As of Saturday morning, Sony Pictures and 20th Century Fox had reportedly emerged as the leading contenders in a Hollywood auction of film rights to the rehearsal videos of Michael Jackson’s This Is It tour, though other studios continued to press bids. Outcome of the auction is expected some time next week.
A number of studios had been offered the rehearsal material by AEG, the company that was preparing Mr. Jackson’s tour, and Sony, Fox, Paramount and Universal Pictures had all submitted bids.
By Saturday, people who were briefed on the auction — who spoke on condition of anonymity, because they were not authorized to discuss it — said Fox and Sony appeared to have made the most aggressive push for the rights. Sony appeared to be the most likely buyer, in part because Sony Music has rights to Michael Jackson’s music and would be in a better position than other buyers to exploit a concert film.
It was not immediately clear how much was currently being offered for the rights. Bids were reported to have begun at $50 million.
Queries to spokesmen for Fox, Universal, Paramount and Sony drew no comment on Saturday.
The recordings were reportedly “great,” with the last day on Wednesday being the “best,” and all of them “enough for a show,” NBC News reported at the time. The footage includes production meetings and auditions and behind-the-scenes showing Michael Jackson and his dancers occupying several spaces in the Staples Center, and Michael going from room to room supervising the rehearsals.
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