“This is monumental,” said Gary, Indiana mayor Eddie Melton, taking to the red carpet as the new Michael Jackson biopic Michael premiered last week in the Steel City. “Gary has meant so much to the entire world by producing the world’s most famous entertainer. And from our steel production to our contributions to every industry, tonight is just a reflection of that and our return. The revitalization of the city of Gary is already taking place. So, this is just another launching pad for us.”
Famously raised alongside eight siblings in a small two bedroom home at 2300 Jackson Street in northwest Indiana, the Michael premiere took place in front of about 2,000 fans inside the Marc Spencer Auditorium at nearby West Side Leadership Academy last Monday.
“I’m so grateful to be able to be here,” said Jaafar Jackson, who portrays his uncle Michael in his acting debut and received the key to the city of Gary following a screening of the film. “I just came from seeing the home on Jackson Street. Walking through it really just reminds me of where it all started and how much work my father and uncles put in. It really grounds me when I walk through there. It humbles me in a tremendous way.”
Jaafar’s father Jermaine Jackson performed on vocals and bass alongside Michael as a member of both the Jackson 5 and the Jacksons and took part in a Q&A session following the premiere.
“We were young. Jackie and Tito and Marlon, we were trying to be the Four Tops. And then all of the sudden, Michael just started singing and dancing,” Jermaine mused following the film, taking a look back. “The energy that he put in on stage is just incredible, during the ‘Victory’ tour and a lot of tours.”
Following a reportedly two year casting process, Jaafar landed the role of “The King of Pop” as an adult, appearing in the Antoine Fuqua-directed Michael alongside actor Juliano Krue Valdi who, also making his big screen debut, portrays Jackson as a child.
With an array of sources to draw from while preparing for the role, one piece of advice continued to resonate Monday in Gary.
“My father gave me some great advice. He’d always say, ‘Work harder than anyone else. That’s the way Uncle Michael would do it,’” said Jaafar of Jermaine. “If he were to work on a certain move, he’d rehearse it until he couldn’t walk up a flight of stairs. So, I took that same mindset and I applied that to my own self and how I was preparing.”
Michael’s son Prince Jackson, credited as an executive producer on the new motion picture, also took part in the closing Q&A session, detailing the lengths to which Jaafar went in embracing the role.
“120 plus days of filming for Jaafar. Every day. He had probably the worst hours of anybody. But he just carried himself with that grace and that humility,” said Michael’s oldest child (siblings ‘Bigi’ and Paris Jackson did not attend). “He still carries that. He carries himself very well.”
Upon forming in Gary in 1964, local schools acted as the setting for some of the earliest Jackson 5 performances. In January of 1971, the child group actually performed at then West Side High School, making the school the perfect setting for the Jackson family homecoming and premiere event (a fact not lost on Jackson 5 alums Jackie and Marlon Jackson).
“It means a lot to me. Because this is home. This is where it all started,” said Jackie on the red carpet prior to the film. “To show this movie here, people will get a chance to see how hard we worked as little kids to make our dream come true.”
“I like being here not only for the premiere but to give the students and the kids a chance to see that we came from the same area,” added Marlon. “Thank god that my father saw something in us and made sure that we remained steadfast in what he saw that we couldn’t see,” he continued. “We did it because we loved it. We didn’t realize the reach our music would achieve globally.”
The Jackson 5 stand today as the only group in the history of recorded music to land each of their first four singles at #1 on Billboard’s Hot 100 singles chart. In 1984, the Jacksons ‘Victory’ tour grossed a whopping $75 million (over just 55 North American performances) with Michael eclipsed only by The Beatles on the list of the best selling artists of all time. Since his untimely death in 2009, the Michael Jackson estate has earned a whopping $3.5 billion.
The Lionsgate film is gearing up for a massive debut, with some estimates eyeing a $70 million opening weekend (a number which would give the film the most successful opening for a musical biopic ever, outpacing movies like Bohemian Rhapsody).
