This Is It tops worldwide box office
VARIETY BOX-OFFICE REPORT: Jackson docu wins domestic, foreign markets
By Pamela McClintock of Variety -- Video Business, 11/2/2009
NOV. 2 | VARIETY BOX-OFFICE REPORT: Auds around the world helped Sony's This Is It open to a mammoth $68.5 million at the international B.O. -- the fifth biggest foreign bow of the year -- but the Michael Jackson pic's domestic debut was more modest at $32.5 million in its first five days.Worldwide opening haul of $101 million for five days, topped by Japan's $10.4 million, led Sony to announce it is extending the film's two-week run by three weeks in North America. Overseas, the decision to extend will be made on a territory-by-territory basis.
This Is It bowed Tuesday night. Domestic total included $21.3 million in weekend ticket sales from 3,481 theaters, enough to win the sesh over Paramount's sleeper hit Paranormal Activity, according to Rentrak.
Paranormal nevertheless continued to draw moviegoers, declining just 22% and adding 459 runs for a total theater count of 2,404. Pic grossed an estimated $16.5 million for a per-location average of $6,880, the second best of the frame, and a cume of $84.8 million in its sixth sesh.
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