Golden Globes Reject ‘Michael’ as a Musical or Comedy, Shift Film to Drama Race

Awards season is as much about strategy as it is about quality, and few decisions matter more early on than which category a film competes in. A genre label can decide which rivals a movie has to beat, how many nominations it can realistically win, and how voters see it. That’s why a classification ruling about ‘Michael’ is making waves.

The Michael Jackson biopic has been one of the year’s biggest stories. Directed by Antoine Fuqua and starring Jaafar Jackson as his uncle, the film opened on April 24 with a record $97 million domestic debut and $217.4 million worldwide. It went on to become the first biopic in history to top $1 billion at the global box office, passing ‘Oppenheimer’ and ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’, and it’s Lionsgate’s biggest release ever.

That commercial success came despite mixed-to-negative reviews. Critics praised Jaafar Jackson’s performance but called the story sanitized, while audiences gave it a 96% to 97% score on Rotten Tomatoes and an A- CinemaScore. Now the Golden Globes have delivered a verdict that could shape its awards run.

Several outlets shared the news, which was first reported by Gold Derby: the Golden Globes have denied Lionsgate’s bid to submit ‘Michael’ in the Best Musical/Comedy categories, so it will compete in Best Drama instead. Variety and TheWrap have both confirmed the report. According to TheWrap, Lionsgate has until October 31 to appeal.

The Golden Globes have denied for ‘MICHAEL’ to be submitted for Best Musical/Comedy categories. It will be submitted for Best Drama instead. (Source: https://t.co/ITOgDeizgO) https://t.co/PabC9dpR47

— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) October 20, 2026

Under Globes procedure, a film that submits in a category that goes against the grain needs a letter from its director, and Fuqua provided one. The organization reviewed the request and denied it anyway. The Globes’ rules say a musical can be a comedy or a drama in which songs are used in addition to spoken dialogue to further the plot, and the committee apparently felt that the performances in ‘Michael’ don’t meet that criterion as narrative drivers.

Musical biopics have long been difficult to classify at the Globes. ‘Ray’ and ‘Walk the Line’ both competed in and won the comedy or musical categories in the mid-2000s. Since then, ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’, ‘Elvis’ and ‘A Complete Unknown’ were all submitted as dramas, and Gold Derby reported that the rules tightened after those early wins.

His story begins. The official trailer for MICHAEL – in theaters and IMAX April 24. https://t.co/DfGJNcuXU2

— Michael (@michaelmovie) February 2, 2026

Jingletree notes that Jackson performs many of his uncle’s biggest hits in the film, but the organization seemingly viewed those sequences as re-creations of Michael Jackson’s performances rather than integral storytelling devices. The ruling doesn’t affect the Globes’ other classification decisions, since the awards body has accepted both ‘Obsession’ and ‘Tender Loving Care’ as comedies.

The decision matters because the drama categories are crowded. Variety says the film is slated to compete for one of the six available slots against Christopher Nolan’s ‘The Odyssey’ and Los Javis’ ‘La Bola Negra’, among others. Jaafar Jackson will face likely nominees such as Matt Damon in ‘The Odyssey’, John Malkovich in ‘Wild Horse Nine’ and Andrew Scott in ‘Elsinore’ for Best Actor in a Drama.

Had the film moved to comedy or musical, it would have faced a different field. Variety’s earlier analysis argued that the harsh reviews wouldn’t necessarily doom its awards prospects, since Academy voters are film professionals rather than critics, and that its footing lies in the performances. Still, it also cited factors that could cap its chances, including inconsistent makeup and flat narrative beats.

The Globes timeline is moving quickly. Nominations for the 84th Golden Globes will be announced on December 7, leading up to the January 10 ceremony hosted by Nikki Glaser. That leaves Lionsgate with decisions to make about whether to appeal and how to position its star.

For the studio, the ruling is a reminder that even a billion-dollar hit isn’t guaranteed an easy path to trophies. For the awards race, it adds another heavyweight to an already stacked drama field, and it will be interesting to see how voters respond.

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