In 2018, Bohemian Rhapsody, which traced the story of Queen vocalist Freddie Mercury, launched with a $51 million opening weekend.
Oscar-winning producer Graham King goes back more than four decades with the Jackson family. Working previously on biopics like Ali and Bohemian Rhapsody, King doubled down on the value of authenticity while walking the red carpet in Gary.
“I remember showing Freddie Mercury’s sister, who is the only living family member, the film on a Sunday morning in London and it was the most nervous time I’d had,” said the four time Academy Award nominee. “I take life rights very seriously. I know how the world feels about Michael. I knew there was going to be a lot of eyes on this movie. We have to deliver. And I think the authenticity is certainly there to do that,” he continued. “I think if people recognize that it’s a film and not a documentary, which I know that people have a hard time with, I think they’re really going to enjoy it.”
While a documentary should stand as non-fictional storytelling, movies, in their quest to entertain, are generally empowered to take more liberties with the story.
While Bohemian Rhapsody wound up grossing nearly $1 billion worldwide, some fans continue to lament inaccuracies in the presented story.
Despite the expected open, Michael has been met with similar criticisms as allegations of whitewashing and reports of internal Jackson family strife begin to define a film that reportedly fails to address the longstanding sexual abuse allegations levied against Michael Jackson over the course of the last three decades.
But last week in Indiana, the spirit around the new release was infectious, with Lionsgate distributing free tickets to elated nearby residents.
Around 30% of Gary citizens live below the poverty line, with the city itself lacking the presence of a functioning movie theater. But, in 1964, the city helped birth arguably the most famous family in entertainment history. The West Side Leadership Academy school newspaper was on site conducting interviews throughout the event, capping an endearing evening which provided a sense of excitement and local pride as Gary continues to find its footing.
“I think folks are starting to recognize that Gary is able to compete on a global scale,” said Mayor Melton. “We’re talking about economic development and our ability to be located next to the third largest economy in the United States. We’re growing our industries. There’s a U.S. Steel partnership with Nippon Steel: a $3 billion investment, 1,000 new jobs. 600 new jobs with FedEx building a brand new warehouse and distribution center. We’re working and growing our transportation and logistics infrastructure. Hard Rock Casino is the number one casino in the state of Indiana. And we’re breaking ground on a $140 million convention center. We’ve got a lot going on in just two years and we’re just getting started.”
Singer Kym Mazelle, who worked on Mick Jagger’s 1993 solo album Wandering Spirit and with director Baz Luhrmann, contributing a song (“Young Hearts Run Free”) to the 1996 film William Shakespeare’s Romeo + Juliet, also attended last week’s Gary premiere.
Dubbed “The First Lady of House Music,” Mazelle sang lead on Soul II Soul’s 1990 hit “Missing You.” Growing up down the street from the Jackson family in Gary, Mazelle now works extensively with kids in a music and mentorship role. Last week on the red carpet, the singer illuminated the many ways in which Michael Jackson’s legacy continues to resonate throughout the region and around the world.
“It was kind of shocking. Because you couldn’t believe it. As a kid, I was like, ‘How did Michael go from here into the TV on The Ed Sullivan Show?’ To see that, as a child, I thought, naively, that if he could do that, so could I. And I did,” she said. “My passion is to work with young people to let them know that the dream is possible. Hands on with them day after day. Because I think that’s important for kids to see you show up daily,” said Mazelle. “I like to tell them, ‘Don’t give up on yourself.’ I’m working with young people now from Gary to keep them encouraged. So, to see the Gary International Black Film Festival here and the city of Gary? It’s just amazing to be back home and to see that the next generation of Jacksons put this together.”
Regardless of the critiques emerging upon the film’s release, Michael seems primed for box office success. Last week in Gary, King further focused on music’s unique ability to unite people during divisive times.
“What Michael Jackson did so well was bring people together through his music,” said the producer. “And I’m hoping in the world that we’re living in today that we can bring people together through the movie.”
