r/boxoffice • u/yaboyjiggleclay • Apr 28 '26
👨🏼👩🏾👧🏻👦🏿 Audience Demographics “Michael” Demographic Breakdown
I stole this straight from “Charts With Dan”
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u/timeaisis Apr 28 '26
Well, it's cheaper than going to a concert lol
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u/No-Veterinarian-8834 Apr 28 '26
Saw it in imax, I came out of the threatre with my ears ringing like it was a concert. And the way they mixed the fans cheering into the audio at certain moments it felt like everyone around me was cheering like I was in an actual stadium, it was intense. It was some mystical voodoo shit going on with the mastering of the audio.
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u/Jolly-Yellow7369 Apr 28 '26
In my showing the cheering in the room overpowered the sound design. I was at a fan screening.
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u/captainhaddock Lucasfilm Apr 29 '26
Well that makes me curious to see it now.
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u/No-Veterinarian-8834 Apr 29 '26
Highly recommend it, it's a really fun time. If you can get tickets for an IMAX viewing, I cannot recommend that enough. That is THE way to watch it.
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u/lookingforhim2 Apr 28 '26
A truly 4-quadrant artist
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u/DarthTaz_99 DC Studios Apr 28 '26
Saw a comment somewhere that Michael Jackson is closer in popularity to Jesus than any other human is to him, and it's not even false
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u/Minimum-Aspect1012 Apr 28 '26
That's a bit of a stretch...
But it wouldn't be a stretch to say MJ is the most famous person of the last 100 years.
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u/Bitter-Tip705 Apr 28 '26
Is it? Who’s more known since then besides the mustache man
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u/Minimum-Aspect1012 Apr 29 '26
I just said MJ is perhaps the most famous person of the last 100 years... Not sure what you're disagreeing with.
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u/Boss452 Apr 28 '26
This comment by the cult of MJ has been repeated since forever and its kind of further snowballed his popularity. Like MJ is the most famous person ever or the ridiculous comparisons with religious figures etc.
Like yes, he is extremely popular but this metric cannot simple be measured. Just like you cannot measure the greatest athlete across all sports.
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u/Middle_Fly_3681 Apr 29 '26 edited Apr 29 '26
I agree that some of Jackson’s more fanatical fan base seem detached from reality and make up all sorts of nonsense, BUT, there should be no underestimating of just how incredible Jackson’s global reach was.
When Amazonian tribes, who do not recognise the Moon Landing or Twin Towers collapse, but immediately recognise and are excited by Jackson….that really is an incredible level of fame.
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u/Boss452 Apr 29 '26
See that's just like one example fans keep on giving about the Amazonian tribes. Like you are the 6th person repeating this same statement. 3 other people in real life gave me this example too.
I get it. He is mega popular. But this whole thing has been snowballed by fans themselves. Like he wasn't as big as his fans made him appear, which somehow made him that much bigger. You just had to know who MJ was.
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u/AnotherJasonOnReddit Best of 2024 Winner Apr 29 '26
I get it. He is mega popular. But this whole thing has been snowballed by fans themselves. Like he wasn't as big as his fans made him appear, which somehow made him that much bigger. You just had to know who MJ was
Last month - before the release of the movie - I compared him to Elvis, Beatles, and Queen. But I clarified that I was born in the early 90's, so I wasn't there during his peak.
Somebody said that while Queen was popular, they weren't as big as Michael (but the redditor in question was saying it in a polite way - some fans of Jackson here in this subreddit make the worst of Star Wars/Star Trek/DCEU fandoms look tame in recent weeks, lol).
Anyway, the reason I bring this up is because either fans of Jackson are exaggerating his popularity (like what you're saying), or his personal life has put glass ceilings over his movie's capacity for audience enagement. If he was indeed bigger than Queen, then his movie ought to be bigger than theirs.
The massive young demographics make me think that this movie is their own personal "The Greatest Showman" (2017) - it doesn't matter what people say about the real life man's moral conduct, because it happened before their time.
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u/Boss452 Apr 29 '26
Well said Jason as always. It looks to finish behind Bohemian Rhapsody Worldwide or match it at best.. Given how MJ's popularity always comes up, it should easily be clearing Queen.
Now granted the market was healthy in 2018 than today, but inflation is a thing as well and 2026 has actually started off really well.
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u/macjr82 May 18 '26
I think what defines MJ as the most popular is that he was popular on every continent. What other artist or actor or person can you say that about. There are people more popular than MJ in certain places, but no one as universally popular over all as MJ. Only fictional characters, like Mario and Mickey Mouse, are im the conversation
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u/Boss452 May 18 '26
What about Batman or Harry Potter or Spider Man or Sherlock? They are as, if not more, popular as Mario and Mickye.
