“Michael Jackson’s This Is It” pulled in $101 million worldwide in its first five days, and distributor Sony is extending the farewell performance film beyond its planned two-week run.

The film was the No. 1 Halloween thriller domestically with a $21.3 million opening weekend, according to studio estimates Sunday.

The previous weekend’s No. 1 movie, Paramount’s low-budget horror sensation “Paranormal Activity,” slipped to No. 2 with $16.5 million, lifting its total to $84.8 million.

“This Is It” raised its domestic total to $32.5 million. The movie pulled in $68.5 million overseas, including $10.4 million in Japan, $6.3 million in Germany, $5.8 million in France and $3.2 million in China.

“He’s just loved everywhere on the planet,” said Rory Bruer, head of distribution for Sony.

“It doesn’t matter if it’s Asia, Africa, Australia, Europe, South America. Every continent in the world loved him and his music.”

In Great Britain, where Jackson had planned a marathon series of 50 London concerts starting last July, the movie earned $7.6 million.

“This Is It” captures Jackson in behind-the-scenes performances in the weeks before his death last June, as he rehearsed his biggest hits for the London shows.

“This Is It” originally was scheduled for a theatrical run of only two weeks.

The studio has extended it a few more weeks domestically, leaving it in theaters through Thanksgiving weekend, one of the year’s busiest moviegoing times.

Sony plans to extend the run of “This Is It” overseas on a country-by-country basis, with most territories probably getting one to three weeks of extra playing time, Bruer said.

The studio paid $60 million for film rights to Jackson’s rehearsal footage, an investment the movie recouped in days.

“They bet $60 million on this and got $101 million in just five days,” said Paul Dergarabedian, box-office analyst for Hollywood.com. “It was a gamble and a bet that paid off.”

The movie fell far short of last year’s $31.1 million opening weekend domestically for “Hannah Montana & Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert.” But Bruer said “This Is It” has a shot at surpassing the $65.3 million domestic total during the entire run of Cyrus’ movie, which tops the all-time charts for music documentaries.

Worldwide, “This Is It” already has shot past Cyrus’ concert film. Cyrus mainly appeals to American teens, and her movie got only a limited release overseas, where it took in about $5 million to give the film a global total of just over $70 million.

“This Is It” played in 3,481 theaters domestically, about five times the number for Cyrus’ movie. But “Best of Both Worlds” ran in 3-D, for which theaters typically charge a few dollars more.

And Cyrus’ young fans are an audience segment that tends to rush out to see movies over opening weekend, the movie doing nearly half its business in the first few days.

Sony hopes for a longer shelf life for “This Is It,” which drew older crowds that catch movies on their own schedule, with less regard for the opening-weekend frenzy. Fans older than 25 accounted for 62 percent of the audience, according to Sony.

While “Paranormal Activity” led Halloween’s scary movies, an established horror franchise lost its fear factor as Lionsgate’s “Saw VI” fell sharply in its second weekend after an anemic debut.

“Saw VI” came in at No. 5 this weekend with $5.6 million, raising its total to just $22.8 million after 10 days. Previous sequels in the serial-killer series all had topped $30 million during opening weekend alone.

Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Hollywood.com; final figures will be released Monday:

1. “Michael Jackson’s This Is It,” $21.3 million.

2. “Paranormal Activity,” $16.5 million.

3. “Law Abiding Citizen,” $7.3 million.

4. “Couples Retreat,” $6.1 million.

5. “Saw VI,” $5.6 million.

6. “Where the Wild Things Are,” $5.1 million.

7. “The Stepfather,” $3.4 million.

8. “Astro Boy,” $3.04 million.

9. “Amelia,” $3 million.

10. “Cirque du Freak: The Vampire’s Assistant,” $2.8 million.

birthday, a spokesman for Michael Jackson’s family said yesterday.

He will be buried at a private ceremony at Forest Lawn-Glendale on August 29 more than two months after his death on June 25. Guests will be limited to family and close friends.

“The Jackson family once again wishes to express its gratitude to MJ’s fans for their support during these difficult times,” said spokesman Ken Sunshine.

The cemetery

Jackson will be buried on the Holly Terrace at the cemetery’s Great Mausoleum.

The cemetery’s website describes the mausoleum as featuring replicas of works by Michelangelo. It also features a stained glass recreation of Leonardo da Vinci’s The Last Supper.

