With Michael hitting theaters this weekend, the audience score has appeared on Rotten Tomatoes and it vastly differs from the critics score.  As things currently stand, Michael is holding a 40% on the Tomatometer (critic score) and a 96% on the Popcornmeter (audience score).

The film is being met with major controversy upon release, specifically regarding how the film does not acknowledge the 2 decades worth of sexual abuse claims leveled at Jackson.  The drastic difference between critic and audience scores tells the story of a film that is appealing to the masses, but it is hard to deny what critics are saying from an unbiased perspective.  Taylor Gates of Collider focused on the positive aspects of the film in her review.

Michael does not reinvent the music biopic, but it still works better than expected thanks to its performances and its focus on the Jackson family drama. The film takes on the nearly impossible task of trying to capture Michael Jackson’s life in a single movie, and while it cannot fully do that, it does succeed in showing the pressure, loneliness, and intensity that shaped him.

Jaafar Jackson; who is the son of Michael Jackson’s brother Jermaine Jackson, stars in the film as Michael.  It is the actor’s debut role in a major motion picture.  Colman Domingo and Nia Long star in the film as Michael Jackson’s parents, Joseph and Katherine Jackson, and Juliano Krue Valdi stars as young Michael.  The cast also includes: Miles Teller, KeiLyn Durrel Jones, Kendrick Sampson, Joseph-David Jones, Jamal Henderson, Laura Harrier, Mike Myers, Liv Symone, and Deon Cole.  Antoine Fuqua (Training Day) directed the film, which was produced by John Branca, Graham King, and John McClain.  John Logan penned the script.

Michael can be seen in theaters in both regular and premium formats now.