Oscar dream for Jackson movie

The Michael Jackson documentary could be a contender for a best picture Oscar, Sony said.

Studio spokesman Steve Elzer said it would submit This Is It for Academy Awards consideration this year.

It missed the deadline to be considered for a 2009 documentary Oscar, but the film about the late King of Pop's preparations for a series of comeback concerts will be eligible in several other categories at the Academy Awards, including sound, film editing, director and best picture.

This Is It opened worldwide on Wednesday and has already earned £12.3 million at the box office, along with praise from critics and fans who say it restores Jackson's reputation as a world-class entertainer.

Director Kenny Ortega, a long-time Jackson collaborator who was overseeing his London concert comeback, crafted the nearly two-hour film from more than 100 hours of footage recorded during rehearsals for the O2 shows, which were to have begun in July. Jackson died on June 25 at 50.

"What we did here was focus on telling a good story and creating a film for the fans, really enabling them to understand what Michael Jackson had dreamed for them," Ortega said.

He added that it was his hope "the audience for this film will grow and that as many people come to see it as possible because I think that it's a wonderful story about a brilliant man. ... Awards, Oscars, that's all great wishful thinking."

The film has already landed on top of the domestic box office with 7.4 million US dollars in its first day and 12.7 million US dollars overseas.

The film is also set to become the second top grossing music documentary, beaten only by Hannah Montana And Miley Cyrus: Best Of Both Worlds.