LOS ANGELES (AFP) - – Michael Jackson fans will get a tantalizing glimpse of
what might have been Tuesday as the movie charting the tragic singer's final
concert rehearsals makes its long-awaited premiere.
More than 100 hours of behind-the-scenes footage for Jackson's aborted
comeback have been distilled into a two-hour film being hyped by organizers as
the last ever performance by the "King of Pop."
Jackson family members and stars are expected to descend on a red carpet at
Los Angeles's Nokia Theater, one of more than 15 simultaneous premieres being
held in across five continents.
The movie -- "This Is It" -- will go on a limited two-week release in
theaters worldwide from Wednesday, with advance tickets in several countries
selling out within days of going on sale last month.
"It's a movie about rehearsing for a concert that never happened," Sony
Pictures co-chairman Amy Pascal told Entertainment Weekly. "It's heartbreaking
and inspiring all at the same time."
Jackson, who died on June 25 aged 50, had spent the previous four months
rehearsing in Los Angeles for a gruelling series of 50 concerts scheduled to
begin at London's 02 Arena in July.
More than 800,000 tickets for the concerts had been sold, with organizers
promising one of the "most expensive and technically advanced" live shows
ever.
Jackson was putting the finishing touches to the show at the time of his
death, which authorities in Los Angeles have ruled a homicide.
Video footage from the rehearsals had been intended to help organizers
critique the show and was never intended for viewing by the public. The footage
was snapped up for 60 million dollars by Sony after executives saw only several
minutes of images.
"We had a very strong gut feeling that this could be a cultural event despite
the fact that none of us really saw any of the footage before we concluded the
deal," Sony's production president, Doug Belgrad told the Los Angeles Times.
Sony has said an "unprecedented number" of shows across the United States
have sold out and other cities including London, Sydney, Bangkok and Tokyo
experienced similar levels of demand after tickets went on sale last month.
London distributor Vue Entertainment said the movie sold 30,000 tickets
within 24 hours, outstripping demand for blockbusters such as "Harry Potter" and
"The Lord of the Rings."
"I've never seen anything like it in the 25 years I have been film buying,"
Vue director Stuart Boreman said.
Analyst Jeff Bock of box office tracking firm Exhibitor Relations said the
film could "play bigger than Elvis."
"This is more of a memorial than a movie," Bock told AFP. "I think we could
be looking at 70 to 100 million dollars in the first five days alone, which is
extraordinary for this type of film.
"People are booking it in groups, it's something that people want to
experience together. Maybe we're talking about a phenomenon here.
"People are going to see this as a memorial and a service for someone, who
was arguably the icon of the 1980s and 1990s."
Bock expressed skepticism that Sony would stick to their original schedule of
limiting the release to only two weeks worldwide.
"I don't buy that for a second," he said. "I expect there to be a drop-off
after the first week but if the numbers are still strong I think you will see
the film get an extended run in theaters."
Despite the anticipation surrounding the film, a group of diehard Jackson
fans have launched an online campaign urging devotees of the singer to boycott
the movie, claiming it hides the truth about his final days.
The group claim on their website -- "This-Is-Not-It" -- that the movie
attempts to mask Jackson's physical frailty as he maintained a punishing
schedule of rehearsals.
"In the weeks leading up to Michael Jackson's death, while this footage was
being shot, people around him knew that he looked like he might have died," the
group said. "Those who stood to make a profit chose to ignore it."
Associates of Jackson have insisted the singer was in good health during the
rehearsals.
|
