Michael Jackson's 'This Is It' dances to top of Halloween weekend movie chart

November 1, 3:05 PMAtlanta Movies ExaminerRyan McNally

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Halloween weekend was a thriller for Michael Jackson fans, as the late singer’s concert performance doc This Is It raked in $21.3 to moonwalk its way to the top of the box office chart as well as the No. 1 slot on the AME weekend chart**. Word of mouth was above average, with the film tallying a 7.6 among IMDB users, good for No. 6 among the box-office top 20. And critics’ reviews were also solid, with This Is It ranking No. 8 at both Rotten Tomatoes and Metacritic.

In a slow week for new releases, the only other pic to open on more than 50 screens was the crime thriller The Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day. Box office was respectable, with the film averaging nearly $7K per theater to reach No. 16 overall despite playing on only 68 screens. Critical response was less than saintly, though, with the movie’s lowly 27 Metacritic score besting only the hapless Couples Retreat. Moviegoers were generally receptive, scoring Boondock Saints II a 7.2 at IMDB so far (good for No. 10 on the week)—though that figure is well below the 7.9 score tallied by the original Boondock Saints, which was a commercial bust when released in 1999 but developed a cult following on DVD.

The AME weekend movie chart for Oct. 30-Nov. 1, 2009:

1) This Is It (NR)

2) Where the Wild Things Are (1)

3) Paranormal Activity (2T)

4T) A Serious Man (4)

4T) Zombieland (2T)

6) An Education (7)

7T) Toy Story 3D (5)

7T) Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (6)

9) Law Abiding Citizen (9)

10) Good Hair (8)

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**Tired of reading about the latest dumb action flick, lame gross-out comedy or played-out torture porn horror pic that took home the box office crown? Wish the media balanced screaming headlines about box office winners with more stories about “the top reviewed films” or the “films audiences loved the most”?

I’m with ya. And that’s why I’ve devised a new ranking system (see list above) that combines critics’ reviews, audience response and, yes, box office to deliver a comprehensive list of what’s hot in theaters in each weekend. (The previous week’s chart position is listed in parentheses after the film title.)