‘Thriller’ Returns to Billboard’s Top 10 (Again) As Jafaar Jackson Stuns in Record-Breaking “Michael” Biopic Trailer Debut
The first trailer for the upcoming Michael Jackson biopic was released last Thursday and it looks incredible. It’s also broken a world record, racking up 116.2 million views in its first 24 hours, making history as the most-watched trailer for any music biopic or concert movie to date, and the most successful first-day trailer release in Lionsgate’s history.
Sixteen years after his passing, Michael Jackson is still stacking achievements like gravity forgot to apply to him. His 1982 classic “Thriller” moonwalked its way back into the Billboard Hot 100 Top 10, jumping from No. 31 to No. 10 and officially making Jackson the first artist in history to land Top 10 hits across six decades.
Billboard reports the track pulled in 14 million streams, 9.3 million radio impressions, and 3,000 pure sales between Oct. 31 and Nov. 6, pushing Jackson past his previous tie with Andy Williams and cementing yet another posthumous milestone.
The surge also arrived the same week the trailer for Michael dropped, sending Jackson’s legacy into another cultural spike.
Michael’s nephew, Jafaar Jackson, stars in the film (in his motion picture debut) alongside an array of A-list actors like Coleman Domingo, Miles Teller, Laura Harrier and Nia Long. Before the trailer came out, a lot of folks were voicing concerns about Jafaar portraying his late uncle on the big screen, thinking that he landed the part just because of his relation to the King of Pop – now that the trailer has arrived, these concerns have mostly vanished. And rightly so, because seeing Jafaar dancing and moonwalking almost identically to Michael is, alone, enough to convince.
There’s become a bit of an obsession with music biopics in Hollywood over the past few years, but based on the trailer it’s clear “Michael” will be a stand-out. Directed by Antoine Fuqua (known for “Training Day” and “The Equalizer”) and produced by Graham King (who also produced “Bohemian Rhapsody”) and John Branca (Michael’s former attorney and co-executor of his estate), the biopic will explore Jackson’s early days, as lead singer of the Jackson Five, but will mainly focus on his prolific stint as a solo artist. According to the film’s synopsis, “Michael” aims to capture “both his life off-stage and some of the most iconic performances from his early solo career” and to “give audiences a front-row seat to Michael Jackson as never before.” There’s no mention of the star’s well-known legal troubles, and, since it’s being co-produced by the late star’s estate, it’s unclear whether or not the film will touch on this.
The movie’s soundtrack has also been finalized, and with a discography as rich as Michael Jackson’s, it’ll be interesting to see what does and doesn’t make the final cut. Obviously, “Thriller” and “Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’” will be included, but aside from that it’s all up to speculation for now as to what’ll make it to the big screen.
“Michael” hits theaters everywhere on April 24th, 2026.
