If you missed the big Michael Jackson movie this year, you might get another shot. At least if you live in the right place.
The film, simply called “Michael,” wrapped up its first run in late September. It did huge business, somewhere around 1.028 billion dollars worldwide. Then the lights went down and it left theaters, the way movies do.
Except this month it quietly turned back up on big screens overseas. And fans there are lining up to see it all over again.
A first look at the movie, the official trailer
If you haven’t seen Jaafar Jackson playing his uncle yet, watch how much he looks and moves like him.
Here’s where it’s showing again. Over in the UK and Ireland, cinema chains like ODEON and Cineworld have put it back on their October schedules. There are screenings at the Rooftop Cinema Club in London too, and at Cineworld in Dublin.
This isn’t an official re-release from the studio. It’s individual theaters choosing to bring it back, most likely because Halloween and “Thriller” season are right around the corner. What better month to watch the King of Pop light up a giant screen?
But the part fans are really buzzing about is one special format. Some Cineworld locations are showing it in something called 4DX. If you’ve never been to a 4DX screening, you’re in for a surprise.
What a 4DX screening actually feels like
Take a look at this and you’ll understand why people come out of these screenings grinning.
In a 4DX theater, the seats actually move. They rock and tilt and rumble right along with the action on screen. There’s a puff of wind here, a little effect there, all timed to the music while the whole room reacts around you. For a movie built on dancing and rhythm, you can imagine how that feels during the big numbers.
So fans aren’t simply rewatching the film. They’re feeling it in a way the first run never offered.
For folks here in the States, you haven’t been left out. “Michael” is available to watch on Starz and on digital, so you can see it from your own couch whenever you like.
Still, there’s something about a crowd of fans, a huge screen and a seat that moves with the music. If you’re overseas this month, it might be worth checking your local listings before the screenings are gone for good.
Watch the clips above, then decide for yourself. Would you sit in a shaking seat to see Michael one more time?