At the Movies: This Is It

The Michael Jackson documentary This Is It opens in theaters today. The double CD album of “music that inspired the movie” is currently on sale. The CD is not a soundtrack. It is a collection of studio recordings of many of the songs heard performed live in the film. The collection includes 14 of Jackson’s hit songs, two versions of the previously unreleased single This Is It and four demos.

The album cover is a squared version of the movie poster (right). It features a silhouette of Jackson on a smoke-filled stage on which has been superimposed a colorful “quilt” of images from the artist’s live performances. It is a very strong image and quite approriate as a tribute to the late King of Pop.

There will undoubtedly be a lot of media coverage surrounding the film. There are already reports that it accounts for over 61% of online ticket sales. We are certain to see fans lining up at theaters.

It seems that earlier predictions that Michael Jackson mania would be a short lived fad have proven to be inaccurate. The film is certain to boost sales of the This Is It and Jackson’s most popular albums.