'Michael Jackson's This Is It' debuts tonight

Michael Jackson might have been the King of Pop, but the verdict is still out about his concert film debuting tonight on the big screen.

Opening in local theaters at 11:01 p.m., "Michael Jackson's This Is It" is a film documenting the Gary native's rehearsals for what may have been his comeback concert tour. Jackson died on June 25, weeks before the tour's start.

Tickets for the film have been available for several weeks, and some theaters have reported sluggish advance ticket sales.

Portage 16 IMAX general manager Kevin Morgan said Friday only 30 advance tickets had been sold for the late-night premiere.

"I had more ticket presales for the 'Twilight (Saga): New Moon' movie Nov. 20 at 12:01 a.m. than Michael Jackson's," he said.

Advance tickets sales also were more than three times higher for the recent "Saw VI" movie premiere, Morgan said.

"There's a lot of hype around 'This Is It' but the presale tickets aren't spectacular," he said. "There are a lot of excited fans and it will be a successful film, but it doesn't appear people are planning around it."

"This Is It" also will premiere tonight at Kerasotes Showplace theaters in Hobart and Schererville, where management deferred questions regarding the film to its Kerasotes Chicago office. Phone calls to the office by The Times weren't returned, but one manager at Showplace 16 in Schererville said "New Moon" presale was doing much better.

Nationally, advance ticket sales 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.

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.

One local fan excited to see the film is Adam Clough, who had the opportunity to meet Jackson during his visit to Gary in 2003. The Portage resident also attended the singer's memorial service at The Steel Yard in Gary, and his mother saw Jackson in concert three times.

"Seeing the movie is the closest I can get now to seeing a concert of his," Clough said. "His music always has a great impact on everyone."

Distributor Sony is treating the film like the crown jewels, keeping it under wraps until the big blowout tonight, when there will be simultaneous premieres worldwide, followed by Wednesday's official theatrical debut. No critics have seen it, and entertainment journalists were shown 12 minutes of footage last week before interviews with the filmmakers.

"This Is It" is scheduled to run in theaters for two weeks but may be extended if it does well. A DVD release is planned for February.

Associated Press movie writer David Germain contributed to this report.

"Michael Jackson's This Is It"

Advance screenings set for 11:01 p.m. today at select theaters.

Wednesday times and locations:

Portage 16 IMAX (on two screens): 11 a.m., 11:30 a.m., 1:30 p.m., 2 p.m., 4:05 p.m., 4:35 p.m., 6:40 p.m., 7:10 p.m., 9:25 p.m., 9:55 p.m.

Kerasotes Showplace 12 (Hobart); Showplace 16 (Schererville); Showplace 14 (Michigan City): 1:30 p.m., 4:15 p.m., 7 p.m., 9:45 p.m.

For more participating theaters check local listings.