Michael Jackson fans are showing they don't really care about critics
Michael Jackson fans are showing they don't really care about criticsThe Michael Jackson biopic released and broke box-office records, even as (most) critics found it an unbearable ‘whitewash’. Are films critic-proof now?
I’m a rare critic who liked Michael—the musical biopic that’s now playing in theatres to discouraging reviews. On Rotten Tomatoes, 62% of the 210 reviews are negative. The critics’ consensus simply reads: While Jaafar Jackson’s smooth moves bring the King of Pop to uncanny life, this musical biopic mostly plays like a “greatest hits” album that could’ve benefitted from including liner notes to give actual insight into the icon.
The adjectives in the 125-odd negative reviews range from “cash grab” and “corny” to “hagiographic nightmare” and “superficial”. My review saying that the Antoine Fuqua-directorial “hits all the right notes” stands out, perhaps. As they say, art is subjective. But what’s interesting is how the audience has chosen to ignore the reviews. The film clocked $82 million worldwide on the day of its release and is projected to cross $200 million in its opening weekend—both records for biopics. It’s outperformed Bohemian Rhapsody and Oppenheimer, films adored by critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, the critics’ score of 38% is adjacent to the audience score of 96%—yet again, the best ever for a biopic. All of this raises the question: Do film reviews matter anymore? In cinema, word of mouth usually takes film reviews into account. Here, fans have willingly and violently discarded them, almost like telling the critics to beat it! Indian filmmaker Farah Khan perhaps summarised the sentiments best when she praised the film on social media and added, for good measure, “Critics are morons in every country.”
Michael isn’t the first critically panned film to succeed at the box office. Just a couple of weeks ago, Telugu-Hindi actioner Dacoit had a similar fate. Despite lukewarm reviews, the mid-budget film crossed ₹50 crore at the box office, earning the tag of a hit. In a chat with Hindustan Times, lead actor Adivi Sesh admitted, “I’ve always been the critical darling in the past, whether it was Major or some of my other films. This time, I didn’t get the [same] critical reaction. But what [we] got was the biggest opening of my career.” This may be a sign of the times. In an age where social media posts travel quicker than any publication, the word of mouth is now truly democratic, taking the old-school “opinion leaders” out of the picture, when needed. Maybe the production houses and stars in India can take note and do away with the “paid review” system. After all, as the audience is showing: They don’t really care about us!
Michael Jackson faces more allegations, even in deathAs though timed with the release of Michael, a new case of sexual abuse allegations linked to Michael Jackson has surfaced. The suit, filed by four siblings, claims that the entertainer abused, groomed, and brainwashed them for years, sometimes at his Neverland ranch and even at their family home. While the suit was filed in January, it gained prominence after the accusers sat with The New York Times for a tell-all interview this week. Predictably, Michael Jackson’s estate has denied the claims, calling the suit a ‘desperate money grab’. The ‘error’ that cost $200 millionThere has been chatter about the absence of the sex abuse allegations in the biopic. Much of the criticism of Michael being “sanitised” stems from this. The Associated Press reported that the original plan was to include the scandal, but after everything was shot, lawyers of Michael Jackson’s estate discovered that a past agreement with a plaintiff restricted them from using the case for commercial purposes. Lionsgate had to reshoot much of the film, according to people familiar with the matter. That ballooned the budget to roughly $200 million. A non-release and a couple of no-showsThe week wasn’t all Michael when it came to showbiz. A lot happened at home as well. SS Rajamouli’s upcoming film Varanasi began its promotional campaign, but in the West. Rajamouli’s son and co-producer SS Karthikeya travelled to represent the film at CCXP in Mexico, one of the world’s largest comic and pop culture conventions. The makers held a panel discussion, played a message from the director, and unveiled new footage—all to empty seats. Visuals on X showed the auditorium was almost empty when Rajamouli spoke, prompting many fans to call it embarrassing.
Varanasi is the second big Indian film in a row to head to the West for promotions. Ramayana was at CinemaCon last week. Clearly, big Indian films are stretching their wings beyond the diaspora abroad. But the question is: Does the white viewer care? Talking of empty seats, Ginny Wedss Sunny 2 released in theatres this week. And if you were unaware of it, that is not your fault. Starring Avinash Tiwary and Medha Shankr, the film raked in an astonishing Rs 30 lakh on its first day across India. Many shows ran empty, average occupancy through the day was just 7%. That raises a pertinent question: Are low and mid-budget films the domain of OTT now? Is it impossible to get audiences to the theatres if there are no stars? But even OTT is facing its fair share of troubles. Zee5 was barred from releasing Lawrence of Punjab, the spicily titled docuseries on gangster Lawrence Bishnoi. After the Congress Punjab chief moved the Punjab High Court against the show, the Centre acknowledged that the show could “romanticise organised crime” and pose “risk to safety and security”. Here’s hoping the health of the entertainment industry will improve this week. Until next time! Thanks for reading! Subscribe to HT Entertainment for free to receive new posts.
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