Michael Jackson's "This Is It" Concert.

Exclusive: Director Kenny Ortega Says Expect 2 to 3 Hours of Additional Footage on THIS IS IT DVD/Blu-ray

A few days ago Collider got to speak with director Kenny Ortega for Michael Jackson’s “This Is It” via a reporter for our partner’s at Omelete. Since they had shot around 100 hours of footage when documenting the rehearsals, how much additional footage could fans expect to see on the eventual DVD/Blu-ray? According to Ortega, we’re going to get between two and three hours of additional footage. He also told me Collider it won’t be added into the movie like a director’s cut but will be part of the extras section. And for people wondering when it’ll be released, he says early next year.

Things discussed are ...

• Did anyone help him decide what to use from the 100 hours of footage
• What will be on the DVD/Blu-ray - says early next year it will be released and there will be 2 or 3 hours of additional footage
• Says the movie will be as is and all the additional footage will be a separate section of the DVD
• What is he doing next

To watch the full interview with Kenny Ortega click here.

Source: Collider

Michael Jackson's 'This is It'

DVD/ Blu-Ray Cover Artwork

Michael Jackson This Is It Travis Payne Featurette

Sony Pictures recently released this new featurette with choreographer Travis Payne from the tribute film This Is It starring the late Michael Jackson. This Is It is in theaters now.

Short Synopsis:

“Michael Jackson's This Is It” Rules the Weekend

Michael Jackson’s “This Is It” did better than anyone knew.

When Sony releases weekend box office figures today, sources say the Kenny Ortega directed concert film/doc will have done $34.5 million for the period of Tuesday night through Sunday.

That makes the total worldwide boxoffice closer to $105 million. “This Is It” is the most successful concert film ever.

So much for all the negative spin over the weekend. Indeed, the amount of it was truly puzzling. Most regular feature films would be considered “monster hits” if they’d done this well in five days.

On Sunday, the movie was screened for Academy voters. They loved it, apparently, giving “This Is It” a standing ovation. The film missed the documentary deadline for the Oscars. And it’s unlikely it will get a Best Picture nomination, despite the fervor of the Oscar blogs. A Golden Globe nomination for Comedy/Musical is more likely. And maybe a Best Song nomination for Jackson’s Paul Anka title track.

Weekend Box Office

1) Michael Jackson's This Is It - $34.5 million
2) Paranormal Activity - $16.5 million
3) Law Abiding Citizen - $7.3 million
4) Couples Retreat - $6 million
5) Saw VI - $5.5 million
6) Where the Wild Things Are - $5 million
7) The Stepfather - $3.4 million
8) Astro Boy - $3 million
9) Amelia- $3 million
10) Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant - $2.8 million

The documentary about the tour that could have been, Michael Jackson's This Is It, which opened on Wednesday took the top spot this Halloween weekend earning $21.5 million for a total of $32.5 million. The film, which sold out in many theaters across the country was on over 3,400 screens and made an average of $6,119 per screen. Last weeks big winner Paranormal Activity continued scaring up big bucks at the box office earning the number two spot with over $16 million. Playing on a little over 2,400 screens, the film earned $6,880 per screen making its total gross upwards of $84 million, which is extremely impressive for a film that only cost $15 thousand to make.

The Jamie Foxx/Gerard Butler thriller Law Abiding Citizen which was number four in it's second week last week climbed back to number three this week with $7.3 million earning back it's budget with a total gross of $51 million. Couples Retreat also moved up one spot to number four in it's fourth week on the chart with roughly $6 million making it's total gross an estimated $86.6 million surpassing it's $70 million budget. However, the biggest drop of the week came from Saw VI, which went from number two to number five with only an estimated $5.5 million.

This weekend's other two major releases did quite well on a per screen average. Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day, the sequel to the cult hit film made $6,794 on 68 screens for a total of $462,000. While Gentlemen Broncos, a film by the creators of Napoleon Dynamite was only released on two screens and made $5,000 per screen for a total gross of $10,000. Unfortunately, Halloween weekend did not scare up box office success for either Ti West's horror genre throw-back The House of the Devil or the Corbin Bernson directed Dead Air as neither film managed to crack the top fifty.

Next weekend will see three new films enter into wide release with Disney's A Christmas Carol, the highly anticipated 3D Animated re-telling of the classic Charles Dickens' story starring Jim Carrey. Also in wide release is Donnie Darko director Richard Kelly's new thriller The Box starring Cameron Diaz. Rounding out the list is the UFO horror film The Fourth Kind starring Milla Jovovich. The Men Who Stare at Goats starring Oscar Winners George Clooney and Kevin Spacey along with Ewan McGregor and Jeff Bridges opens in limited release as does the Hal Holbrook drama That Evening Sun. Check back in seven days to see who comes out on top at the box office next week.

Source: The Hollywood Reporter, Box Office Mojo (via Movieweb)

'This Is It' passes $100 mil mark

Michael Jackson's posthumous popularity continues to be a major selling point.

As Sony's theatrical release of "This Is It" crossed the $100 million mark in overseas grosses Thursday, several sellers at the American Film Market were feeling bullish on Jackson-related content, no matter how fringe.

LongTale International is peddling some rare concert and travel footage of the Jackson 5 in Africa in 1974. The Senegalese performance footage, picked up by Televentures in New York City, includes 13 songs and loads of classic Jackson brothers synchronized dancing as part of a back-to-their-roots movement in the mid-'70s.

The filmmakers plan to add two extra songs, converted to 3D, from a separate concert of the same era. Titled "The Jackson 5 in Africa," the documentary has already drawn interest from buyers in Japan, the U.K. and the States.

The international bet is a good one, considering that "This Is It's" appea lhas been greatest in Japan ($18.2 million), the U.K. ($11.1 million),Germany ($8.9 million) and France ($8.7 million). The Kenny Ortega-directed concert documentary has also drawn $43.8 million in the U.S. in nine days of release.

Also in the mix at AFM is Alexander Nohe of Walking Shadows, who has seven hours of footage of Jackson's Neverland estate that he's trying to offload.

And writer-director Bryan Michael Stoller, who made a film that he shopped at AFM in 2004 called "Miss Castaway and the Island Girls," has noticed newfound cachet in the project.

The reason? There's the small part of Agent M.J. played by Michael Jackson.

"I don't want to be exploitive, but there has been a lot of renewed interest," says Stoller, who hopes to parlay the attention into a domestic theatrical release.


As Sony's theatrical release of "This Is It" crossed the $100 million mark in overseas grosses Thursday, several sellers at the American Film Market were feeling bullish on Jackson-related content, no matter how fringe.

LongTale International is peddling some rare concert and travel footage of the Jackson 5 in Africa in 1974. The Senegalese performance footage, picked up by Televentures in New York City, includes 13 songs and loads of classic Jackson brothers synchronized dancing as part of a back-to-their-roots movement in the mid-'70s.

The filmmakers plan to add two extra songs, converted to 3D, from a separate concert of the same era. Titled "The Jackson 5 in Africa," the documentary has already drawn interest from buyers in Japan, the U.K. and the States.

The international bet is a good one, considering that "This Is It's" appeal has been greatest in Japan ($18.2 million), the U.K. ($11.1 million),Germany ($8.9 million) and France ($8.7 million). The Kenny Ortega-directed concert documentary has also drawn $43.8 million in the U.S. in nine days of release.

Source: The Hollywood Reporter