Michael Jackson fans poured out of cinemas around the world on Wednesday applauding a new movie about the singer which they said proved he deserved the title, King of Pop.
Their excitement at the heavily hyped release of This Is It was mixed with sadness that one of history's biggest music stars and most troubled celebrities died before he could bring his live comeback to the stage.
Despite a largely successful launch, a small number of Jackson fans raised objections to This Is It, which they said concealed the "dire state" of Jackson's health in his final days and exploited the singer, who leaves behind three children.
"Those who stood to make a profit chose to ignore it. What would have been a limited series of concerts in London has now turned into a global cinema and merchandising event, generating huge amounts of extra profit for AEG, Sony, and many more." said website this-is-not-it.com.
Early indications are that the movie will be a winner for Sony with ticket sales expected to run into several hundred millions of dollars. In Britain, Odeon, the biggest cinema chain, reported strong sales of 1,00,000 as of Wednesday morning.
Columbia said the movie will be extended beyond its two-week run if ticket demand is high and also plans to release the DVD for the movie in early 2010.
Do you think screening a movie of his last days is a fitting tribute to Michael Jackson's legacy? Or is this simply a shameless cash grab?
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