Michael Jackson fans hit the cinemas of Beijing at midnight on Wednesday to celebrate the release of the posthumous documentary on the singer, This Is It.

The final work of the "King of Pop", made from more than 100 hours of rehearsal footage for his planned London concerts, shows an enthusiastic Jackson crafting his moves and performing some of his most beloved hits. Director Kenny Ortega calls it "a story of a master of his craft".

Jackson's sudden death on June 25 saw an outpouring of grief across the world. Fans performed Jackson hits such as Dangerous and Beat It, on stage and in the aisles, at the film's premiere. Extra late-night screenings of This Is It at 14 cities are being held to satisfy fans who cannot wait to see the 112-minute film. Its distributor Sony is doing a limited, two-week release in other countries, but this does not apply to China.

Other films showing at cinemas include:

Knowing

An action-thriller starring Academy Award winner Nicolas Cage, opens this weekend. It revolves around a professor John Koestler who suffers terrifying predictions about the future and tries to prevent them from coming true.

Astro Boy

The powerful robot that influenced a whole generation of Chinese children 30 years ago has been on the big screen since Oct 23. In this 3D animation, which took a 500-strong crew five years to complete, the young hero will once again fight evil forces to save his city.

Radish Warrior

Crazy Stone' bumbling thief Huang Bo plays a 50-year-old amateur inventor in this comedy directed by first-time director Tian Meng. (Copyright 2001 by China Daily)