Will 'Michael Jackson's This Is It' top box office?
Photo credit: Kevin Mazur | Michael Jackson in "This Is It." A rare, behind-the-scenes look at the performer as he developed, created and rehearsed for his sold-out concerts that would have taken place beginning this summer in London's O2 Arena.
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When the weekend's box-office grosses are revealed in Monday's papers, we will know - as if there were any doubt - whether "Michael Jackson's This Is It" will hit No. 1.
There isn't much competition. The Sony/Columbia film, which was released Wednesday and shows the King of Pop rehearsing in Los Angeles for a series of comeback concerts shortly before his death, scared away most other studios from releasing their own products. Once again, Jackson has the field to himself.
At a pre-release screening in Manhattan, however, the audience initially seemed unsure how to react. "This Is It," directed by Kenny Ortega, Jackson's concert director and creative collaborator, is not a polished final product. While rehearsing, Jackson often runs at low gear to conserve his energy. Songs stop and start without the usual smooth segues. And one sound is noticeably absent: the roar of an excited crowd.
>> BLOG: Michael Jackson's 'This Is It' heartbreakingly successful
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But as the film progresses, it becomes clear that these raw images of Jackson would never have been made public had the concerts come to pass. "This Is It" shows how rigorously and tirelessly the entertainer worked to create the facade he presented to the public. Though not entirely free of music-industry puffery - Jackson's death is never explicitly mentioned - "This Is It" makes the man seem human for the first time in a long while.
Sony/Columbia has promised a limited, two-week run, perhaps hoping to create the kind of see-him-now urgency that would have surrounded the actual concerts. Whether the film gets held over for a while, "This Is It" probably will be watched by music fans for years to come.
>> BLOG: Michael Jackson's 'This Is It' heartbreakingly successful
>>PHOTOS: Stars arrive at 'This Is It' premiere
