Michael Jackson's This Is It

Michael Jackson's This Is It
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Kenny Ortega
Written by	Kenny Ortega Michael Jackson
Produced by	Randy Phillips Kenny Ortega Paul Gongaware
Starring	Michael Jackson
Cinematography	Sandrine Orabona Tim Patterson[1]
Edited by	Don Brochu Brandon Key Tim Patterson Kevin Stitt
Music by	Michael Bearden
Production companies	Columbia Pictures AEG Live[2] The Michael Jackson Company
Distributed by	Sony Pictures Releasing Sony Music Entertainment
Release date	October 26, 2009 (2009-10-26)[3]
Running time	113 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$60 million
Box office	$267.9 million ($380 million in 2023 dollars)[4]

Michael Jackson's This Is It is a 2009 American documentary film about Michael Jackson's preparation for This Is it, a series of concerts that were cancelled due to his death in 2009. Named for the concert residency of the same name, the film includes additional behind the scenes footage, including dancer auditions and costume design. The film's director, Kenny Ortega, confirmed that none of the footage was originally intended for release, but after Jackson's death, it was agreed that the film would be made. The footage was filmed in California at the Staples Center and The Forum.

The film was given a worldwide release and a limited two-week theatrical run from October 28 to November 12, 2009, but the theatrical release was later extended for an additional three weeks in domestic theaters and one to three weeks in overseas markets.^[5] Tickets went on sale a month early on September 27 to satisfy a high anticipated demand; the film broke numerous pre-sale and box office records.

Since the film's confirmation, AEG Live faced criticism, mostly consisting of claims that they had made the film only to make a profit. Multiple members of Jackson's family had confirmed that they did not support the film, and some family members went as far as to try to stop the film agreement in August. The film has also been surrounded by allegations regarding the appearance of body doubles in place of Jackson, which Sony denied, and it faced outrage from some of Jackson's fans, with some going as far as to start a protest against the film. In August 2009, a judge approved a deal between Jackson's estate, concert promoter AEG Live, and Sony Pictures. The agreement allowed Sony to edit the hundreds of hours of rehearsal footage needed to create the film; Sony subsequently paid $60 million for the film rights.^[6]

The film received generally positive reviews from both critics and Jackson fans; the portrayal of Jackson and his performances were generally praised, while criticism mainly consisted of both critics and fans who felt that the film was made simply to profit from Jackson's death and that Jackson would not have wanted the film released because he was a "perfectionist". Despite some fans boycotting the film and his family not endorsing the film, the ticket sales for This Is It broke international records a month before its release. It made $267.9 million (equivalent to $380 million in 2023) worldwide, and it is listed in the Guinness World Records as the highest-grossing documentary film at the global box office.^[4][7] By the end of 2010, the DVD sales for This Is It stood at 2.8 million units, with gross earnings of $45 million in the US alone. In Japan, This Is It earned $18 million in sales on the title's first day of release with 358,000 combined DVD sales.^[8]