'This Is It' rules Friday box office with $7M
Saturday, October 31, 2009 at 1:44PM | By Franck Tabouring 
Sony's Michael Jackson documentary "This Is It" held on to the No. 1 spot at the North American box office Friday with an estimated $7.8 million in ticket sales. The film's domestic total stands at $19 million.
"This Is It" opened in conventional theaters and IMAX Wednesday, generating a daily gross of $7.4 million, which included $2.2 million from shows Tuesday night. The film bagged $3.7 million Thursday.
Most of the film's footage was shot in June 2009 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles and The Forum in Inglewood, Calif. It includes scenes drawn from hours of rehearsal and behind-the-scenes footage.
Still going strong Friday was "Paranormal Activity," which scared up another $6 million for a phenomenal total gross of $74.2 million. As you may know by now, the film was produced on a $15,000 budget.
At a distant No. 3, "Law Abiding Citizen" with Gerard Butler and Jamie Foxx picked up $2.4 million, bringing its cume to $46.5 million. Following in fourth place with $2.3 million was "Couples Retreat" ($82.9 million total).
Meanwhile, Spike Jonze's "Where the Wild Thing Are" took home $1.9 million at No. 5, lifting its domestic total to $58.6 million. "Saw VI" followed at No. 6 with a daily gross of $1.9 million as well.
Source: Box Office Mojo (www.boxofficemojo.com)
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Reader Comments (2)
MJ was a legend. Only his movies can bring in such a huge response that its producer, Sony, is looking for 'This is also it' - a sequel of the current movie.
This film could have easily come across as a love letter to a fallen legend. It would have also been taken as a slap in the face to an already tarnished legacy left behind by a dimming star. This Is It is neither. This is a film that cuts deep, and leaves a memorable scar of hope. Jackson may have been an odd seed, but at least he wasn’t a sheep (black, OR white). He had heart, faith, and an understanding of what brilliance sounded (and looked) like. What we see here are both moments of defying confidence, and others of coyly depicted shy self-doubt.