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Classic Michael Jackson dance pose. (digital construction)
After camping out for three days in downtown Los Angeles to purchase tickets for the forthcoming movie This Is It, Michael Jackson enthusiasts received their just rewards as 3,000 tickets for advance screenings sold out in less than two hours early Sunday morning. The first 500 purchasers received commemorative tickets designed by Jackson himself and, along with the next 2,500 fans, entry into sneak-peek shows scheduled for Oct. 27, the night before the documentary opens worldwide on Oct. 28, including at Los Angeles’ Regal Cinemas Stadium 14.
Moreover, additional tickets for hundreds of show times reportedly sold out after one day of pre-sales with This Is It accounting for 80 percent of all online ticketing service transactions. According to releases from PR Newswire and Michael Jackson Fansites, “an unprecedented number of shows for the two-week engagement have sold out in the first 24 hours of ticket availability in locations from coast-to-coast, including such cities as Los Angeles, San Francisco, Houston, Nashville and New York, among others. Internationally, exhibitors from London and Sydney to Bangkok and Tokyo have experienced the same epic demand.”
Ticket sales topping $1 million were reported within the first 24 hours for Japan alone, establishing a new record for advanced ticket sales.“Michael Jackson’s fans all over the globe have enormous interest in this film and we can assure they will not be disappointed,” said Rory Bruer, President of Worldwide Theatrical Distribution for Sony Picture Releasing. “This film delivers on everything they hope and expect to see. I think the initial sales activity we are seeing in the United States and United Kingdom to countries such as Australia and Thailand underscores the unique nature of this film, which is a special celebration of Michael and his music.”
The IMAX Factor
This Is It was already slated to run in general theaters for two weeks but Sony and IMAX executives announced recently that it would also screen for evening shows at select IMAX theaters around the globe. The film presents behind-the-scenes footage of Jackson as he worked to prepare, and rehearse, for the sold-out concerts that were billed as his “comeback” tour and that would have taken place in London's O2 Arena during the summer of 2009.
IMAX Filmed Entertainment Chairman and President, Greg Foster stated, "We're very excited to participate in this special event, where IMAX audiences and fans of Michael Jackson will feel the energy of his talents. Sony Pictures Entertainment knows how to create an event on a global scale, and their use of our new digital IMAX locations internationally demonstrates how major studios can take advantage of our network in new and exciting ways."
This Is It poster art. (Sony promo)
In Michael Jackson’s case, the IMAX factor doubtlessly played a major role in the reportedly booming ticket sales for the film but it also further confirmed the magnitude of the performer’s transcendent talent and prophetic creative vision. There is no question that fans of the great entertainer will draw a lot of satisfaction from viewing This Is It, which was culled from more than one hundred hours of footage. Yet commentaries on various websites and dialogs in different chat rooms seem to indicate that many are hungry for more than just one more validation of his genius or commercial appeal.
Yearnings for Something More
Fans talk. MJ enthusiasts have relentlessly defended books and DVDs that not only proclaim Jackson’s innocence regarding criminal accusations leveled against him in 1993 and 2005, but add strength to theories of conspiracies against him. The call growing louder beneath the surface of Internet conversations appears to be for some kind of definitive official acknowledgement of what many feel was his true character and legacy: the music and his philanthropy.
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Michael Jackson in concert. (AP photo release)
Among the more popular books and DVDs around which such dialogs are building are: Geraldine Hughes’ “Redemption: the Truth Behind the Michael Jackson Child Molestation Allegation,” Aphrodite Jones’ and Tom Mesereau’s “Michael Jackson Conspiracy,” and Larry Nimmer’s DVD, “Michael Jackson: The Untold Story of Neverland.”
The Kennedy Center Honors
Those who had been holding on to hopes that Jackson might be honored posthumously at the forthcoming Kennedy Center Honors, held annually at the John F. Kennedy for the Performing Arts, saw those hopes dashed when honorees were announced Sept. 10. Those listed to receive the honor for 2009 are: singer and songwriter Bruce Springsteen, film great Robert De Niro, opera singer Grace Bumbry, producer and director Mel Brooks, and composer/pianist Dave Brubeck.
No such known movement is underway as of yet, but it is possible that the conversations surrounding some form of official recognition of Jackson’s legacy might build into one dedicated to seeking a posthumous award for him at the Kennedy Center Honors in 2010.
By Aberjhani, the African American Art Examiner and author/co-author of eight books including Encyclopedia of the Harlem Renaissance and ELEMENTAL, The Power of Illuminated Love.
The Life and Legacies of Michael Jackson:
Commentaries on The Untold Story of Neverland
Commentaries on Michael Jackson Conspiracy
A Moonwalking Giant Lies Down to Rest
Michael Jackson Legacies of a Globetrotting Moonwalking Philanthropist
Jackson Action and MJ Philanthropy
Gallery of Michael Jackson Official Opus Photos
To Walk A Lifetime in Michael Jackson's Moccasins
The World Holds on While Letting Go of Michael Jackson
Comments
About the only thing I can add to that Lynda is a sincere 'Amen', and thank you for sharing.
Aberjhani
One the finest art pieces of Michael Jackson I have seen is the one By Jeff Koons and the one by artist Billa Dhand which is a statue in solid silver
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