Michael Jackson Is Still a Gigantic Celebrity the World Over—Except in New York

By Brian Moylan, 12:11 PM on Wed Oct 28 2009, 4,890 views (Edit, to draft, Slurp)

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Last night was the premiere of This Is It, and there were galas in 16 cities around the world. Most of them were huge, ornate affairs. Except in New York, where barely anyone noticed.

According to the New York Times, the premiere at both the AMC Magic Johnson theater in Harlem and the Regal E-Walk Stadium 13 in Times Square were a complete bust. There has been a lot of anticipation for the film, cobbled together after Jackson's death in June with footage recorded at rehearsals for the This Is It tour. Well, anticipation everywhere but the Big Apple. Only a few dozen fans gathered at the Magic Johnson, and the Regal only sold out one of the three screens the movie was playing on, even though they managed to attract a bunch of B-listers.

Compare that to L.A., which filled the Nokia Theatre LA Live and had all sorts of A-listers turn out. In France, Germany, and China, thousands of fans—many in their finest Michael Jackson regalia—went to check out the film. In New York, everyone yawned and went home early on a rainy night.

Let us compare some pictures of the evening, shall we?

[Images via Getty]