Thriller 3D Update

[MusicMan26]

I saw it tonight. Very nice! The quality is amazing.

 

[MJTruth]

Yeah there's a phrase that comes in too early in the dance sequence. It doesn't sound drastically wrong though. Albeit I didn't listen to the full thing.

The Estate can **** off with that next year rubbish. How many years are we going to actually have to wait for it??

And I place the blame squarely on the Estate's shoulders. Why on earth would IMAX choose to show it in only two random British cinemas?

I wouldn't be too harsh on the estate. It's clear they wanted it to have a wider release, as did imax. The limited release is because cineworld and Odeon have decided not to show it. If either one had chosen to show it we wouldn't have any issues. I wish I knew why they refused to show it.

 

[CrazyVegasMJ]

I just watched your film-looks so good. But is Michael's head cut off that much, or was that your filming it too low? Glad you could sneak your camera in. Thank you!

My iPhone camera was dipping lower than the top of the screen because I was so focused on what was happening to the screen.. but I did manage to post a comparison photo in a follow up tweet to my original tweet video

 

[BadTour87]

What a disappointing UK run. Was expecting much more than simply two locations...

 

[Nite Line]

Okay, I don’t really care much about this Thriller 3D, but it’s a big shame that they are only showing it at two UK cinemas. Considering UK was and still is one of Michael’s strongest and biggest music markets, that is a big shame. Whoever is responsible for this debacle (probably the estate) must hang their heads in shame.

 

[KOPV]

^ I feel you, though im in the US. I'll have to say though welcome to our world lol! You know how many events and projects over the years us US fans miss out on Because of that reason you explained? It's like being punished for someone else's actions.. over and over again

 

[ChrisC]

The limited release is because cineworld and Odeon have decided not to show it.

Any source?

 

[MJTruth]

Any source?

No.

Imax initially advertised it as being shown widely in the UK but later changed their site. They clearly expected, and were promoting, thriller to show here.
The MJ Estate would never have planned that two obscure cinemas in the UK would show it.

It's clear Odeon and cineworld decided not to show it. Whether it be because the terms weren't favourable or for other reasons I don't know.

 

[Mikky Dee]

Okay, I don’t really care much about this Thriller 3D, but it’s a big shame that they are only showing it at two UK cinemas. Considering UK was and still is one of Michael’s strongest and biggest music markets, that is a big shame. Whoever is responsible for this debacle (probably the estate) must hang their heads in shame.

It's not the Estate. I'm tired of people automatically blaming the Estate with these knee-jerk reactions, for things that are beyond its control. The Estate announced weeks ago that as the IMAX theatres are all privately owned by different respective companies, it is up to each set of theatre owners to decide on programming. UK should be grateful that it has any theatres at all showing Thriller 3D, because in Australia there are NONE.

 

[dam2040]

It's not the Estate. I'm tired of people automatically blaming the Estate with these knee-jerk reactions, for things that are beyond its control. The Estate announced weeks ago that as the IMAX theatres are all privately owned by different respective companies, it is up to each set of theatre owners to decide on programming. UK should be grateful that it has any theatres at all showing Thriller 3D, because in Australia there are NONE.

The whole thing is a mess from all involved. (unless you're in the US, then go enjoy the film!)

 

[Mikky Dee]

I do worry sometimes people think I'm just moaning for the sake of it on here, I feel my posts are often negative but it only comes from a place of love and wanting MJs work done right.

They are most of the time and honestly it's depressing. Michael Jackson News and Discussion is tweeted out automatically, every day, so this part of MJJC is the face we show to the world. I do have eternal hope, though, that a more positive vibe can be created as time goes on......on this site and also throughout the entire MJ fandom.

 

[Mikky Dee]

The whole thing is a mess from all involved. (unless you're in the US, then go enjoy the film!)

