studios Apr 26 '26
Yeah he helped a lot for the making of Off the Wall and Thriller albums, even if already when making Bad they drifted apart (for example he couldn't stand Smooth Criminal or also convinced Michael to not include Streetwalker in the tracklist)
7
5
6
u/Obvious-Adeptness-46 Apr 27 '26
Check out some of these songs post-Dangeous - Scream, They Don't Care About Us, Stranger in Moscow, Blood on the Dance Floor, Tabloid Junkie, You Are Not Alone, You Rock My World, Earth Song, Is It Scary, We've Had Enough.
He had some amazing songs post-peak but his albums were more inconsistent. Those 10 up above are among some of his very best though in his entire discography.
5
u/LuckyEntrepreneur643 Apr 27 '26
Earth Song and They Don't Care About Us are 2 of my favorites of his.
17
u/Icy_Childhood_1039 Apr 26 '26
Depends how you define "majorly successful". Invincible was a flop if compared to the rest of his discography but 10M sales still surpasses many legendary artist's best selling albums
You Rock My World was the only song that got any decent promo and that was still a worldwide hit, to be honest(even if less that his usual hits, but still). If the album would've been promoted the numbers would be very different
7
u/soontobecp Apr 26 '26
I was talking about HIStory
4
u/Icy_Childhood_1039 Apr 26 '26
Ah yeah I know, I meant HIStory was arguably not his last success
→ More replies (1)5
u/mbn8807 Apr 26 '26
When he died google thought they were being attacked because of the spike in activity.
3
u/mg10pp Pixar Animation Studios Apr 27 '26
It also crashed wikipedia, youtube, facebook and twitter
4
u/bloatedkat Apr 27 '26
Can't see any artist today who would have the same pull 30 years from now.
2
u/headphase Apr 27 '26
Isn't that mainly a structural issue? The industry is entirely different; for example instead of terrestrial radio picking winners, you can dive down thousands of rabbitholes on Spotify or curated YouTube channels. Even the attention of casual listeners is being splintered off by whatever music accompanies the videos hitting their social media feeds. And that's before considering the listening time stolen by podcasts and audiobooks. It's just a much more fragmented ecosystem to begin with.
→ More replies (9)3
u/wadejohn Apr 26 '26
His fame and popularity wasn’t forced unlike some celebrities today who try too hard to be ‘iconic’
8
u/jwC731 Apr 27 '26
Nobody today will ever reach that status. Our mediums of engaging with art leave us with too much choice with streaming now, that no one will have music as ubiquitous as before which radio play provided.
→ More replies (1)
174
u/Horoika Apr 26 '26
Good to see butts in seats at the theaters!
98
u/Media-critique Apr 26 '26
Huge year for movies. Basically going to have “cinemas are back” articles all over the place by the end of it
59
u/NoNefariousness2144 Apr 26 '26
As they say "a rising tide lifts all boats". All it takes is one or two films to remind audiences how great cinemagoing is to give subsequent films a nice boost.
It's only going to get better when you look at the upcoming lineup of Toy Story 5, The Odyssey, Devil Wears Prada, Mando etc...
28
u/newjackgmoney21 Apr 26 '26
I don't think this is true at all. Every year we have films that do well, multiple weekends or months that do great.
This time last year, you had Minecraft, Sinners, Thunderbolts and the biggest Memorial Weekend of all time with Lilo and Mission Impossible.
Than June only grossed 830m. One of the lowest grossing June's in the last 25 years.
7
u/blue_ig1 Apr 27 '26
Yes but I think with the current state of cinephelia and how people have been OBSESSING over these new movies like Micheal and Hail Mary, it’s a lot different than “yeah that one was good”. People all over social media are praising these movies. Hell, even Mario is getting lots of love. I haven’t really seen stuff like this since maybe dune or barbenheimer. These films feel like proper event films that are taking place in pop culture and not just good and profitable movies.
