Los Angeles/Beijing - A documentary chronicling the last days of Michael Jackson hit movie screens around the world, four months after the "King of Pop" died from a drug overdose. From Los Angeles to Beijing, thousands of fans on Tuesday dressed in costume to watch the footage and pay tribute to their idol.
The official premiere took place Tuesday afternoon at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles, where Jackson's public memorial was held. Other premieres took place simultaneously in Belgium, Bolivia, Brazil, China, Denmark, Germany, Holland, Hungary, South Korea, Norway, Peru, Poland, Slovakia, South Africa, Spain, Switzerland, Uruguay, Britain and New York City.
Fans in China were typical of the wider reaction, cheering but also showing some tears. The movie, This Is It, was shown minutes after midnight at cinemas across the vast country, hours before it was due to open around the rest of the world.
"We are the first," said a proud saleswoman at the box office of the Megabox Cinema in Beijing.
"He lives on," said a 22-year-old fan in the Chinese capital, where the audience broke out in spontaneous applause and cries of "bravo."
Some fans were in tears at the end of the almost two-hour film, but others left the cinema in a jubilant mood.
Jackson shocked the world when he died on June 25 from a drug overdose caused by an anaesthetic. His personal physician is now under investigation.
This Is It was cobbled together from about 100 hours of footage shot during Jackson's rehearsals for his 50-date comeback engagement in London's 02 Arena. The movie was put together by longtime Jackson collaborator Kenny Ortega, who was also directing the stage show.
Sony Pictures bought the movie rights from concert promoter AEG for a reported 60 million dollars, and advance ticket sales for the limited two-week run are on track to make the film the most successful concert movie ever. Sony reportedly printed more than 1,500 copies of the movie.
In Los Angeles, the stars who strode the red carpet to see the film included Will Smith, Jennifer Lopez, Paris Hilton, Katy Perry, Adam Lambert, Jennifer Love Hewitt and Motown Records founder Berry Gordy Jr.
Some diehard fans have come out against the movie, setting up a website at This-Is-Not-It.com that argues that the concert promoters facilitated Jackson's drug use in a bid to get him to perform even though it was clear he was unhealthy.
However, film icon Elizabeth Taylor, one of Jackson's closest friends, has hailed the film as "the single most brilliant piece of filmmaking I have ever seen" after attending a secret preview screening last week. In a series of messages on Twitter, the actress added: "I truly believe this film should be nominated in every category conceivable."
Hailing the late entertainer as "a modern-day prophet," she wrote, "I wept from pure joy at his God-given gift. There will never, ever be the likes of him again."
Some Jackson family members are not planning to see the film, saying it would be too painful. Mother Katherine Jackson told the television programme Access Hollywood, "I don't think I can bear to look at it right now, but eventually, in time, I will watch it."
His sister La Toya even said she doubted that Jackson would have wanted fans to see him in rehearsal.
"Michael always wants to give his best," she told the show. "This is a rehearsal. He wasn't giving his all. He loves to give his all always. That's just the way he is."
