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Jackson movie 'This Is It' set for global premiere
2009-10-27
LOS ANGELES (AFP) - Michael Jackson was set to give a poignant last performance for legions of fans worldwide Tuesday as a film charting the tragic pop icon's final days hits global cinema screens for the first time. Four months after Jackson's sudden death, red carpets had been rolled out for 18 simultaneous premieres on five continents for the film "This Is It," culled from footage of rehearsals for the singer's aborted comeback. More than 100 hours of behind-the-scenes footage for Jackson's to the stage have been distilled into a two-hour film, which has been hyped by organizers as the last-ever performance by the "King of Pop." Crowds had begun gathering at the Nokia Theater in Los Angeles for a 6:00 pm (0100 GMT Wednesday) premiere, while similar events were to be held in Europe, Africa, Asia and South America. Around 300 lucky fans -- all issued replicas of Jackson's signature solitary sequined white glove -- were allowed into bleachers to watch the arrivals procession. Advance tickets in several countries sold out within days of going on sale last month as fans scrambled to be among the first to see a film billed by Sony Pictures as the movie of "a concert that never happened." Jackson, who died on June 25 aged 50, had spent the previous four months rehearsing in Los Angeles for a grueling series of 50 concert spectaculars scheduled to begin at London's 02 Arena in July. More than 800,000 tickets had been sold for the concerts, with organizers promising one of the "most expensive and technically advanced" live shows ever. Jackson was putting the finishing touches to the show at the time of his death, which authorities have ruled a homicide after coroners revealed that he had a lethal cocktail of six different drugs in his body. Video footage from the rehearsals had been intended to help organizers critique the show and was never intended for public viewing. Sony bought the footage for 60 million dollars after executives saw only several minutes. Sony has said an "unprecedented number" of shows across the United States have sold out and other cities -- including London, Sydney, Bangkok and Tokyo -- experienced similar levels of demand after tickets went on sale last month. Analyst Jeff Bock of box office tracking firm Exhibitor Relations said the film could "play bigger than Elvis." "This is more of a memorial than a movie," Bock told AFP. "I think we could be looking at 70 to 100 million dollars in the first five days alone, which is extraordinary for this type of film." The movie got a stamp of approval from Jackson's long-time friend and confidante, actress Elizabeth Taylor, who was privy to a sneak preview. Taylor, who recently underwent heart surgery, hailed the movie as the "single most brilliant piece of filmmaking I have ever seen" in a tweet on micro-blogging site Twitter. "It cements forever Michael's genius in every aspect of creativity." Despite the anticipation surrounding the film, a group of diehard Jackson fans have launched an online campaign urging devotees of the singer to boycott the movie, claiming it hides the truth about his final days. The group claims on its website -- "This-Is-Not-It" -- that the movie attempts to mask Jackson's physical frailty as he maintained a punishing schedule of rehearsals. "In the weeks leading up to Michael Jackson's death, while this footage was being shot, people around him knew that he looked like he might have died," the group said. "Those who stood to make a profit chose to ignore it." Associates of Jackson have insisted the star was in good health during the rehearsals.
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