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The Michael Jackson biopic Michael was reworked after its planned ending included footage about Jordan Chandler and the 1993 allegations—a subject covered by an earlier settlement involving Chandler’s family and the Jackson estate. Lionsgate confirmed that the footage infringed the settlement, according to The Washington Post. The finished film ends in 1988, before those allegations, and opened in theaters on April 24, 2026.
Why was the Michael Jackson biopic delayed?
The production discovered that it could not use the planned footage about Chandler under the terms of an earlier settlement between Chandler’s family and the Jackson estate. The Washington Post reported that Lionsgate confirmed the footage infringed that agreement. The settlement text itself has not been made available in the reporting cited here, so the restriction is best described through those attributed accounts rather than as an independent legal finding.
Chandler was 13 when the 1993 allegations arose. The planned third act included material about him. After filming wrapped in 2024, the estate recognized the problem, and the filmmakers removed Chandler from the story and changed the ending, the Post reported. Producer Graham King told the Post, “I’ve never experienced that where you finish a film and then find out you didn’t have the legal rights to tell that story.”
How did the legal issue change the film?
The released version ends in 1988, years before the 1993 allegations. The Associated Press reported that the 1994 agreement barred the Jackson estate from mentioning Chandler in a movie. Director Antoine Fuqua and screenwriter John Logan reworked the film around that restriction, and the revised ending omits the Chandler material.
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The allegations remain allegations; the settlement issue is separate from their merits. AP reported that Jackson and his estate maintained his innocence, and that Jackson was acquitted in his sole criminal trial in 2005. The film was produced with estate involvement, according to the Post, so it should not be treated as an independent or comprehensive account of Jackson’s life.
What did the reshoots cost?
AP reported that the reshoots cost as much as $50 million and were paid for by the Jackson estate. “As much as” is a reported upper estimate, not an audited final production figure. Lionsgate chairman Adam Fogelson described the situation to AP as “a unique and challenging circumstance to figure out how to work through.”
When did Michael come out?
The film opened in theaters on April 24, 2026, according to Sony Music. The word “delayed” describes the film’s production and release history, not its current status. In May 2025, the Guardian reported that the film had moved from an April 2025 date to October 2025 and appeared likely to shift into 2026, with additional photography planned; that was an earlier schedule, superseded by the eventual April 2026 release.
What was the film’s opening weekend?
AP reported an estimated worldwide opening of $217.4 million: $97 million in the United States and Canada and $120.4 million overseas. These were opening-weekend studio estimates reported by AP, not a final box-office total.
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Is there an official Michael soundtrack?
Sony Music announced Michael: Songs from the Motion Picture as the official companion album. Its announcement lists 13 tracks and a 2-LP edition scheduled for April 24, 2026, including color variants. The announcement does not establish current retailer inventory.
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