The Michael Biopic Is Breaking Box Office Records — But the Leaving Neverland Director Says It’s Breaking the Truth Too

Antoine Fuqua’s Michael just shattered opening weekend records. But while the world is lining up to celebrate the King of Pop, one Emmy-winning filmmaker is refusing to stay silent.

Michael Controversy in a Nutshell

As Antoine Fuqua’s Michael biopic shatters box office records, it has reignited a fierce ethical debate. Dan Reed, the Emmy-winning director of the 2019 documentary Leaving Neverland, has emerged as a vocal critic — arguing that the film serves as a calculated piece of propaganda designed to rehabilitate Michael Jackson’s image while discrediting his accusers.

The new biopic paints Jackson as the one true victim — a harmless Peter Pan figure whose own childhood was snatched away by a domineering father. The film conveniently concludes in 1988, five years before the first abuse allegations came to light. It’s become a box-office smash, grossing $219 million in its opening weekend.

Michael : Overview

What Dan Reed Is Saying

Reed, speaking to Variety, pulled no punches. He argued that the money is all being made by people close to Jackson who want to tell a distorted narrative that really dishonors Wade Robson and James Safechuck — noting that neither man has ever made a penny from Leaving Neverland or anything else associated with Jackson.

He was equally critical of director Antoine Fuqua’s framing. Reed called Fuqua’s accusations of “gold digging” deeply ironic, noting that all the people involved in the biopic are simply making bank — while the protagonists of Leaving Neverland have profited nothing from coming forward.

On the film’s portrayal of Jackson’s relationship with children, Reed was scathing. He said Jackson’s engagement with children is “completely distorted” in Michael, depicting him as an eccentric, overgrown child, adding that the film “just flips the truth on its head — black is white, white is black, and two and two make five.”

The Bigger Picture

This isn’t just a filmmaker’s grievance — it’s a debate about accountability, biographical film ethics, and who controls public memory. Leaving Neverland has quietly vanished from HBO after a legal settlement with the Jackson estate, and is unavailable to view on any official platform until rights revert to Reed in 2029.

Meanwhile, Michael plays in nearly 4,000 theatres worldwide. One side of the story has a $219 million opening weekend. The other has been legally silenced — at least for now.

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