Predicting The Rotten Tomatoes Scores Of 2026's Biggest Movies

Though Lionsgate will surely be far more interested in the commercial performance than critical reviews of their Michael Jackson biopic, this is certainly one of the riskiest projects - both artistically and financially - due to be released this year.

While the odds are still good that the $155 million film will be a box office success, its path to artistic credibility is trickier, given that Michael is an estate-endorsed biopic.

This typically means that the rougher edges of the subject's life will be planed away in favour of an uncritical hagiography, yet while the film has been officially sanctioned, Jackson's own daughter Paris nevertheless criticised the script as "sugar-coated" and full of inaccuracies.

Curiously John Logan's script does reportedly address the historic abuse allegations levelled against Jackson - a damned-either-way decision given the extreme unlikelihood that an estate-endorsed film will ever offer a balanced account.

Furthermore, Michael underwent extensive reshoots last year after the production realised they couldn't legally depict one of Jackson's alleged victims, Jordan Chandler - a flabbergasting oversight which seemingly indicates a messy production.

On the other hand, the first trailer does look undeniably slick and Jackson's nephew Jaafar appears to be giving a strong performance as his uncle, which will surely win it some plaudits.

Overall, though, expect a sharp critical divide and for it to be one of the most contentious films of the year.