Oscar dream of Michael Jackson film

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," Mr 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."

To qualify, the film must complete a seven-day run in Los Angeles County and film-makers would need to "submit the proper paperwork", said Leslie Unger, spokeswoman for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which puts on the Oscars.

Sony, which paid £37 million for the global film rights, plans to keep This Is It in cinemas for just over two weeks.

Meanwhile, Jackson's collaborators on Thriller say they are due more than £1.4 million from the singer's estate.