Well, that's IMAX for you....or 3D in general, in my opinion. I've always thought the whole concept of 3D as a "thing" would not last long, but it seems to be still hanging in there, if tenuously. Most people report that 3D makes them feel sick, or gives them a head-ache or something. I don't think the interest has ever been there, on a large enough scale, to warrant the expenditure. The ONE IMAX theatre in my city shows 2D most of the time.....it's rare to see a 3D film showing there at all.

 

[dam2040]

They are most of the time and honestly it's depressing. Michael Jackson News and Discussion is tweeted out automatically, every day, so this part of MJJC is the face we show to the world. I do have eternal hope, though, that a more positive vibe can be created as time goes on......on this site and also throughout the entire MJ fandom.

I can't sit back and enjoy subpar releases with mistakes, though. There's no point in being positive for the sake of it.

Well, that's IMAX for you....or 3D in general, in my opinion. I've always thought the whole concept of 3D as a "thing" would not last long, but it seems to be still hanging in there, if tenuously. Most people report that 3D makes them feel sick, or gives them a head-ache or something. I don't think the interest has ever been there, on a large enough scale, to warrant the expenditure. The ONE IMAX theatre in my city shows 2D most of the time.....it's rare to see a 3D film showing there at all.

I'm stunned as well. I thought 3D died years ago when tech companies botched the release of it (consumers were never going to understand or care for passive vs active 3D glasses). The technology is really good when done well, but for the most part it's the cheesy 'reach out' at you that doesn't add anything to the film, but novelty.

 

[wonderouzmj]

I'm here now & I just saw it. I recorded the whole thing but i couldnt hold the phone right for being so amazed. The dance segment is the best. Michael is so vivid & red. I'm uploading in mega & it will be available in 2000watts. I cant wait to watch it on my galaxy vr in 3d. Now i cant wait to see ghost!

 

[MJTruth]

It's not the Estate. I'm tired of people automatically blaming the Estate with these knee-jerk reactions, for things that are beyond its control. The Estate announced weeks ago that as the IMAX theatres are all privately owned by different respective companies, it is up to each set of theatre owners to decide on programming. UK should be grateful that it has any theatres at all showing Thriller 3D, because in Australia there are NONE.

I'd love to know what they think of this situation though. No tv company in the UK bought the Halloween cartoon last year.

the UK was one of mj's biggest markets but it seems the estates tv and film projects are now being vetoed. There's not alot the mj estate can do to fix that.

 

[Hess]

I would love to be able to see it on the big screen. - But I doubt IMAX Denmark will get it next year.

So I really hope for a Blu/Ray or 4K UHD release soon.

I would like more reviews of the film. How is the quality, is the colouring ok, is the sound good etc. etc.

 

[MJTruth]

The MJ Estate say it might move to other territories next year to cover the fact that it has been a shambles this year.

Don't be fooled. They WANTED a worldwide release THIS year. They would never plan for such a limited release.
Just like they wanted the Michael Jackson's Halloween cartoon to be on TV in as many countries as possible LAST YEAR. They suggested that would also be coming back year after year and expanding into other countries.

In my opinion, MJ projects are being ignored and it's worrying for the future. It's true that IF an MJ project was uber successful in the USA then it would potentially attract interest from outside the USA later, but in my opinion that's going to be unlikely to happen with MJ's Halloween or Thriller. Video piracy means that following a limited release in one country, even one cinema screen(!), the video will be freely available on the net for those who want to see it. So yes, the MJ Estate would have planned for a worldwide release for MJ's Halloween LAST year and a worldwide release for Thriller THIS year. With the MJ's Halloween now being freely available on the net I doubt any TV network is going to pay good money to show it. It's unlikely we'll ever see MJ's Halloween on UK TV.

Piracy DOES harm the MJ Estate in a very direct and damaging way. In a less direct way it also impacts the MJ fan community negatively because it harms the Estate's projects and profitability. We even have at least one member on this very board who has deliberately recorded Thriller and said they'll upload it to 2000Watts!! It should not be allowed on the board IMO but that decision is out of my hands.