Forest Lawn spokesman Bill Martin said the cemetery does not comment on private funeral services.

Michael Jackson’s mother has moved the King of Pop’s body to a secret freezer because she wanted it kept where she could visit him privately.

Jackson’s body had been temporarily entombed in Motown legend Berry Gordy’s family crypt at a cemetery in the Hollywood Hills. But it was reported that Jackson was moved under tight security to the basement of another cemetery, reported mirror.co.uk.

Katherine is apparently refusing to let her son be buried because she is terrified robbers will snatch his body. So Jackson lies alone in a small, bare brick “cold room” in a gold casket that is under perspex to keep out frost.

“She cries and says that she’s sorry and that she loves him,” said a source.

There are plans to move Jackson’s body to a permanent memorial accessible to the public.

King of Pop Michael Jackson will finally be laid to rest almost two weeks after his death.

Both his private funeral and very public memorial event will be held today.

The star’s close family members will gather at Forest Lawn Cemetery at 8 am (8.30 pm IST), where they will say their final farewells to MJ’s body.

The Jackson clan Joe, Katherine, Jackie, Tito, Marlon, Jermaine, Randy, LaToya, Rebbie and Janet Jackson will all be there.

Some serious star power will be turning out in the King of Pop’s honour.

Singers Mariah Carey, Jennifer Hudson, John Mayer, Lionel Richie, Usher and Stevie Wonder will be performing at the service. Basketball stars Kobe Bryant, and Magic Johnson will also be attending.

Police are warning fans not to show up at the downtown Staples Center arena unless they were among the lucky few with tickets.

The appeal came after 1.6 million people entered an online lottery hoping to be among 8,750 registrants to win tickets for the service.

Fans from around the world have been arriving in LA and there have been fears of logistical chaos if hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets.

Meanwhile, a judge has removed Jackson’s mother as administrator of his estate.

A judge had named Katherine, who was close to her son throughout his life, as temporary executor of his estate shortly after the pop icon died on June 25.

But in line with Jackson’s will, which emerged last week, a Los Angeles court handed the estate over to lawyer John Branca and music executive John McClain.

Where do his children go from here? What happens to his debts? Was there a will? Where are his record sales heading after his death? Is his family satisfied with the autopsy?

His body
His family might seek a second independent autopsy as they have “questions” about the cause of the pop star’s sudden collapse and death on Thursday. Veteran US politician and activist Jesse Jackson, who met members of the Jackson family at their Encino compound, said they were angry and frustrated by “unanswered questions” surrounding Jackson’s death. Jesse Jackson, who is not related to the family, said the relatives also wanted to know the role of the singer’s doctor, Conrad Murray.

His children
Legal experts see a big battle ahead, not only for what remains of his fortune but also for the custody of his children who would stand to inherit his money. 12-year-old Michael Joseph “Prince” Jackson Jr, 11-year-old Paris Michael Katherine Jackson and 7-year-old Prince Michael II Jackson were in Jackson’s sole custody after his divorce from Debbie Rowe, the two older kids’ biological mother. It is not known if a will has been left behind but friends say he might have wanted his mother to have custody of his children.

His debts
He made $50 million a year and his overall worth was believed to be around $750 million. Yet, when he died, Michael Jackson was $500 million in debt. He spent simply millions on extravagant buys that made headlines the world over. It is reported that there was no financial planning, not for himself, neither for his children. However, at the time of his death, he still had part-ownership to 251 songs written by Paul McCartney and John Lennon, worth $1 billion.

The concerts
Michael Jackson was to do 50 concerts starting July 13. It is believed that organisers are expecting to recover some costs through insurance. But nothing is known about how they will refund fans who’d bought tickets priced between £50-75 each. Total losses incurred will be north of £300 million. This includes the cost of the venue, O2 Arena in London, as it will now lie unused for the duration of the show. £50 million is estimated to have been spent on 7.5 lakh tickets.

Record sales
Sales of his albums have gone up. Rajesh Salian, Landmark, Andheri said, “Michael Jackson’s 25th Anniversary Deluxe edition DVD is sold out.” Rhythm House’s Mehmood Curmally says, “We have sold around 70 copies of his music since Friday. Sivaraman Balkrishana, deputy manager, marketing, Crossword said, “In Mumbai we used to sell 15 to 20 albums in a week. We sold 15 on Saturday. The most selling album is The Essential Michael Jackson followed by Dangerous and Thriller.”