The King of Pop Takes Over CANAL+ as ‘Michael’ Sets Its Television Premiere for a Blockbuster Retro Week
Few films have rewritten the record books the way the Michael Jackson biopic ‘Michael‘ did this year. It opened to $97 million in the United States and $217 million worldwide, shattering the opening record for musical biopics previously held by ‘Straight Outta Compton’. Driven by word of mouth and repeat viewings, it kept climbing for months.
By the end of its run, the Antoine Fuqua film had overtaken ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ as the highest-grossing music biopic ever, then passed ‘Oppenheimer’ as the biggest biopic of all time. It crossed $1 billion worldwide in July, becoming the first film of its kind to reach that milestone and Lionsgate’s highest-grossing release ever.
French viewers now have a date for the small-screen debut. CANAL+ announced that ‘Michael’ will air on November 20 exclusively on the channel as part of its special CANAL 80’S programming. According to Médias Infos, the film is scheduled for Friday at 9:10 pm, marking its first broadcast for CANAL+ subscribers.
The channel teased the screening with a line saying there will never be another like him. Placing it on the final night of the week turns the biopic into the grand finale of the event.
Il n’y en aura jamais deux comme lui. Michael, dans notre programmation spéciale CANAL 80’S, le 20 novembre seulement sur CANAL+. https://t.co/eEttDL8KNa
— CANAL+ (@canalplus) November 5, 2026
The special programming runs from Saturday, November 14, to Friday, November 20, across CANAL+, its app and social networks, under the tagline ‘Occupe-toi de ton culte!’. The channel says the week spans cinema, documentaries, sport, series, entertainment and music, with the goal of exploring the legacy of a decade that continues to shape popular culture.
Two films anchor the lineup. ‘Juste une illusion’, the latest film from Éric Toledano and Olivier Nakache, kicks off the week on November 14, and both titles are receiving their first exclusive broadcasts on CANAL+.
‘Michael’ follows Jackson from his childhood in a poor family in Gary, Indiana, where his domineering father pushed him onto the stage as part of the Jackson 5. As his talent grows, he gradually breaks away from his father’s control and records the solo album ‘Thriller’, which redefined the music industry and became the best-selling album in history.
The story runs through to the Bad World Tour in the late 1980s, highlighting both his life off-stage and iconic performances from his early solo career. Despite his global success, the film shows Jackson struggling to assert his identity and live on his own terms.
Jaafar Jackson, Michael’s nephew, makes his feature film debut as the King of Pop, while Juliano Krue Valdi plays the young Michael. Colman Domingo portrays patriarch Joe Jackson, Nia Long plays matriarch Katherine Jackson and Miles Teller appears as attorney John Branca.
The ensemble also includes Laura Harrier as music producer Suzanne de Passe, Kat Graham as Diana Ross and Larenz Tate as Berry Gordy. John Logan wrote the screenplay, and Graham King produced alongside John Branca and John McClain, with the support of the Jackson estate.
Critics were divided. The Hollywood Reporter called the film sanitized but more soulful than expected, while audiences embraced it, giving it a 97% Popcornmeter score on Rotten Tomatoes.
After its theatrical run, the film arrived on premium video on demand in June and began streaming on Starz on August 10. A sequel is in development, and Lionsgate chairman Adam Fogelson said in April that talks would depend on the response to the first film. The ending card reading ‘His story continues’ has fueled speculation that more is coming.
For CANAL+, pairing the film with a week devoted to the 1980s is a natural fit, since the story is rooted in the era that made Jackson a global icon. Viewers who missed the theatrical run, or who want to revisit the performances on a bigger television screen, will have an easy way in.
Whether the broadcast can match the excitement of the cinema release is another question, but the film’s box office success suggests plenty of curiosity remains.
Are you planning to watch Michael when it premieres on CANAL+?
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