Michael Jackson's This is It is Thrilling Sony At The Box Office

Documentaries rarely rank first in box office, but Michael Jackson's This Is It topped ticket sales in U.S. and Canadian movie theaters this Halloween weekend, bringing in $21.3 million for Sony Corp., the film's distributor.

This is Sony's seventh first-place opener this year, and it's no surprise that the movie -- probably the most hyped documentary in cinema history -- is a big earner. It opened on Wednesday, October 28 on 3,400 screens across the country, making an average of $6.119 per screen for an overall total of $32.5 million. Many of the showings were sold out.

Directed by Kenny Ortega, the film chronicles Jackson's rehearsals for his big comeback tour that was to have premiered at London's O2 Arena this past August, just two weeks after Jackson's sudden death on June 25, due to a lethal combination of drugs. It shows the King of Pop refining his numbers and interacting with cast and crew, but makes no mention of the troubles in Jackson's life nor of the circumstances of his death.

If the film's big box office take continues to roll in, let's see whether Sony retires Michael Jackson's This is It as announced. You can read my full review.

(PHOTO: 'Michael Jackson's This is It' Poster Art. Courtesy Sony Pictures).