'Michael' is poised to become the highest-grossing musical biographical film of all time.

VTV.vn - The film Michael is currently nearing $800 million in global revenue and continues to maintain a strong appeal.

Photo: Lionsgate

With a crucial market – Japan – yet to be released, Michael is projected to surpass Bohemian Rhapsody from 2018 (which grossed $911 million) to become the highest-grossing musical biopic of all time.

What fans of the King of Pop are now waiting for is the possibility of surpassing the $1 billion mark – a spectacular and unprecedented achievement, despite the mixed opinions and negative reviews from critics.

However, according to Variety, Michael's impressive box office results are not entirely coincidental. It was the result of an excellent marketing and promotional campaign that both evoked nostalgia and effectively utilized the power of media technology, amplified by the resurgence of the global box office.

Photo: Lionsgate

Instagram was one of the early signs that Michael Jackson would become a blockbuster. These days, studios often register a film's social media account years before launching a marketing campaign. After Lionsgate registered the @michaelmovie account for their Michael Jackson biographical film, they found the account had already attracted 20,000 followers even before any updates or photos were posted.

“I had never seen numbers like that before any of the documents were published. In fact, those accounts were all private,” Briana McElroy, executive vice president of digital marketing at Lionsgate Motion Picture Group, recalled. “Something extraordinary was happening.”

The years-long marketing campaign made Michael even more anticipated, a must-see event amidst a still rather sluggish film market. With $97 million in North America and $217 million worldwide, the film broke the opening weekend box office record for a musical biopic, surpassing the 2015 record set by Straight Outta Compton ($60 million). From there, word-of-mouth about the film exploded like never before.

Michael was criticized as a "whitewashing" of a genius artist with a complicated personal life. However, audiences enthusiastically embraced it. By stripping away controversial details, the film focuses on appealing elements, including meticulously recreated concert performances and music videos . According to Lionsgate's executives, this is a "fan-centric" marketing approach, emphasizing community experiences and the more shareable it is on TikTok, the better.

Photo: Lionsgate

Efforts focused on that experience included billboards with live DJs and "Don't Walk, Moonwalk" flash mob performances in which artists took over busy intersections in 20 cities worldwide. Images of dancers moving and swaying in the streets while cars stopped at red lights generated over 36.1 million views across social media platforms.

The studio also created a hologram of Michael Jackson that appeared in 13 movie theaters and around 40 shopping malls, allowing audiences to learn his legendary dance moves – with the help of his nephew and on-screen playwright, Jaafar Jackson.

Nostalgia is key for older fans. "When you have an artist of this caliber, there's a collective memory that's powerful for everyone," said Amanda Kozlowski, Lionsgate's chief marketing officer. "We started going back to moments that we all remember and looking for ways to recreate or capitalize on them."

When Lionsgate executives took a closer look at their social media followers, they predicted a large proportion of them were Generation X and older Millennials. But there were also a significant number of Generation Z individuals, further reinforcing the focus on in-person experiences.

With its success exceeding expectations, Michael is anticipated to have a sequel released soon.

Source: https://vtv.vn/michael-sap-tro-thanh-phim-ca-nhac-tieu-su-an-khach-nhat-moi-thoi-dai-100260525225113761.htm