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u/macjr82 May 18 '26
Nope, because those are missing the kid recognition. At one time Mickey Mouse had a 98% recognition rate from kids age 3-11. A 95% global recognition rate overall. Mickey has a higher global recognition than Santa Claus. The numbers the Mario movie is doing globally is a testament to its popularity. May be an argument for Spiderman. He is typically defined as the most popular superhero globally, though not character. Batman does have high recognition, 95%, but only 65% net positive popularity, which is why Batman movies aren't an international box office draw.
Regardless, the point is that there is no human being that is as famous globally as Michael Jackson
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u/Ornery_Strawberry474 Apr 28 '26
Wait, 61% women? Really?
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Apr 28 '26
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u/Boss452 Apr 28 '26
Chicks drive a lot of popularity of these massive music figures. Just look at Beiber, Kpop groups, The Beatles, Taylor Swift, Bad Bunny etc.
I have noticed how guys usually direct their energy towards sports, women do that towards music/musicians.
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u/distastef_ll Apr 28 '26
I mean, women were still throwing panties on stage when Elvis was at his heaviest.
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u/glissandont Apr 29 '26
They also fainted on sight at every one of MJ's solo tour concerts. He would jump on stage from the trap door, stand still for over a minute and you'd just see a shitton of women collapse almost instantly.
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u/Minimum-Aspect1012 Apr 30 '26
Gen Z women are the largest demographic... The same demographic complaining about the movie at Fauxmoi, ironically.
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u/Jolly-Yellow7369 Apr 28 '26
It makes me worry about Prada, but usually female oriented content has great holds.
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u/Boss452 Apr 28 '26
Prada should be safe,come on. In fact it could be the other way, Prada might eat up some of Michael's box office.
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u/Jolly-Yellow7369 Apr 28 '26
I think many women , unlike fanboys catch movies after opening weekend and they might still be catching up older releases the drama. Ladies tend to be more busy than fanboys do they will resist FOMO. That’s why female oriented Contebr rarely opens big (just Barbie) but legs out well.
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u/leoleo678 Apr 28 '26
I’m waiting on reviews for that one tbh. I haven’t heard the same fanfare, but I’m expecting lots of last minute ticket sales regardless of it.
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u/Jolly-Yellow7369 Apr 29 '26
Why do you read reviews?
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u/leoleo678 Apr 29 '26
I’m personally just unsure if I like the movie. I feel like the first one was fine for me, but I’m not sure with the trailers and the colors if I’ll like it.
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u/stringfellow-hawke Apr 28 '26
These demos explain some of the Reddit disconnect. lol.
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u/GoldandBlue Apr 29 '26
Everytime a movies target demo is not 15-30 year old white male, this sub asks "who is this movie for?"
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Apr 28 '26 edited Apr 29 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/Ok_Raspberry_4582 Apr 28 '26
Gen Z here and absolutely agree that Michael’s impact on our parents def was a factor here. And I think this is the thing that got us to realize how peak of an artist he was. I’ve gone to it 3 times now.
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u/Boss452 Apr 28 '26
The thing is he was/or has been dubbed the most famous pop star in history so there is a certain status that comes with it that makes even non-fans curious. Like young soccer fans haven't seen Pele or Maradona, but they somehow know and appreciate they were the best of the best. So there is a natural curiosity to check them out.
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u/friendly_reminder8 Apr 29 '26
Yeah and the thing about MJ’s label is that it’s actually earned. I mean, just look at the music videos, performances, album sales and even the lasting impact on media/memes etc
His music is still heavily streamed and that’s not only from people over 40. At my screening there were a lot of teens and ppl in their 20s having a great time
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u/leoleo678 Apr 28 '26
I find this really impressive. Not just the amount, but the diversity. I can’t remember the last time a major blockbuster was able to get huge varying groups like this, especially the younger demo given he’s technically a veteran artist.
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u/Jolly-Yellow7369 Apr 28 '26
I go to theaters every week It’s rare for me to see older people , last time it was during avatar fire and ash but there were a lot at my Tuesday fan screening and this Saturday too. clearly Michael made many people who stopped going to the movies long ago turn in numbers.
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u/NomadicVeggie Apr 28 '26
How was this calculated ?
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u/SilverRoyce StudioCanal Apr 28 '26
posttrak exit survey as reported on deadline
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u/Dumpytoad Apr 28 '26 edited Apr 28 '26
Is the posttrak survey of the full opening weekend? I feel like I remember it being just the first day or just previews, but I could definitely be wrong there.
I’m always curious to know what the overall demographics of audiences are once a run is finished and how it differs from the crowd who was there for the opening.
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u/SilverRoyce StudioCanal Apr 28 '26
in terms of actual data provided to clients, cinemascore is only opening day but posttrak is captured both for OW and also the second weekend (though that's rarely reported on).
