Michael Jackson is set to return to the forefront of pop culture this weekend.
The biopic "Michael" has already opened as the highest North American preview haul of the year with $12.6 million on Thursday night.
"Projections for 'Michael' have continued to rise despite the poor reviews and costly behind-the-scenes turmoil," Variety's Rebecca Rubin wrote. "Lionsgate’s film about the King of Pop, Michael Jackson, landed on tracking with estimates of $60 million. Now 'Michael' is expected to earn $65 million to $75 million in its opening weekend, with some exhibitors are predicting the final number will be closer to $80 million. Those ticket sales would register as a record start for a musical biopic, ahead of 2018’s 'Bohemian Rhapsody' ($51 million) and 2015’s 'Straight Outta Compton' ($60 million)."
Audiences drawn into Jackson's story will inevitably have one question at the end of the film: Where is his chimpanzee, Bubbles? Variety's Marc Malkin investigated and shared his findings.
"Jackson then moved Bubbles to his Neverland Ranch, where he slept in a crib in Jackson’s bedroom," Malkin wrote. "When he became bigger and more aggressive, Bubbles was sent to an animal trainer for a couple of years. Now 43 years old, Bubbles has lived at the Center for Great Apes, a sanctuary in Wauchula, Fla., since 2005."
-- William Earl
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