| 'MICHAEL' TO BEAT IT AT BOX OFFICE |
| LIONSGATE'S BIOPIC LOOKS TO OPEN AT $150M GLOBALLY |
Lionsgate's Michael Jackson biopic Michael, after additional shoots, will moonwalk over the competition this weekend with what’s expected to be a $150 million start at the global box office.
The feature, which carries a $200M production cost. As it often does, Lionsgate sold foreign rights to mitigate risk, with international distribution in the hands of Universal (sans Japan, which belongs to local distrib Kino).
The domestic outlook points to what could be a record start for a music performer biopic, ahead of both 2015’s Straight Outta Compton ($60.2M) and Bohemian Rhapsody ($51M), the latter which was produced by Michael producer Graham King. The Antoine Fuqua-directed, John Logan-written Michael came on tracking between $50M-$60M and has since grown to $65M-$70M at 3,900 locations (including 1,600 Imax and premium large format auditoriums). >>>Japan Looks Promising
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| ON THE RADAR Wed - CA gubernatorial debate Thu - Comcast earnings; WBD special shareholder vote on Paramount merger; NFL draft begins Sat - White House Correspondents' Dinner; Deadline's Contenders Television event (Day 1) Sun - Contenders Television (Day 2)
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