'Michael Jackson: This Is It' and There is Nothing to Add

    It may be the first and, perhaps, last time when Michael's fans would see previously unreleased scenes of his last year of life on big screen. The Michael Jackson music documentary is selling out theaters around the world.

Photo: 'Michael Jackson: This Is It' and There is Nothing to Add

    Michael Jackson's This Is It is a 2009 American concert film documenting Michael Jackson's rehearsals of the concert series of the same name, both on stage and behind the scenes. The film will comprise of Jackson mentoring his team for the 50 shows, as well as him creating, developing, and ultimately staging the high-tech performances.

  The footage was filmed at The Forum and the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. Despite originally being set for an October 30, 2009 release date, the film's release date was rescheduled for October 28, 2009, with a limited two-week run. Tickets went on sale a month early, September 27, 2009, to satisfy a high anticipated demand.

    Advance shows in some markets the night before also are selling out. All 3,000 tickets for screenings at a Los Angeles cinema were snapped up in two hours, with some fans lining up for nearly three days.

    Sony says that 30,000 tickets were sold in the first 24 hours in London, while $1 million worth of tickets were sold in Japan within the same time period.

    The film will also contain interviews with friends of Jackson and 3-D sequences originally filmed as part of the concert performance. Candid and private scenes involving Jackson and his crew have been confirmed. While several songs have been featured in the promos for the film, no official set list has been officially released.

       On August 10, 2009, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Mitchell Beckloff approved a deal between Michael Jackson's estate, concert promoter AEG Live and Sony Pictures. This allowed Sony Pictures to edit the hundreds of hours of rehearsal footage needed to create the motion picture. Sony subsquently paid $60 million for the film rights. The trailer first premiered during the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards on September 13, 2009, along with the simultaneous launching of the official movie website.

The Associated Press  contributed to the report.