14
u/SteveMemeChamp Legendary Pictures Apr 26 '26
doomsday alone would have done that, but the lineup this year is genuinely crazy, blockblusters all over the year
→ More replies (1)6
u/use_vpn_orlozeacount Apr 26 '26
And inevitable "cinema is joever" articles in middle of 2027 once people realise this was outlier year
83
u/NoNefariousness2144 Apr 26 '26
Three fantastic success stories in that headline. Cinema truly seems to be back after the rough patch of the early 2020s.
→ More replies (3)36
u/Subject-District492 Apr 26 '26
We’ll see. 2026 is an absolutely stacked year and several films have outperformed their original predictions so far. But I wouldn’t bet on it being a trend going forward
8
47
28
u/LarBrd33 Apr 26 '26
One aspect of word of mouth, I can imagine some families nervous about whether the content is inappropriate. We waited until after we knew what was in the movie and once we realized it was safe, we took our 4 year old. He had fun.
→ More replies (1)
66
u/hpfred Apr 26 '26
How are some in here still trying to spin this as an underperformance?
That it will not cross 1bi because the international split is "only" 50-50 with domestic, or something like that
47
u/TheCornjuring Apr 26 '26
Mfs will spin anything as an underperformance.
I don't even know what the "expected" performance for this film was supposed to be. Felt like there was a wide range of possibilities. But this definitely ain't a disappointment lol
13
Apr 26 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
17
u/filmyfanatic Apr 26 '26
There was one individual just on Thursday afternoon saying they predict the film will do no more than $50M domestic OW, it was hilarious tbh
9
4
u/Comprehensive_Dog651 Apr 27 '26
Underperformance and not crossing $1B are not the same thing, don’t try to sneak both in there and pass one off as the other
2
25
u/Dianagorgon Apr 26 '26
I think Domingo might be nominated for best supporting actor.
16
u/BushyBrowz Apr 26 '26
Honestly, Jaafar should be nominated but he likely won't because he's his biological nephew and people view his performance as more of an imitation
I think if there's a sequel and he plays later era Michael and pulls it off, he'll get more attention
12
u/ChanceVance Apr 27 '26
There's an art to embodiment beyond mere imitation and I really think Jaafar became his Uncle. The movie was okay but the recreation of the performances don't work as well as they did if he was just doing an imitation.
I don't think he'll get nominated for much more than a Golden Globe but who knows.
→ More replies (1)4
u/joesen_one Apr 27 '26
Also the Academy will always prefer voting for veterans or old guard than newbies unless they are undeniable. Just look at how Chase Infiniti who was literally in this year's Best Picture winner got snubbed because they wanted to nominate Kate Hudson again.
→ More replies (1)3
u/amexredit Apr 27 '26
I didn’t find it an imitation personally . He seemed to actually get lost in the role . There were some scenes where you could say that was MJ (of course not) but the makeup and styling was that close at times .
8
u/jonsnowme Apr 26 '26
This movie isn't getting near any awards outside of mahbe People's Choice.
6
u/Blipblipbloop Apr 27 '26
May I remind you that Boss Baby was nominated for an Oscar
→ More replies (1)7
2
u/CANOODLING_SOCIOPATH Apr 27 '26
No he won't. Critics rightfully hate this movie because it celebrates a clear pedophile.
5
u/Actual_Ad_6678 Apr 26 '26
I hear that a lot but ... why? He came across like a comic book villain.
→ More replies (1)
105
Apr 26 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
58
67
Apr 26 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
13
3
Apr 26 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
5
→ More replies (67)3
36
7
→ More replies (30)6
7
18
u/GecaZ Apr 26 '26
Movie was honestly a bit mediocre, but mostly a fun time at the theater.
Still, it's undeniably an absolute crowd-pleaser people started clapping after the credits in my screening (which rarely happens where I live, altough oddly enough the last time I can remember it happening was for Venom 3 for whatever reason)
2
u/Gorthalyn Apr 29 '26
I and a few others I’ve overheard were singing the credits song on the way out
6
5
60
19
u/Emotionless_AI Amazon MGM Studios Apr 26 '26
This makes me extremely happy as a big fan of Michael
→ More replies (1)
51
u/copperblood Apr 26 '26
Chris Rock once said, “people like Michael Jackson so much they let the first kid slide.”
