Fans get final thrill at world premiere of Michael Jackson's film

Fans get final thrill at world premiere of Michael Jackson's film

Pop king Michael Jackson delivered a posthumous thriller on Tuesday as fans flocked to worldwide premieres of a documentary film billed as his final concert performance.

Four months after Jackson's death, red carpets were rolled out for eighteen simultaneous screenings on 5 continents for "This Is It," culled from over one hundred hours of footage that is taken from rehearsals for the pop icon's comeback.

The Los Angeles premiere started as parts of the city were plunged into darkness as punishing gusts downed dozens of power lines.
Travis Payne, choreographer for the show, said, “It's time to celebrate Michael, to rejoice in his wonderful message of peace and love. People will enjoy seeing the Michael Jackson I always got to see."

The Hollywood screening mirrored events that were held in places like Europe, Africa, Asia and South America before the two-hour film comes out in 99 countries on Wednesday for a limited two-week release.

In Beijing, a troupe of Jackson impersonators grabbed their crotches and moonwalked for hundreds of screaming fans as the movie premiered in China. At the Beijing Premiere

Fans, wearing single white gloves and clutching posters of the late pop star, shrieked as the lookalikes danced in unison to hits like "Thriller" and "Beat It" outside the central Beijing cinema where the film was screened at midnight.

The USA Today newspaper said that the film did not "restore Jackson to his past glory" and also "offer glimpses of his bygone greatness."

Advance tickets to shows in several countries sold out within days as fans scrambled to be among the first to see a film billed by Sony Pictures as the movie of "a concert that never happened."

Jackson, who died on June 25 aged 50, spent the previous four months rehearsing in Los Angeles for a grueling series of 50 concert spectaculars scheduled to begin at London's 02 Arena in July.

Over  800,000 tickets had been sold for the concerts, with organizers promising one of the "most expensive and technically advanced" live shows ever.

The video footage from the rehearsals had been intended to help organizers critique the show and was never intended for public viewing. Sony bought the footage for 60 million dollars after executives saw only several minutes.

The movie also got a stamp of approval from Michael Jackson's long-time friend and confidante, actress Elizabeth Taylor, who was privy to a sneak preview.

Despite the anticipation surrounding the film, a group of diehard Jackson fans had launched an online campaign urging devotees to boycott the movie, claiming it hides the truth about his final days.

The group claims on its website -- "This-Is-Not-It" -- that the movie attempts to mask Jackson's physical frailty as he maintained a punishing schedule of rehearsals.

But audience members at the first screening said that Jackson looked healthy in the film.Hillman said, "Michael Jackson was very fit. Very healthy. It was the old Michael Jackson, the young Michael Jackson," "I was really surprised how creative and healthy and rhythmic he was."