Michael Jackson’s “This is It” will hit Inland Empire-movie screens on Tuesday. Regal Entertainment Group, which operates the theater at the Riverside Plaza, is offering some of the first moviegoers a replica “Backstage Pass” and lanyard, according to the company.

Theater companies small and large are competing for dollars and prestige with the release of this movie. The Mary Pickford Theatre, in Cathedral City, originally expected to show the film on one screen. This week theater officials were informed that it will receive two prints of the film, according to General Manager Ted Hane.

“The movie is actually going to be in theaters for 2 weeks and 2 days,” said Hane. “We’ll show it on 2 screens in theaters that hold about 750 people each,” Hane says.

Click here to watch a video preview of “This is It.”

The end of October is typically the time of year when cheaper-horror movies become standard fare on movie screens. “Ordinarily you don’t see big movies coming out right now that are expected to bring in big numbers,” according to Hane.

The Mary Pickford Theatre will offer its first show at 9:00 p.m. on Tuesday. The movies are delivered on 35mm film, typically by a private-courier service. Wider movie releases are often limited by the cost of printing a film, which can run $7000 for a 2-hour feature. “This is It” has a runtime of 1 hr. 51 minutes.

Regal Entertainment Group is the largest movie chain in the nation. It’s promoting the replica “Backstage Pass” offer for the first 2,000 Micheal Jackson moviegoers nationwide, so it’s unclear how many passes may be available in Riverside. Locally, Regal will also show it’s first run of the movie at 9:00 p.m.

Micheal Jackson’s movie promises “a rare, behind the scenes look at the performer as he developed, created and rehearsed for his sold-out concerts that would have taken place beginning this past summer in London’s 02 Area,” according to a statement by Regal.

–InstantRiverside.com

Filed under Entertainment, News A2

Monday, October 26, 2009

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