"The biggest concert film of all time: 'This' is it with $101M "

Michael Jackson's This Is It, the backstage documentary filmed before the star's death in June, became the highest-grossing concert film worldwide with $21.3 million for the weekend, lifting its five-day total to $32.5 million in the USA and $68.5 million internationally, according to studio estimates from Nielsen EDI.

The $101 million total eclipses the record set by Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert Tour, which earned $70.6 million worldwide last year.

Sony Pictures, which released the film and initially said the movie would play for two weeks, announced Sunday that it would play through the Thanksgiving weekend. Sony's "$60 million to acquire rights was money well spent," says Paul Dergarabedian of Hollywood.com.

Unlike Cyrus' movie, which made just $5.4 million overseas, This Is It stands to be a juggernaut there, where Jackson's star never came under the glare it did in the USA.

And considering the film was a concert movie without the concert, This Is It earned strong reviews from critics, who praised its personal glimpse into the reclusive singer's world. The picture earned recommendations from 80% of reviewers, according to RottenTomatoes.com.

"This is a rare glimpse into a genius's work," says Sony's Rory Bruer.

Not that Paranormal has anything to be ashamed of. On Thursday the film became, at least technically, the most profitable film ever. It surpassed the $60,000 The Blair Witch Project, which delivered $248.6 million worldwide, or a 414,213% return on investment.

Paranormal, meanwhile, was shot for $15,000, meaning its midweek haul of $65.1 million pushed it past Blair Witch with a 433,900% investment return.

Paramount has spent hundreds of thousands to acquire and market the movie, but it remains a pittance compared to the big-studio average, which is $60 million to produce and $40 million to market a wide-release movie, according to the most recent MPAA statistics.

"I think this shows you don't need gore and body parts and huge budgets to make an effective horror movie," says Paramount vice chairman Rob Moore.

The Jamie Foxx thriller Law Abiding Citizen was third with $7.3 million. The comedy Couples Retreat was fourth with $6.9 million, followed by Saw VI, which dropped to fifth place and $5.6 million.

Ticket sales were up 7% over the same weekend last year. Final figures are due Monday.

http://www.usatoday.com/life/movies/news/2009-11-01-boxoffice02_N.htm