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Thousands of Michael Jackson fans are counting down the hours to This Is It, the documentary about the King of Pop's final days. The film opens in cinemas at midnight.

Zhang Rui, the 27-year-old founder of Michael Jackson's fan club in China, said there is a lot of excitement about the 110-minute film. It opens in major cinemas in Beijing at midnight on Wednesday and will run for two weeks.

It will open in other cinemas around the city later on Wednesday.

"A lot of my friends cannot help counting down to the moment," Zhang told METRO yesterday.

"Some of us will sob or cry when we sing his songs, I am sure. But we will not simply be mourning for him. It is a tribute to his legacy, because we feel quite warm when we sing those melodies," he said.

This Is It is a documentary that records Jackson's rehearsals for his London concert before his death in June. Beijing will screen the film 12 hours ahead of many other cities around the world because of the time difference.

In the 1,100-seat Saga Cinema, located in Solana shopping center in Chaoyang district, more than 1,000 film tickets sold out in just two days.

"That has never happened before," said a cinema spokesman.

"The best premiere record used to be Transformers. But the MJ documentary is even better than that (and) don't forget the fact that this premiere is going to be held on a working day," he said.

The theater at Solana will hold a party attended by celebrities including well-known film director Jia Zhangke and songwriter Zhang Yadong, to celebrate the premiere.

The documentary will be screened in English, with Chinese subtitles. It is a combination of interviews and backstage footage of Jackson that have never been seen before.

Questions:

1. When does the film This Is It open in cinemas in Beijing?

2. What is the film about?

3. Who will attend the Solana theater party for the film’s premiere?

Answers:

1. At midnight on Wednesday.

2. It is a documentary that records Jackson's rehearsals for his London concert before his death in June.

3. (Well-known film director) Jia Zhangke and (songwriter) Zhang Yadong.

（英語點津 Helen 編輯）

About the broadcaster:

Nancy Matos is a foreign expert at China Daily Website. Born and raised in Vancouver, Canada, Nancy is a graduate of the Broadcast Journalism and Media program at the British Columbia Institute of Technology. Her journalism career in broadcast and print has taken her around the world from New York to Portugal and now Beijing. Nancy is happy to make the move to China and join the China Daily team.