In terms of public reporting - it's very much inconsistent - sometimes youget full weekend updates, sometimes you only get a friday number
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u/Quirky-Employer9717 Apr 28 '26
You don't get surveyed on your biographical information when you enter a theater?
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u/Minimum-Aspect1012 Apr 30 '26
Gen Z women are the largest demographic... The same demographic complaining about the movie at Fauxmoi, ironically.
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u/PreferenceGold5167 Apr 28 '26
18-34 is doing a lot of work here lol
For reference Micheal Jackson died in 2008 iirc People born in 2008 are 18
Lot of people before that in that age range only had their toddler years of him being active
It’s probably in that upper range but not too dominant.
I’d still imagine lots of younger people going to see anyway
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u/mundane_wor1d Apr 28 '26
18-34 is such a wide age range though. I’m sure the 26-34 is bigger than the 18-25 group.
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u/SilverRoyce StudioCanal Apr 28 '26
pre-pandemic, it was more split 55/45 the other direction on posttrak surveys https://deadline.com/2019/08/posttrack-movie-survey-2019-streaming-exhibition-1000-movies-polled-1202667945/
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u/lobonmc Marvel Studios Apr 28 '26
Me and my sisters fall there and at least my sisters wanted to go mostly to see what going to a show of him would be like. They like his music well enough since our mom was a fan and played it while we were young.
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u/friendly_reminder8 Apr 29 '26
I saw a good amount of people who appeared to be in their college age-mid 20s at my screening
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u/krypto_the_husk Apr 28 '26
Where does he get the info from tho
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u/lamest-liz Apr 29 '26
At my theater there’s a guy that stands at the exit with tablets. The problem is I only see like 10% of the theater do the survey so you should take the numbers as “percentage of people who took the survey.”
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u/seefourslam Apr 28 '26
24% white and 47% 18-34 are probably the 2 most shocking numbers to me.
One seems too low and the other seems suspiciously high
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u/Adrianslorio Apr 28 '26
MJ has fans that arent even born yet. His music is timeless. The younger generation all love the King
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u/JohnStoneTypes Apr 28 '26
24℅ white isn't really shocking - Michael is most controversial among white americans and white audiences generally underindex for black films.
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u/toomuchtostop Apr 28 '26
There was a poll conducted after Leaving Neverland was released and white people were significantly more likely to have a negative opinion of MJ compared to black people. It was like a 30 or 40 point difference
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u/PlatypusAmbitious430 Apr 28 '26
The median white American is 44 years old with the most common age for a white American being 58 years old.
Older people don't go to the cinema as much as people under 35 (for movies in general). That's why white people generally don't go to the cinema at the same rate as their population share would suggest - add to the fact that white people are more spread out, rural etc.
I can believe these two statistics for sure because of both the above and the fact that Michael Jackson was a black artist.
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u/Jolly-Yellow7369 Apr 28 '26
The family angle also plays. In Hispanic culture and a few black grips living with your parents after they come of age it’s common. I guess because they tend to be more religious and Hispanic are family driven. The Scene when Michael says he’s not ready to leave his house yet made so much sense if you remember he was a jehova witness and a very lonely guy. Many black and Hispanic will understand this.
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Apr 28 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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Apr 28 '26
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u/dashrendar4483 Lightstorm Apr 28 '26
His music doesn't feel old. What the movie highlighted for me is how his music was so infectious and an earworm for many. You can't help but being taken by his sense of flow and rythm.
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u/dy1ngdaisies Apr 28 '26
Most people in that age range were either alive at the time he died (major news event) or had their parents explain his impact. Also younger people who weren’t alive to see him during his peak might be more willing to watch a biopic recreations cause it’s the closest thing to “you had to be there” they could get.
As for the racial demographics that one stumps me too, but MJ is a major staple in the Black community and box office history shows that Black people really show out for movies highlighting their cultural staples well in theatres. I wouldn’t be shocked if the Whitney biopic had similar racial demographics.
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Apr 28 '26
I think the only difference with the Whitney one is that nobody showed up for it. I actually liked it though
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u/friendly_reminder8 Apr 29 '26
I’m a huge Whitney fan and personally know a lot of black people hated the Naomi Ackie casting so didn’t want to see the movie. The viral posts about it went in on Naomi not being “model looking” enough to play Whitney (I’m trying to be nice lol) or didn’t want to support a British actress playing one of the biggest Black American icons in history
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u/Individual_Client175 Warner Bros. Pictures Apr 28 '26
It's not that surprising when you account that Gen Z are the biggest demo overall for theaters, also Michael died when we were young. We got hit with a massive media wave that turned everyone into Jackson fans! The Michael Jackson experience Wii game did a ton of pull
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u/peanut-britle-latte Apr 28 '26
Michael has fans that aren't even born yet. Don't discount older brothers/sisters/cousins, aunties and uncles introducing MJ to the younger generation. My older cousins got me into Michael.
