Bieber Bashes Box Office; Will He Match Michael Jackson's 'This is It'?
by Richard Sharp
Looks like the non-stop cavalcade of Justin Bieber promotions the past couple of weeks has paid off.
The man with the world’s most expensive locks had a blowout night at the box office last night, bringing in $12.3 million worth of tickets from 3,105 theaters for his new G-rated concert documentary “Never Say Never,” besting out the new Adam Sandler comedy “Just Go With It,” which raked in a comparably paltry $9.7 million from 3,548 theaters, according to Boxofficemojo.com.
The man-child who spawned a whole generation of lesbian imitators has spent the past couple of weeks saturating the market, with a Super Bowl ad, an appearance on Letterman (including delivering the Top Ten), and a cameo on SNL.
While “Never Say Never” is sure to make bank here in the U.S., the real money in this kind of film is in international release. The 2009 Michael Jackson concert film “This is It,” for example, grossed $72 million domestically, but made a killing internationally, raking in an additional $189 million, for a $261 million global take.
Bieber has proved a master of marketing and self-promotion, and, though he doesn’t have anywhere near the long-term legendary status of Michael Jackson, his ability to saturate the market can currently only be matched by someone like Lady Gaga.
Bieber Goes Acoustic
In other Bieber babble, the teen superstar is busy rehearsing for his Grammy performance alongside Usher and Will Smith’s other child/budding star (besides the hair-whipping Willow) Jaden Smith.
The two collaborated on the new film’s title track, “Never Say Never.” Popeater is reporting that the performance will begin as an acoustic number before evolving into a more uptempo groove, which is presumably where Usher would enter the picture.
Bieber is nominated for Best New Artist and Best Pop Vocal Album at this year’s Grammys.