“This Is It” Revised Box Office: U.S. $34.5 Million

Michael Jackson’s “This Is It” did better than anyone knew.

When Sony releases weekend box office figures today, sources say the Kenny Ortega directed concert film/doc will have done $34.5 million for the period of Tuesday night through Sunday.

That makes the total worldwide boxoffice closer to $105 million. “This Is It” is the most successful concert film ever.

So much for all the negative spin over the weekend. Indeed, the amount of it was truly puzzling. Most regular feature films would be considered “monster hits” if they’d done this well in five days.

Poor Michael Jackson. This was all he ever wanted.

On Sunday, I’m told, the movie was screened for Academy voters. They loved it, apparently, giving “This Is It” a standing ovation. But I wouldn’t get too excited. The film missed the documentary deadline for the Oscars. And it’s unlikely it will get a Best Picture nomination, despite the fervor of the Oscar blogs. A Golden Globe nomination for Comedy/Musical is more likely. And maybe a Best Song nomination for Jackson’s Paul Anka title track.