Blog: Global premiere for Jackson movie
Michael Jackson’s family and fans are attending the worldwide premiere of his documentary film, This Is It.
The star’s brothers, Jermaine, Marlon, Tito and Randy, attended the Los Angeles screening, while simultaneous premieres took place in 18 countries.
The movie was pieced together from 100 hours of rehearsal footage for the singer’s ill-fated comeback shows.
But some fans have protested outside the screenings, saying the film covers up Jackson’s declining health.
The dedicated fans, who have set up a campaign called This Is Not It, are accusing concert promoter AEG Live of putting too much pressure on the star during the build up to his 50-date run at London’s O2 Arena.
Jackson, who died on June 25 aged 50, had spent the previous four months rehearsing in Los Angeles.
More than 800,000 tickets had been sold for the concerts, with organisers promising one of the “most expensive and technically advanced” live shows ever.
He was just two weeks away from the opening night at the time of his death, which authorities in Los Angeles ruled a homicide.
Videos from the rehearsals had been intended to help the star and his creative team assess the show and was never intended for public consumption.
However, show director Kenny Ortega was persuaded to cultivate the footage into a documentary, which he has called “a legacy piece”.
