This Is It

Weekend Box Office – THIS IS IT Number One with $21.3 Million; Worldwide Total Now Over $100 Million

by Nicole Pedersen    Posted: November 1st, 2009 at 11:37 am

Sony spent a good amount of time on Saturday trying to dial back expectations for their Michael Jackson concert documentary “This Is It”. Perhaps they should have thought of that before they helped set those expectations in the first place? After failing to produce “great numbers” in its first three days in theatres, “This Is It” did manage to notch first place over the weekend with an estimated $21.3 million from its 3,404 domestic engagements. Not bad for a concert movie, but when you consider that recent number one films like “Where the Wild Things Are” and “Zombieland” managed to pull in over $30 million over the same time period, you have to wonder what all that hype was about.

	Title	Weekend	Total
1	This Is It	$21,300,000	$32,509,000
2	Paranormal Activity	$16,540,000	$84,780,000
3	Law Abiding Citizen	$7,303,000	$51,385,000
4	Couples Retreat	$6,097,000	$86,663,000
5	Saw VI	$5,560,000	$22,824,000
6	Where the Wild Things Are	$5,081,000	$61,800,000
7	Stepfather	$3,400,000	$24,708,000
8	Astro Boy	$3,035,000	$10,891,000
9	Amelia	$3,000,000	$8,306,000
10	Vampire’s Assistant	$2,809,000	$10,521,000

Friday Box Office – THIS IS IT Continues To Underperform with $7.9 Million Friday

by Nicole Pedersen    Posted: October 31st, 2009 at 11:10 am

I almost never get to look like a box office sage, but I’m gonna go ahead and pat myself on the back for predicting that the whole Michael Jackson “This Is It” premiere smelled more of hype than of actual box office potential. As Wednesday’s premiere inched closer and the projected totals got higher and higher I felt a pang of doubt – could this movie actually make $250 million worldwide in its first five days as AEG had boasted? I needn’t have worried. In fact, it now looks like even my modest $54 million projection was too high. After bringing in an estimated $7.5 million on Friday “This Is It” seems destined for the $30 million range by the end of its first 5 days – especially with lower than average Saturday figures expected thanks to Halloween’s inconvenient scheduling. “This Is It” will still have enough hype left to carry the weekend, but with “Paranormal Activity” now in more than 2,400 theatres, the gap between the two films will be smaller than Sony would like. Check back tomorrow for full details on the movie thriller that wasn’t.

	Title	Friday	Total
1	This Is It	$7,900,000	$19,100,000
2	Paranormal Activity	$6,000,000	$74,200,000
3	Law Abiding Citizen	$2,400,000	$46,500,000
4	Couples Retreat	$2,380,000	$83,000,000
5	Where the Wild Things Are	$1,950,000	$58,700,000

Exclusive: Director Kenny Ortega Says Expect 2 to 3 Hours of Additional Footage on THIS IS IT DVD/Blu-ray

by Steve 'Frosty' Weintraub    Posted: October 31st, 2009 at 10:29 am

A few days ago I got to speak with director Kenny Ortega for Michael Jackson’s “This Is It” as a reporter for our partner’s at Omelete.  Since Ortega has spoken at great length about the project to other websites and media outlets, I tried to ask some news questions.  The main thing I wanted to know was since they had shot around 100 hours of footage when documenting the rehearsals, how much additional footage could fans expect to see on the eventual DVD/Blu-ray.  According to Ortega, we’re going to get between two and three hours of additional footage.  He also told me it won’t be added into the movie like a director’s cut but will be part of the extras section.  And for people wondering when it’ll be released, he says early next year.  Watch the full interview after the jump:

3 Movie Clips and a Featurette from Michael Jackson’s THIS IS IT

by Steve 'Frosty' Weintraub    Posted: October 21st, 2009 at 7:01 pm

With Michael Jackson’s “This Is It” set for release next week, Sony has released a few clips and a new featurette. While I wondered what the level of interest was going to be and if the studio overpaid for the rights, Sony clearly knew what they were doing as many shows are already sold out and the 2-week limited run looks to be a big hit. So if you’d like a sneak peek at the film, hit the jump to watch some of the footage now.

Michael Jackson’s THIS IS IT Trailer

by Steve 'Frosty' Weintraub    Posted: September 13th, 2009 at 9:11 pm

After watching the trailer for Michael Jackson’s “This Is It”, I think the movie is going make some money. I wasn’t sure at first. But the trailer looks like an intimate, behind the scenes look at the singer and it shows how the concerts would have been performed had he not died unexpectedly. Also, while Michael was always guarded in life, the film will show him talking to the other musicians and arranging the show. I’ll admit I’m more curious now than before. But the real gimmick that might help this film make some money is that it’s only scheduled for a two week limited engagement. You can never go wrong with ‘limited’. Anyway, if you’re curious, check out the just released trailer after the jump:

First Poster for Michael Jackson’s THIS IS IT

by Steve 'Frosty' Weintraub    Posted: September 8th, 2009 at 6:11 pm

October 28^th. That’s the day we find out if Michael Jackson’s death can become a cash register for the Jackson family. Actually, with Sony paying a reported $50 million to AEG for the rights to the rehearsal footage for “This Is It”, Michael has already proved he can bring in the cash. But a studio paying for the rights is a lot different than normal folks paying to see the footage in a movie theater. Because while a lot of people are happy to watch the drama unfold on CNN, paying for it is a lot different. I think it’s going to come down to the reviews. If there really is something to see, it’s probably going to make some money. But will it make back the $50 million? We’ll all know October 28th. Anyway, the first poster and two images have been released. They’re after the jump.

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