Michael Gets 27% on Tomatometer: Are Critics Completely Out of Touch With the Audience?

The critics have spoken,and they’ve been brutal.

Michael is sitting at a poor 27% on the Tomatometer. On paper, that signals a weak film. But if you look at the numbers coming in, the story tells something very different.

The film is eyeing a massive $150 million global opening. Domestic projections alone are between $85–$105 million. It’s even tracking to beat Oppenheimer to become the biggest opening ever for a biopic.

So what’s going on here?

Are audiences wrong’ or are critics out of touch?

This gap between reviews and numbers is becoming impossible to ignore. Critics continue to judge films based on traditional parameters, structure, writing, depth. But the audience? They’re showing up for emotion, scale, nostalgia, and connection.

And Michael has all of that.

This isn’t just a film. It’s about one of the most iconic global figures ever. Fans are not walking in expecting a perfectly structured screenplay, they’re walking in to relive moments, music, and memories.

That’s something critics often fail to measure.

In fact, this isn’t new anymore. Time and again, films dismissed by critics are finding massive support at the box office. The audience has moved on, but the reviewing lens hasn’t fully evolved.

And that’s the real disconnect.

When a film pulls these kinds of opening numbers despite negative reviews, it raises a serious question about relevance. Are critics shaping opinions, or just reacting from a space that no longer aligns with the majority?

Men lie, women lie… critics lie. Numbers don’t.

Day 1 collections show hype. Week 2 collections show truth. If Michael holds strong beyond the opening weekend, it will be a clear message,the audience has chosen its side. And in that case, the 27% won’t just look harsh, it will look irrelevant.

Until then, the battle is set.

Critics have given their verdict.

Now it’s the audience’s turn to decide if that verdict even matters.