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Fresno joins Jackson fans worldwide at flim premiere

Moviegoers gather in Fresno for 'Michael Jackson's This Is It.'

Published online on Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2009

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Michael Jackson fans in Fresno and around the world filled movie theaters Tuesday night to be the first to see “Michael Jackson’s This Is It.”

From evening and midnight screenings in North America to middle-of-the-night and morning showings in Europe, Asia and elsewhere, the film arrived simultaneously worldwide in the biggest cinematic blowout ever for a music film.

At the Los Angeles premiere near the arena where much of Jackson’s rehearsal footage was shot, celebrities attending included Will Smith, Jennifer Lopez, Paris Hilton, Neil Patrick Harris, Katy Perry, Adam Lambert, Jennifer Love Hewitt and Motown Records founder Berry Gordy Jr.

“This Is It” played like a concert, the celebrity audience applauding after each number. The film shows Jackson confidently keeping pace with dancers half his age, doing his moonwalk and other signature moves on such hits as “Thriller,” “Billie Jean” and “Beat It.”

In Fresno, fans lined up in the cool weather Tuesday afternoon outside the Edwards Stadium 22 to see the film, which was being shown on two screens at 9 p.m. and at midnight. One of the 9 p.m. shows at Edwards was sold out. Theaters all over the Valley sold tickets to 9 p.m. and later screenings.

It was a small, loyal group that passed the time Tuesday afternoon outside Edwards.

Sophia Barela, 28, dressed as Michael Jackson for a talent contest her sophomore year at Fresno High School. She became known as “Miss Jackson” around school after that performance.

“And I am going to dress as Michael again for Halloween,” Barela said as she pulled a thin jacket closed over her Michael Jackson T-shirt to block the cold wind that swept through the River Park area.

She said her passion for Jackson has been passed down to her 4-year-old nephew Benjamin Ramirez, who plans to dress as the werewolf Jackson from the “Thriller” video to go trick-or-treating.

At least one couple was not thrilled by the release of the documentary as they handed out fliers to those waiting in line pointing out that the movie ignores the medical problems Jackson faced during the rehearsals.

Opening in 99 countries Tuesday and today, the film expands to 110 territories by this weekend, with distributor Sony putting 15,000 prints of “This Is It” into circulation.

“I was tossing and turning with nervous feelings all night. Michael Jackson is a hero in my life, and I cannot wait to see the final shot of Michael,” said Noh Kyeong-ae, a 34 year-old accountant, sobbing at a movie theater in Seoul, South Korea.

The simultaneous showings around the globe were anchored by the star-studded Los Angeles premiere at the Nokia Theatre.

The plaza in front of the Nokia Theatre was transformed into an elegant red-carpet arrivals area, with a dozen crystal chandeliers, displays of Jackson’s past costumes and “This Is It” spelled out in giant letters. Jackson memorabilia was on sale inside, from T-shirts proclaiming “I Love MJ” to key rings reading “King of Pop.”

A few lucky fans won seats along the red carpet, while others filled the surrounding area, cameras in hand. Jackson’s hits played on a loudspeaker.

Johnny Kuhn of San Pedro won tickets to the premiere and came downtown early with his wife and two sons to take in the scene. He said he expected “This Is It” would be “happy and sad.”

“We’ve lost a legend,” Kuhn said.

Not quite a concert film, not quite a documentary, “This Is It” is like nothing that has hit theaters before.

It comes just months after Jackson’s death, with fans still eagerly digesting every scrap of news about him. It distills more than 100 hours of footage shot as Jackson rehearsed for the concerts in the weeks before his death. And it truly is a final glimpse of an artist who ruled the pop charts in the 1980s before retreating to a reclusive life amid allegations of child molestation.

Advance ticket sales for the film have been brisk, but no one has a handle on how big the turnout might be this week.

Some think it’s likely to surpass the $31.1 million opening weekend and the $65.3 million lifetime haul of “Hannah Montana & Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert,” the biggest concert movie on record.

Some expect a $100 million total domestic haul. Others think it could go much higher, but how high is anyone’s guess.

Distributor Sony treated the film like the crown jewels, keeping it under wraps until the big blowout Tuesday night.

Sony, which paid $60 million for the film rights, plans to have the movie out for just over two weeks, lending it some of the exclusivity of Jackson’s aborted concert stand in London.

“We think the 16 days is right. It’s sort of a special event that you want to frame in a special way,” said Rory Bruer, head of distribution for Sony.

Based on the initial fervor when tickets first went on sale in late September, Fandango.com expected that “This Is It” easily would shoot past the box-office receipts of Cyrus’ movie, said Rick Butler, chief operating officer.

Since then, though, sales have leveled off, so it’s uncertain Jackson’s movie will hit that mark, Butler said.