Michael Jackson's 'This Is It' thrills movie-goers
AFP Global Edition | 2009-11-01 20:00:18
<div><p>"This Is It," a backstage look at the late Michael Jackson's rehearsals for his last concerts, rocked to the top of the North American box office at the weekend, early estimates showed Sunday.</p><p>The Jackson film, cashing in on the outpouring of affection for the US pop icon after his death earlier this year, earned 21.3 million dollars in its debut weekend.</p><p>The Halloween weekend crowds preferred the last moments of the moon-walking master of the spooky musical hit "Thriller" to scary movie "Paranormal Activity" which took a second spot with 16.5 million dollars.</p><p>"Law Abiding Citizen," a thriller about a man bent on avenging the deaths of his slain family, moved up to the number three spot with 7.3 million dollars.</p><p>It was trailed by a former number-one "Couples Retreat," starring comic favorites Vince Vaughn and Jason Bateman, now in fourth place with 6.09 million dollars.</p><p>The latest in the "Saw" films series, "Saw VI," was in fifth place with 5.6 million dollars, trailed by "Where the Wild Things Are," director Spike Jonze's live-action rendering of the beloved children's book of the same name, with 5.1 million.</p><p>In the seventh spot, "The Stepfather, a remake of a 1987 thriller, earned 3.4 million dollars.</p><p>"Astro Boy," in eighth place with three million, is a 3-D animated feature film about the futuristic robot who first came to life in the 1950s as a character in the beloved Japanese science fiction manga series of the same name.</p><p>"Amelia", a film about aviatrix Amelia Earhart starring Oscar-winner Hilary Swank, reaped three million dollars for the number-nine spot.</p><p>Teen vampire vehicle, "Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant," based on a popular young adult book franchise, brought in 2.8 million dollars at number 10.</p><img src="http://admatch-syndication.mochila.com/images/ad.gif?aid=62447219&bid=informcom" /></div><div id="copyright"><div>
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