• Major Award Recognition: The critically and commercially dominant Michael Jackson biopic, Michael, has officially secured five major nominations at the prestigious 2026 National Film Awards UK.
• Public Consensus: Unlike standard critic-led events, the National Film Awards rely entirely on public voting metrics, offering fans a direct pipeline to crown the biopic’s historic theatrical run.
• Core Category Sweep: The film landed nominations across several major tiers, including Best International Film, Best Director for Antoine Fuqua, and Outstanding Performance for lead actor Jaafar Jackson.

It’s not even awards season yet, but MICHAEL has already started collecting the awards. Fresh off a historic multi-week theatrical run that has positioned it over the $900 million mark globally, Antoine Fuqua’s cinematic blockbuster has locked down five distinct nominations for the upcoming 12th annual National Film Awards UK. Unlike other awards ceremonies, the organization leaves its winner selection process completely up to fan voting loops, which presenting yet another opportunity for the global audience to validate the film’s cultural impact over standard industry critic consensus.

RELATED: ‘MICHAEL’ Shatters Records to Become Lionsgate’s Highest-Grossing Film

The Nominations

The nominations are as follows:

• Best International Film: Honoring the global box office juggernaut and its widespread international appeal across markets.
• Best Director (Antoine Fuqua): Recognizing Fuqua’s visual direction in adapting the artist’s real-world legacy.
• Best Producer (Graham King, John Branca, Prince Jackson & John McClain): Celebrating the collaborative production team behind the record-shattering theatrical asset.
• Best Newcomer (Jaafar Jackson): Acknowledging Jackson’s breakout Hollywood film debut.
• Outstanding Performance (Jaafar Jackson): Commending Jackson’s transformative, detail-oriented portrayal of his late uncle’s distinct stage presence and personal biography.

What’s Next?

Japan officially opens on June 12, and while the film will remain in theaters as it hits VOD, Lionsgate has confirmed the movie is set to arrive on premium video-on-demand platforms on June 9. From there, Lionsgate will follow up the streaming debut with a premium physical rollout on July 14 (according to the Blu Ray website), introducing an array of Collector’s Edition 4K UHD Steelbooks at retail giants like Walmart and Amazon.

The Synopsis

Michael tracks the meteoric rise of Michael Jackson from the early days of the Jackson 5 to the peak of the Thriller and Bad eras. With a reported $155 million production budget (some report this as being $200 million), the film had high expectations to meet. The film has not only met them but is now heavily rolling towards the $1 billion mark.

If you would like to cast your vote, you can do so here.

Featured Photo: Lionsgate

RELATED: Lionsgate Gives a Production Update on ‘Michael 2’