 

[dam2040]

The MJ Estate say it might move to other territories next year to cover the fact that it has been a shambles this year.

Don't be fooled. They WANTED a worldwide release THIS year. They would never plan for such a limited release.
Just like they wanted the Michael Jackson's Halloween cartoon to be on TV in as many countries as possible LAST YEAR. They suggested that would also be coming back year after year and expanding into other countries.

In my opinion, MJ projects are being ignored and it's worrying for the future. It's true that IF an MJ project was uber successful in the USA then it would potentially attract interest from outside the USA later, but in my opinion that's going to be unlikely to happen with MJ's Halloween or Thriller. Video piracy means that following a limited release in one country, even one cinema screen(!), the video will be freely available on the net for those who want to see it. So yes, the MJ Estate would have planned for a worldwide release for MJ's Halloween LAST year and a worldwide release for Thriller THIS year. With the MJ's Halloween now being freely available on the net I doubt any TV network is going to pay good money to show it. It's unlikely we'll ever see MJ's Halloween on UK TV.

Piracy DOES harm the MJ Estate in a very direct and damaging way. In a less direct way it also impacts the MJ fan community negatively because it harms the Estate's projects and profitability. We even have at least one member on this very board who has deliberately recorded Thriller and said they'll upload it to 2000Watts!! It should not be allowed on the board IMO but that decision is out of my hands.

It doesn't make any sense, Xscape was very successful in the UK. Everything that followed [albeit they have been half-assed mini projects, Thriller is a good step in the right direction] hasn't done so well or even seen the light of day in the UK.

 

[wonderouzmj]

We even have at least one member on this very board who has deliberately recorded Thriller and said they'll upload it to 2000Watts!! It should not be allowed on the board IMO but that decision is out of my hands.

Yep that would be me but i had to wait a whole year to see this let alone ppl on here who may not ever see it. Tomorrow is not promised to nobody so why not show what my eyes have seen. You act as if thiller has never been seen before. It's the same video but cleaned up to a T! "YOU SHOULDN'T WORRY ABOUT THE THINGS THAT YA CANT CONTROL!"

 

[SmoothGangsta]

I obviously don't know the details of all of this but the estate should have definitely struck a deal with cinemas to get this shown instead of just expecting them all to pick it up.

 

[smooth-criminals]

It's not the Estate. I'm tired of people automatically blaming the Estate with these knee-jerk reactions, for things that are beyond its control. The Estate announced weeks ago that as the IMAX theatres are all privately owned by different respective companies, it is up to each set of theatre owners to decide on programming. UK should be grateful that it has any theatres at all showing Thriller 3D, because in Australia there are NONE.

Grateful? I'm happy that those remotely nearby Cambridge or Bradford are able to go to the limited showings. But as a whole country, we should be grateful? Ridiculous. There are no major cities. There is no organisation. There is no promotion - Nothing. You claim that a lot of people have a negative knee-jerk reaction to the estate, and I agree - they do. But sometimes that is absolutely warranted, and this is one of those times.

They've just spent a shit tonne organising the Vegas celebration - Why not have Sony do their part, and so the same thing on a smaller scale around the world for his Birthday? Thriller 3D. One / two nights only and then a limited showing with the attached movie where theatres partake, where available. Every one (mostly) is happy then. It's all about logistics, money, sales and return investment. Not a happy fan base.

Despite Theatres, especially independently owned ones - having full control on what they screen, and what they don't screen - This has been planned for quite some time. You don't just attach a movie, then announce it two weeks before. The mass negative reaction to this outside of the USA and Canada is one that could have easily been predicted. The Estate have even said they're happy at the negative reaction as that further proves their cause that next year, they can push it to more territories. The entire thing is bullshit. Michaels' legacy deserves more, and we as a fan community need to demand more. It's not unreasonable, at all.

