"Michael Jackson's This Is It" managed to top the US box office with $21.3 million

Despite the usual dip in box office numbers during a Halloween weekend, "Michael Jackson's This Is It" managed to top the US box office with $21.3 million, and dominate worldwide with an estimated $101 million in its opening frame.

Sony announced it is extending the film's domestic run through Thanksgiving weekend, or by three weeks – which means that the movie's DVD release has also been pushed back by roughly the same amount of time.

The disc was originally set to be released prior to Christmas, but due to a regulation that usually forces studios to wait a minimum 90 days before releasing a new film to DVD, "This Is It" will now make its debut in late January or early February, 2010, according to the Los Angeles Times. Hollywood Reporter columnist Roger Friedman says the DVD release date will be Jan 20.

Overseas, the studio will decide whether to extend the film's theatrical run on a territory by territory basis.

"This is It," which opened Tuesday night, grossed an estimated $32.5 in its 5 ½ day domestic bow from 3,481 runs. It ran on 15,000 screens worldwide.

Meanwhile, the AP reports that Sony has decided to submit the documentary for Academy Award consideration in categories ranging from film editing and sound to best picture and best director. As previously reported, the deadline has already passed for films competing in best documentary, the category in which "This Is It" had the best chance of competing.

Friedman points out that "This is It" is on track to be the third-largest-grossing documentary in history, putting it right behind Michael Moore’s “Fahrenheit 911? and “Earth,” and ahead of Moore’s other films, as well as Al Gore’s “An Inconvenient Truth” and Madonna’s “Truth or Dare.”