14 DAY TRIAL // Sony Pictures’ docu-film made under the direction of Kenny Ortega as he handled rehearsals at Los Angeles’ Staples Center for Michael Jackson’s London series of shows took the number one at the North American box-office over the weekend, moving past faux-documentary horror “Paranormal Activity.” Still, the concert film continues to be seen a disappointment for the movie studio, Collider says.
“This Is It” ended the weekend with ticket sales of over $21 million, which, in itself, is not half bad. However, this was supposed to be Sony’s biggest release this fall/winter, the movie that would break the mold of all concert films and for which MJ fans would crowd theaters. Hype for it started to build months ago, when the release was not even a sure thing – as such, all the hype did not pay off. Moreover, if compared to other recent releases, “This Is It” is a lackluster release to say the least.
“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.” Collider writes.
Be that as it may, the film still managed to secure the top position at the box-office, taking down the reigning title, “Paranormal Activity,” which made only $16.5 million this week, for a total of $85 million since opening in the US. Not bad for a film with a budget of just $11,000 that was shot over a few days in the director’s own home, analysts and industry insiders agree. All in all, “Activity” stands good chances to complete its US run with $100 million, as we were also telling you a while back.
“Jackson was certainly more popular overseas than he was here in the US, so it seemed safe to assume that foreign viewers would carry ‘This Is It’ to its promised glory. And that proved partially true. After an unspectacular $12.7 million international debut on Wednesday, the film’s foreign market brought in an estimated $68.5 million through Sunday for a total of $101 million worldwide. That’s only $150 million short of concert promoter AEG’s boast, but with US numbers such a washout I’m sure Sony will take it.” Collider further says of Michael Jackson’s docu-film.