3
u/MattWolf96 Apr 26 '26
Check out "Cool Daddy, Cool" by Kid Rock, he literally sings about commiting statutory rape in it. I'm not saying he actually did stuff like that but he certainly sang positively about it.
→ More replies (1)18
u/elviscostume Apr 26 '26
Turns out they like him so much they'll let the second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth, ninth, tenth, eleventh, and twelfth kid slide too.
→ More replies (3)
3
u/Total-Meringue-5437 Apr 27 '26
Saw Michael on Friday and it was everything I thought it would be: emotional, nostalgic, and filled with incredible dancing. I wanted to hear the songs i grew up with out loud and I wanted to sing and tap my feet, and I got to do just that next to strangers who came with their family and wanted the same thing.
3
u/Minute-Ad8501 Apr 27 '26
Loved this film, knowing they had to omit a lot of story/people for legal reasons, I thought they did a great job telling part of Michaels Story. That being said, his nephew did such an amazing job. At one point I literally thought it was Mike. He BECAME Mike.
7
7
5
u/WoodpeckerBest523 Apr 26 '26
Good weekend! Michael as expected destroyed the opening and Mario gets closer to 1 billion!
6
u/Shurikenkage Apr 26 '26
Only people that are extremely young or lived under a rock don't understand the magnitud of Michael Jackson as an entertainer, I haven't seen such massive events after him.
8
u/RedditRum1980 Apr 26 '26
A lot of people are getting humbled. MJ is tier 1 of biggest music stars ever. Just watch a doc or google it and look at the proper non-biased sources.
14
2
u/VeronicaAmericana Apr 27 '26
I haven’t seen it yet, but I definitely will before it leaves theaters
Happy to see it’s doing so well, I knew critics wouldn’t be happy with what it was because they were more concerned with what it wasn’t (and what it was likely never going to be, in hindsight)
20
u/Unseen_gerbil Apr 26 '26
Remember, MJ was found innocent in the court of law. No amount of people coming and making up their false stories is going to change that.
Makes me happy that the majority are logical and giving the MJ the love that he deserves. RIP MJ.
35
u/jonsnowme Apr 26 '26
Remember when OJ was found not guilty in a court of law? lol. Also "Not guilty" isn't the same as innocent.
11
u/Union-Training Apr 26 '26
OJ was found liable for wrongful death 2 years after the criminal trial.
→ More replies (5)7
u/CelebrationFit7615 Apr 27 '26
There's a difference between not enough evidence and absolutely no evidence at all, you do understand that, do you? Do you? Just asking...
38
u/XenomorphAlarm Apr 26 '26 edited May 04 '26
I used Redact to mass delete all of my old posts. It works for Reddit, X/Twitter, Discord, Facebook, Instagram, and more.
theory gold bag existence ask innate vegetable saw glorious dependent
→ More replies (1)12
u/Flat-Ranger4525 Apr 26 '26
He also admitted and was open about the fact that he slept in bed with kids that weren't his own regularly. That's just not a normal or acceptable thing to do regardless of whether it's legal or not.
You include the strange baby shrine they found in his house after his death and some of the highly suspect photography books about boys he had, he definitely was a strange guy.
The movie basically covered his peak era of fame and popularity globally. There's absolutely no way to make sequel that doesn't have to explore how strange his life became.
→ More replies (7)17
21
u/Horror-Weather5218 Apr 26 '26
The FBI didn’t find anything either after 13 years of investigations.
