By Ryan Parsons | Image property of respective holders, Variety
Michael Jackson's This Is It
I saw Michael Jackson’s This Is It over the weekend and have to say that I'm glad I did. Sure, the behind the scenes footage was incredibly interesting and it's great to see Michael Jackson on stage doing what he does, but the best part about the film was that it reminded us that, no matter what you thought of Jackson, the guy is a genius in terms of rhythm, timing, music, dancing and all that comes with performing.
And what a reminder it was, as a good chunk of moviegoers from around the globe ended up seeing the documentary.
Box Office Winner: Michael Jackson's This Is It
While my theater was only a quarter full, This Is It opened to a solid $68.5 million worldwide, the fifth best foreign bow of the year. The film took the top spot at the domestic box office with $32.5 million in its first five days. Counting in the international box office over the extended weekend, the opening worldwide haul for This Is It broke the $100 million mark with $101 million over the first five days.
Coming in second was Paramount's surprise hit Paranormal Activity, which only dropped 22% thanks to the addition of 459 theaters. The low-budget horror went on to earn $16.5 million; bringing it's total cume to $84.8 million in its sixth outing.
While Lionsgate typically loves Halloween thanks to the Saw franchise, Saw VI continues to suffer most in part due to Paranormal stealing its thunder and its audience. The film dropped 61% in its second frame, bringing its total ticket sales to $22.8 million. Film is now looking to be the least successful in franchise history.
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