Red leather jackets, gold military outfits, and sequin-studded shoes were all under one roof Wednesday night as fans filed in for the midnight premiere of Michael Jackson's This Is It at the West Gate Regal Theatre in Sunset Valley, TX. While final ticket numbers won't be in till Friday, Sony Pictures has stated that $2.2 million worth of tickets have been sold domestically.
Regardless of what records This Is It may or may not break (especially with records combined overseas where the movie is expected to do better), the West Gate Regal Theater had enthusiastic fans together to celebrate what would have been Jackson's magnum opus. The theater drew crowds that filled about two-thirds of the total seats.
The setting and overall atmosphere for the performance felt like an intimate concert just for Jackson's fans as special lanyards displaying the movie's poster were given out in a limited run. As the lights dimmed and the film rolled, fans appropriately cheered, awed, laughed, and even teared up with each scene and performance that lit the screen. One thing that was clear as the nearly two hour music documentary came to its' melancholy finale was the realization that the movie's tagline was right: the audience discovered a man that was never known.
This Is It is not perfect. The movie will not be remembered for being the best music documentary or even provide any sort of social discussion or insight about the man behind the music. And that in itself could quite possibly be the best thing about the movie. After years of hearing differing perspectives on Jackson, after years of media torment about the King of Pop, and even after years of watching an artist fall from the top of his game, This Is It shows the creative vision behind one of the most celebrated singers of our generation. For the first time, audiences get to see Jackson at his best without any external interference, allowing the music to truly speak for itself. Truly, this is it.
This Is It is rate PG and is now playing in theaters nationwide. Go to www.movietickets.com for movie times near you.
Regardless of what records This Is It may or may not break (especially with records combined overseas where the movie is expected to do better), the West Gate Regal Theater had enthusiastic fans together to celebrate what would have been Jackson's magnum opus. The theater drew crowds that filled about two-thirds of the total seats.
The setting and overall atmosphere for the performance felt like an intimate concert just for Jackson's fans as special lanyards displaying the movie's poster were given out in a limited run. As the lights dimmed and the film rolled, fans appropriately cheered, awed, laughed, and even teared up with each scene and performance that lit the screen. One thing that was clear as the nearly two hour music documentary came to its' melancholy finale was the realization that the movie's tagline was right: the audience discovered a man that was never known.
This Is It is not perfect. The movie will not be remembered for being the best music documentary or even provide any sort of social discussion or insight about the man behind the music. And that in itself could quite possibly be the best thing about the movie. After years of hearing differing perspectives on Jackson, after years of media torment about the King of Pop, and even after years of watching an artist fall from the top of his game, This Is It shows the creative vision behind one of the most celebrated singers of our generation. For the first time, audiences get to see Jackson at his best without any external interference, allowing the music to truly speak for itself. Truly, this is it.
This Is It is rate PG and is now playing in theaters nationwide. Go to www.movietickets.com for movie times near you.
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