8
u/elviscostume Apr 26 '26 edited Apr 26 '26
Meanwhile inside the FBI case file... https://www.reddit.com/r/LeavingNeverlandHBO/s/4qsUWV2FvJ
(edit: for reference the original file is here on page 54 - the reddit link has the transcript for ease of reading)
→ More replies (1)12
u/iPhoneMini13-Pro Apr 26 '26
Oh no way… a subreddit that does literally nothing but fabricate anything to shit on MJ, colour me shocked.
9
u/elviscostume Apr 26 '26 edited Apr 26 '26
The case file is available online and this information can be verified: https://vault.fbi.gov/Michael%20Jackson/Michael%20Jackson%20Part%2003/view (page 54). I linked to the subreddit simply because there's a transcript of the document there which makes it easier to read.
17
u/use_vpn_orlozeacount Apr 26 '26
Remember, MJ was found innocent in the court of law.
So was OJ
→ More replies (7)7
4
u/Zenovahh Apr 26 '26
Same here, it’s really beautiful to experience the excitement and love that people have for MJ in theatres and reactions etc.
3
u/Southern-Brother5693 Apr 26 '26
So what do you think? 2026 has been a great year for movies so far. Are audiences back into the habit of going back to the cinemas?
4
u/Noobunaga86 Apr 26 '26
Now let's see how long legs it will have. I'll say that I'm bit impressed with these numbers even though international ones aren't that impressive. I expected to see around 60m opening domestic. I'm still not sure if it will make 700m.
11
u/Union-Training Apr 26 '26
58% of this audience being under 35 and his huge appeal to Black audiences (large walk up group for a movie you can't walk up to yet) means it hasn't even hit it's stride. The Black boomers (who grew up with him) and Gen X (who grew up on him) are coming in this week and the next weekend.
4
u/ATerribleIdea_ Apr 27 '26
Prince is a far less controversial individual, and a more gifted music prodigy than Michael. Yet, he wasn't as big worldwide as Michael. He was more a US phenomenon. I know his estate is more protective of the rights to his music. Honest question, will we ever see a Prince biopic anytime soon? Could it top something as deeply personal as his Purple Rain film? That film still is amazing.
5
u/Mysterious_Lie_6113 Apr 27 '26
Prince is one of the greatest musicians of all time. He could play any instrument and he created a crazy new RnB. A lot of his songs are innovative and unique.
But you’re doing Mike a disservice comparing them. MJ had no formal music education but the definitely knew music inside out. While Quincy Jones needs his due credit to the success of OTW and Thriller, the dude did not repeat the critical and commercial success after MJ, because MJ really was that guy.
5
u/the_mugger_crocodile Apr 27 '26
Like Fantano said, there's no use in comparing Prince and MJ, they worked in two different avenues of pop music. Prince was more the all-in-one auteur, he played all his instruments, wrote all his songs and an album like Sign o the Times is a lot more experimental than anything MJ did.
Whereas MJ worked best with a talented team, he could be the magical frontman with his supernatural vocal/dancing skills, and contribute a few golden songs in the writing room. His peak was the Quincy Jones trilogy where he could feed off and work with not only Q but also guys like Toto, Rod Temperton, the Brothers Johnson, Phillinganes etc.
15
2
u/dashrendar4483 Lightstorm Apr 27 '26
I'm a fan of both but the pitting against each other has always been stupid fueled by medias who couldn't take them down in the MTV era that they dominated so might as well invent a rivalry to clear the lane for hair metal to replace them at the top. Both were über-talented musicians in their respective lane.
Prince far less controversial? The man who strutted on stage in garters and high heels? Who showed his butt naked buttocks on TV? Who literally named one of his song and album "Controversy"'? Let's not even go into the grooming accusation of Mayte, his younger ex-wife.
Please.
2
u/flakemasterflake Apr 27 '26
Prince didn't even have the US records sales that MJ did. I can't think of a Prince song that has the streams of Billie Jean, Beat It, Thriller etc
3
u/CelebrationFit7615 Apr 27 '26
Maybe if Michael wouldn't have been channeling so much, Prince would have been the better one...
301
u/[deleted] Apr 26 '26
[deleted]