Jackson Film and Music news
In case someone just dropped in from Mars, “This Is It” was to be 50-year-old Michael Jackson’s final comeback, a planned run of 50 sold-out concerts that were to take place at London’s O2 Arena over the summer — all of which came to a sudden and tragic end with the performer’s death on June 25.
Industry prognosticators suggest that the Epic Records set — which was released on Monday, Oct. 26 — could shift 300,000 copies by week’s end on Sunday (Nov. 1) night.
The film tries to be a concert film without having the actual footage. So when everything comes to a halt, audiences get thrown.
“This Is It” is not a “sacred document,” but it is a fascinating one. It shows a songwriter-performer who knows his material intimately. While not always certain what he wants, he knows it immediately when he gets it.
It would seem like Jackson will be a sure thing for the No. 1 slot next week on the Billboard 200 albums chart.
Jackson already owns the No. 1 selling album of the 2009 calendar year with “Number Ones” — 2 million sold this year and counting. Additionally, his “Thriller” is the year’s 11th best-seller (1.1 million) and “The Essential Michael Jackson” is the 15th biggest (986,000).
The “This Is It” album contains 14 studio recordings of Jackson’s hits like “Billie Jean” and “Beat It” and two versions of the from-the-vaults title track, which plays over the film’s end credits. It also includes three demo recordings and a spoken word poem titled “Planet Earth.”
Following its simultaneous premieres Tuesday, the film will open on more than 3,400 domestic screens along with 96 in Imax theaters and another 27 internationally for a two-week run. That run will be extended if demand is there. Demand will be there.
