As Michael enjoys a busy second weekend at the box office, Spike Lee is singing the biopic’s praises amid controversy.

The 3x Oscar winner defended the Antoine Fuqua-helmed film for not including the 1993 child sexual abuse claims against Jackson as “it doesn’t work in the timeline of the film,” which follows his rise from the Jackson 5 to ‘King of Pop’ stardom in 1988.

“First of all, if you’re a movie critic, and you’re complaining about the stuff, all this other stuff—but the movie ends at ’88. The stuff you’re talking about, accusations, happen [later],” he told CNN. “So you’re critiquing the film on something that you want in, but it doesn’t work in the timeline of the film. But people showed up. Worldwide, people showed their love.”

Lee added, “I miss Mike. I miss Prince. I mean, these are my brothers. I worked with both of them. Both beautiful, beautiful people.”

Fuqua previously explained to Deadline that they “planted the seeds” to explore the allegations in a sequel. “The movie is called Michael so you have to focus on Michael,” he explained.

“Unless you can truly take your time, let’s go back to the beginning and really show people who he was on the stage. He’s a superhero on the stage. Just like a human being, movies have the power of empathy to just say this is a human being. No one is perfect,” added Fuqua. “It was important to take the audience through a process of how do you get to wherever it’s going to go in a second movie; for people to get a bigger idea of his personality and what shaped him.”

Originally surpassing three and a half hours, the first cut of Michael reportedly ended with an accuser, whose settlement with the singer’s estate guaranteed they would never be dramatized. The Michael Jackson estate, when greenlighting the movie, overlooked this detail.

With the biopic undergoing 22 additional shooting days last May to film a new ending, Deadline reported that Lionsgate was considering splitting the film into two parts.

After Jackson was charged with seven counts of child molestation and two counts of intoxicating a minor in 2003, he denied the allegations and pleaded not guilty before being acquitted on all counts in 2005. Following Jackson’s death in 2009, other accusers have come forward.