The upcoming sixth installment of the Scary Movie franchise is already stirring controversy online.
A newly released poster for the film has gone viral after featuring a Michael Jackson lookalike alongside a provocative tagline that references the late pop star’s controversial legal history.
With the film set to hit theaters later this year, the return of Marlon and Shawn Wayans has excited longtime fans.
Highlights
- A viral Scary Movie 6 poster featuring a Michael Jackson parody has sparked intense online debate.
- The controversial tagline has divided fans, with some calling it offensive and others defending it as on-brand humor.
- The backlash comes as the Michael biopic faces criticism, but is still tracking for a strong box-office opening.
However, this latest marketing move has sharply divided audiences, with many calling it distasteful, especially given the timing, while others argue it stays true to the franchise’s edgy parody roots.
“They really don’t care who they offend with this movie…that’s crazy,” one X user said.
Scary Movie 6 poster parodies Michael Jackson ahead of biopic
Image credits: Paramount Pictures
A new poster for the upcoming Scary Movie features the franchise’s iconic villain, Ghostface, dressed as Michael Jackson. However, it closely resembles the poster for Michael, a biopic about the King of Pop’s life, releasing in theaters this week.
Aside from the visual reference and similar font, the parody poster also features the tagline “touching fans everywhere.”
Many fans felt the tagline referenced allegations against Jackson that first surfaced in 1993 and followed him throughout his career. One such instance was settled outside the court in 1994.
In 2003, he was accused and charged with inappropriate involvement with children. The pop star was acquitted of all charges in 2005, but new allegations continued to emerge against Jackson even after his demise in 2009.
The Internet is divided over the Scary Movie 6 poster’s tagline
Image credits: Lionsgate
Shortly after its release, the poster went viral, garnering more than 4.2 million views on X.
Several fans slammed the wording, calling the joke about the allegations against Jackson distasteful and offensive. Some even accused the makers of trying to capitalize on the hype around Jackson’s new biopic.
“If this is not an attempt to hurt the Michael movie, then idk what is. They are doing everything on purpose,” one fan said.
A second user commented, “This is incredibly weird and disrespectful…I hope this movie flops.”
Image credits: Paramount Pictures
Other fans were more scathing, arguing that Jackson’s demise made him a soft target, while Hollywood would never take similar digs at other figures convicted of far more serious crimes.
“They wouldn't satirize Eptsein or Diddy, right?” one user asked.
A few netizens defended the poster, arguing that this type of humor was on brand with the franchise’s past entries. Some also noted that the series had previously parodied Jackson in the third installment.
Michael poised for strong box office opening despite poor reviews
Image credits: Lionsgate
The new biopic, starring his nephew, Jaafar Jackson, has received heavy criticism for sidestepping the allegations against the King of Pop.
It has earned poor reviews and currently holds a critics’ score of 38% on Rotten Tomatoes. Despite the negative reactions, the film is expected to top the box office charts during its domestic opening weekend.
According to Variety, the film is expected to gross $65 million to $70 million in its first three days in North America. Overseas, it is projected to earn $75 million to $80 million, bringing its estimated global opening weekend total to $140 million to $150 million.
As a result, Michael is poised to emerge as a commercial success.
On the other hand, Scary Movie will arrive in theaters on June 5, 2026.