 

[MJTruth]

Yep that would be me but i had to wait a whole year to see this let alone ppl on here who may not ever see it. Tomorrow is not promised to nobody so why not show what my eyes have seen. You act as if thiller has never been seen before. It's the same video but cleaned up to a T! "YOU SHOULDN'T WORRY ABOUT THE THINGS THAT YA CANT CONTROL!"

I'm not acting like that at all, but now you mention it I think it's worth pointing out that nobody had seen THIS version of Thriller before - a version with cleaned up footage, reworked audio, subtly extended scenes, an addition at the end, and of course 3D! That's why the fans were so eager to see it in cinemas. That's why there has been so much positive reaction on Twitter. This new version was bought and paid for by the MJ Estate. They (and MJ) deserve more respect from the fans IMO.

But whatever. You could apply your same broken logic to any legally protected film, song, album, book etc.

The MJ Estate WILL release this commercially in the future. They spent enough money on it to almost guarantee that. The lack of a global cinematic release may even increase the chance of a release, but piracy does nothing but reduce the chance of that happening. It's shameful enough that MJ's own fans damage the MJ Estate's assets by facilitating piracy for old material, unreleased demos etc, but to do so for current commercial projects is...well I won't even say it here.
Sorry to be blunt but if you think the delay before an official release happens (or even the prospect of it not being released at all) justifies your piracy then more fool you. Actually I'm not sorry at all. It is what it is.

 

[MJTruth]

Grateful? I'm happy that those remotely nearby Cambridge or Bradford are able to go to the limited showings. But as a whole country, we should be grateful? What are you smoking? There are no major cities. There is no organisation. There is no promotion - Nothing. You claim that a lot of people have a negative knee-jerk reaction to the estate, and I agree - they do. But sometimes that is absolutely warranted, and this is one of those times.

Despite Theatres, especially independently owned ones - having full control on what they screen, and what they don't screen - This has been planned for quite some time. You don't just attach a movie, then announce it two weeks before. The mass negative reaction to this outside of the USA and Canada is one that could have easily been predicted. The Estate have even said they're happy at the negative reaction as that further proves their cause that next year, they can push it to more territories. The entire thing is bullshit. Michaels' legacy deserves more, and we as a fan community need to demand more. It's not unreasonable, at all.

Yes, this was planned. They knew they wanted to do this for at least the last year.
It is clear they wanted to show it in the UK but for some reason Odeon and Cineworld declined.
The UK has been so supportive over so many years, it's a shame that the vast majority of UK fans won't see this in the cinema. As I mentioned before I don't buy this bull about them rolling it out to other countries next year. It's been done. they won't revisit it again any time soon.

 

[MJTruth]

Ollie at Odeon is still saying

"Hi there, this hasn't been confirmed yet. Please keep an eye on our website and social media channels for updates - Ollie."

I don't know if he has any inside information at all or whether he is just as in the dark as the rest of us.

 

[MJTruth]

Oddly the USA screenings of Thriller 3D appear to be before 2D screenings of the main film. (not many films are routinely shown in 3d these days).

so people pay for their 2D tickets for the main film (less than the 3D ticket price). Then staff hand out 3D glasses for Thriller 3D and presumably collect them back again at the end. It's a bit of an awkward way to arrange this. Normally people pay a deposit for the 3D glasses don't they? But I haven't seen anybody mention paying for a deposit in the 3D screenings in the USA. In fact some were completely unaware that they'd see Thriller 3D until the glasses were given to them. Some didn't even know until it appeared on screen because the glasses hadn't been given to them! So the glasses the cinemas hand out haven't been paid for in the normal way. some may go missing. Managing this is extra effort for cinema staff that isn't paid for through the price of 3D ticket sales, because the film is 2D and so is set at standard rate. Unless somebody (i.e. IMAX or the MJ Estate) offer them some incentive, I can see why the cinemas would choose not to show Thriller 3D.

