Jackson movie set for Chinese screens

(China Daily)
Updated: 2009-10-07 14:03

HONG KONG: The Michael Jackson documentary This Is It has snapped up one of the last of the country's 20 annual foreign movie import slots, a Sony Pictures executive said yesterday.

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Chinese authorities approved the film before the weeklong National Day holiday that started on Oct 1, clearing it in time for the global release date of Oct 28, Li Chow, Sony Pictures Releasing International's general manager for China, told AP in a phone interview.

Li said Sony Pictures will give the movie as wide a release as possible because of Jackson's big fan base in China, depending on how many prints they can issue before Oct 28. China reportedly had nearly 4,100 screens at the end of 2008.

"We'll do as many prints as possible. It depends on the labs," Li said.

The country allows 20 major foreign films to be released in the country every year on a revenue-sharing basis. Its two most recent all-time box office records were both set by US films. Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen broke the 11-year-old record set by Titanic in July by earning 400 million yuan ($59 million).

Directed by longtime Jackson collaborator Kenny Ortega, Michael Jackson: This Is It draws on hundreds of hours of footage as Jackson prepared for a series of London concerts for which he was rehearsing before his death on June 25.

AP-China Daily