NEW YORK (AP):
Michael Jackson once sang ‘ Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough’, and for fans of the King of Pop’s music, it’s words to live by.
Streams of his catalogue jumped 95 per cent in the US over the weekend when compared with the same dates the previous weekend. That’s according to Luminate, an industry data and analytics company that provides insight into changing behaviours across music listenership. A blockbuster was the cause.
Michael, the big-budget Michael Jackson biopic released Friday, earned $97 million in US and Canada theatres its opening weekend, according to studio estimates. A few weeks prior, estimates for Michael were closer to $50 million. Last week, the studio estimated closer to $70 million. As a result of the movie’s incredible popularity, Jackson received 31.7 million streams on Friday and Saturday in the US and 16.3 million streams the previous weekend. But before Michael Jackson was Michael Jackson, he was the youngest member of The Jackson 5. The classic boy group also received a huge jump in streams. The group earned 2.4 million streams on Friday and Saturday, compared to 1.3 million streams the previous weekend. That’s an 85 per cent increase.
Jackson also saw a boost in plays on Apple Music. According to the streaming giant, on Monday, Jackson had eight songs on Apple Music’s Daily Top 100 Global Chart. Billie Jean led the pack at number 11. Shazam found that Jackson streams were 140 per cent higher last weekend than the previous weekend. As a result, there are currently seven Jackson songs on Shazam’s global top 200.
Michael is a box office smash despite negative reviews from critics. In his review, The Associated Press’ Jake Coyle awarded the film one-and-a-half stars out of four, describing it as “a kind of fantasy film, one that relives the extraordinary highs of Michael Jackson while turning a blind eye to the lows”.