It's a wild guess, but perhaps this has been a sticking point in the UK negotiations? I can see that the cinema chains wouldn't want to go to this extra effort unless it was made worth their while.

Now, we all know that a 2D version of Thriller was also certified by the BBFC, so there is also the question of why NO chains have decided to show the 2D version instead of the 3D version.

 

[KOPV]

^ I am a bit confused of your comment because from what I See it plays in Imax before a 3D movie... Imax is known to play 3D films on a larger screen than the average theater in 3D with great surround sound.

 

[MJTruth]

Yes I know what you're saying.
I'm not in the USA, so I only know what I've seen written online. People say that they saw Thriller 3D before 2D screenings of A house with a clock in its walls.

 

[MJTruth]

More updates from Ollie at Odeon

I can't say I'm afraid we have had no confirmation on it - Ollie

There is nothing to clarify because we have no info on this at the moment I'm afraid - Ollie

So it seems they have no information at all.
I don't hold out any hope at all for Odeon showing it. The ship has sailed.

 

[Paris78]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="de"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">This is the happiest and greatest day of my entire life! I went to go see <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Thriller3D?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Thriller3D</a> on September 21st. I dressed up as Michael Jackson while going to see the movie. I can’t believe my dream came so true! I’m a truly huge # 1 fan of Michael Jackson &#127775;&#128526;&#129321;&#10024;<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MichaelJackson?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#MichaelJackson</a> <a href="https://t.co/vWfcxNUoSE">pic.twitter.com/vWfcxNUoSE</a></p>&mdash; Josh Jackson (Michael Jackson) (@JMBillieJean) <a href="https://twitter.com/JMBillieJean/status/1044088346207817728?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">24. September 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="de"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Yesss I’m here &amp; ready! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Thriller3D?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Thriller3D</a> can’t waiiit. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TheFunkOfFourtyThousandYears?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#TheFunkOfFourtyThousandYears</a> <a href="https://t.co/xk2iGflLgJ">pic.twitter.com/xk2iGflLgJ</a></p>&mdash; &#128081; Long Live The KING &#128081; (@MJDoggoneLover) <a href="https://twitter.com/MJDoggoneLover/status/1044247911004098565?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">24. September 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

[DuranDuran]

by Brad Brevet • September 23, 2018 • Box Office Mojo

Despite the over performance of Universal's new release The House with a Clock in Its Walls and the strong hold from Lionsgate's A Simple Favor, this weekend is still one of the worst of the year. Things weren't helped by the soft openings from Fahrenheit 11/9, Life Itself and Assassination Nation as the three other new wide releases struggled to find an audience. Additionally, for the second weekend in a row, the previous weekend's #1 film dipped mightily in its sophomore session.

At the top of the weekend box office is Universal and Amblin Entertainment's The House with a Clock in Its Walls with an estimated $26.85 million. Heading into the weekend the expectation was for a debut in the low twenties as it wasn't quite clear whether this one could match the performance of the previous Jack Black kid-targeted family horror Goosebumps, but in fact it managed to outperform the 2015 release, which debuted with $23.6 million before going on to gross just over $80 million domestically. Goosebumps did receive slightly better reviews and the "B+" CinemaScore for Clock is a bit below the "A" for Goosebumps so there's no telling if these variations will have any kind of major effect, but given the release timing of Clock it is positioned well to play throughout the Halloween holiday.

Of the film,'s 3,592 theaters, House with a Clock in Its Walls opened on 400 IMAX screens in North America, generating an estimated $2.5 million of the film's opening weekend gross. Included with those showings was an exclusive IMAX 3D version of Michael Jackson's Thriller. How much of a draw the music video may have been isn't clear, but it's an interesting side note to a solid debut for the $42 million production.

Internationally, Clock debuted in just 14 markets, bringing in an estimated $3.1 million led by Germany with an estimated $789k. Next weekend the film will open in France, Russia and Thailand.