3D Michael Jackson Concert Film Coming in October

A judge’s approval has officially sealed a $60 million deal with Sony to release This is It, a compilation of rehearsal footage recorded as Michael Jackson prepared for his planned concert series in London.

High School Musical director Kenny Ortega will put together the movie (he was previously on board as choreographer of Jackson’s shows), which was shot in HD earlier this summer in L.A. Some sequences will be available in 3D. Sony has an international release planned for Oct. 30. 

Although interest in the film is obviously expected to be huge, the staggering sum Sony ultimately paid for rights to the movie suggests that the studio expects it to be the most popular concert feature of all time. The current benchmark was set by the Hannah Montana concert flick last year, which earned just more than $70 million worldwide. 

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