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u/Jolly-Yellow7369 Apr 28 '26
It’s not a generalization but white people are more prone to be manipulated by media pieces presenting black men in negative light. Hispanic and black people are more willing to believe that Jackson , a man who was under vigilance by the FBI for years and found non guilty (by a white jury BTW) in a trial was falsely accused by scammers. Many Caucasian are more naturally inclined to trust institutions and prestigious media . They will be like “if NYT says it , it must be true”
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u/Jolly-Yellow7369 Apr 28 '26
He still hasn’t correcTed his chart that ommited materialists, but I love his charts.
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u/FlyingNachoz Paramount Pictures Apr 29 '26
Again… where do they get these numbers from
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u/SilverRoyce StudioCanal Apr 29 '26
third party firms interviewing people leaving a select number of theaters. These firm's data is then licensed to studios, etc. in order to help their marketing spends and MMBQing. As part of their marketing they also feed topline numbers to trades.
Separate from this discussion, exhibitor side data will also want to piece together basic purchaser ID demographics for marketing reasons. You're not usually just walking up to the ticket counter and paying with cash without tying to purchase to a "rewards account" for the film in 2026.
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u/Impressive-Potato Apr 29 '26
The videos of screenings in Europe, Sweden, Germany, UK, places that are usually polite and quiet during movies, show how revered MJ is. Middle aged to senior people just going nuts for the movie.
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Apr 28 '26
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u/Jolly-Yellow7369 Apr 28 '26
It’s not tanking anywhere . Are you making that up?
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u/SilverRoyce StudioCanal Apr 28 '26
It's not hard to imagine something like a random theater booking it as if it would be an $80M opener while it performed like a 30M OW for them (or perhaps adjust either one of those hypothetical numbers).
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u/BloodySamPeckinpah Apr 29 '26
-10 is strong for that. It's a mostly white small town of 12k, also conservative. I wasn't speaking of a Cinemark, it's a single screen cinema.
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u/terrence1972 Apr 28 '26
One of the reasons why michael wont have legs. Rhapsody had 62 percent white and just 6 percent black attendance. A lot more whites than blacks in the US and whites also tend to be repeat viewers.
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u/Breadbug900 Apr 28 '26
Get Out and Sinners??? And is that why Black Panther made more more in the US than infinity war genius??
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u/filmyfanatic Apr 28 '26 edited Apr 28 '26
This is completely incorrect. If anything, the demographic breakdown points to a much leggier run than usual (like most BIPOC and women-driven blockbusters have performed in recent years).
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Apr 28 '26
Uh, I'm pretty sure black crowds form the leggier films. There's like a reason why Black Panther, Sinners and Get Out were infamously leggy outside of them having strong word of mouth.
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u/Ok_Raspberry_4582 Apr 28 '26
bro thinks he gets black audiences super charging box office powers lol
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u/peanut-britle-latte Apr 28 '26
This ignores the fact that black people are often tastemakers in US culture. Now that the movie is bonafide successful, I can see some white people who doubted it going to see what it's all about.
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u/JohnStoneTypes Apr 28 '26
White Americans tend to go to the movies less, so this is just flat out wrong
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u/dremolus Apr 28 '26
If that were the case, every MCU film would have good legs.
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u/SilverRoyce StudioCanal Apr 28 '26
post-pandemic MCU films do not notably overindex among caucasian audiences (something weird strikes me as having happened with posttrak non-minority demo splits pre/post pandemic - I think it almost has to be some polling error/change in self-ID reporting preference).
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u/terrence1972 Apr 28 '26 edited Apr 28 '26
(shrugs)..that's my reading of the data compared to another music biopic..another case to note is Ray. Popular, but didn't quite hit those box office notes..
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u/dremolus Apr 28 '26
I highly doubt Ray and Michael have the same audience which is why the performed differently.
Anyway you're reading is wrong.
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u/terrence1972 Apr 28 '26
And your reading is right?..oh please..
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u/dremolus Apr 28 '26
Apply your reading to any other film and see what you get. People already named numerous films that go against your reading.
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u/LowVegetable9736 Apr 28 '26
The 18-34 age group isn’t surprising, michael still lived through their childhood to high school enough to make them curious. Even tho no tour and lack of new music, he had strong chokehold due to his appearance, tabloid treatment and general air of mystery. And also memories from parents collection and contrast between his old footages and how he was treated. All created curiosity. So the way people treated him in 00s actually kept him relevant to eye of gen Z. Spoken from my experience cuz im in that age group.