BERLIN, Germany – Thousands of fans gathered in Berlin on Friday for the world premiere of “Michael”, a new biopic about the late pop star, as the film’s producers target $700 million in global box office receipts.

The feature-length film, in which Jackson is portrayed by his nephew Jaafar Jackson, is expected to become one of the highest-grossing music biopics in history. Only “Bohemian Rhapsody”, which took in $910 million, has surpassed the studio’s projected earnings.

Commercial success continues after death

About 4 000 fans were allocated seats through prize draws to watch the film two weeks ahead of its official release. Others attended Michael Jackson-themed activities throughout the weekend, including panel discussions with the film crew, an exhibition and themed parties.

The biopic is the latest addition to a commercial empire that has flourished since Jackson’s death from a propofol overdose in 2009 at the age of 50. The singer topped the Forbes list of deceased celebrities generating the most revenue for the thirteenth consecutive year in 2024, and maintains more monthly Spotify listeners than contemporary artists including Beyoncé and Post Malone.

“MJ: The Musical” opened on Broadway in 2022 and has been staged internationally, while Cirque du Soleil’s “Michael Jackson ONE” has run in Las Vegas since 2013.

Kimberly Krautter, of public relations firm K-Factor Strategies, said Jackson’s business has become more profitable after his death as it is “less fraught with controversy”. She cited several incidents during his lifetime, including the 2002 moment when he dangled his baby over a hotel balcony ledge in Berlin whilst waving to fans below.

Vincent Amen, a former adviser to Jackson, said positive publicity 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.

The film’s release was pushed back from its original 18 April 2025 date after production challenges. According to industry magazine Variety, a third of the film was cut when lawyers for the Jackson estate discovered a clause in a settlement with one of the singer’s accusers that barred any mention of him in a film. Large portions had to be rewritten as a result.

Allegations remain contentious issue

Jackson faced multiple allegations of child sexual abuse during his lifetime. Despite a 2005 acquittal in a criminal trial for child molestation, other alleged victims filed civil lawsuits after his death, with several proceedings 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.

Many fans remain unconvinced by the allegations. Andy Escobar (31), an aircraft mechanic from the United States attending the premiere, said his school nickname was MJ “because everybody knew that I was a Michael Jackson fan”. Asked about the allegations, he said: “We know that’s not true.”