Bad 25 documentary available, but not in stores
The highly acclaimed Spike Lee documentary detailing the creative process of the King of Pop during the making of his legendary 1987 “Bad” album has finally been made available for fans around the world to purchase.
The film recently appeared quietly in the online store on the official Michael Jackson website – michaeljackson.com – with no fanfare or announcement from either Sony Music or the Michael Jackson Estate.
Today I learned that the Estate do not plan to make “Bad 25″ available to retailers around the world – meaning you can’t buy the documentary in stores. Instead documentary, which is available in both DVD and Blu-ray formats, will be exclusively sold online – at least for now.
“Bad 25″ was a huge hit with Jackson enthusiasts following its August 2012 debut at the Venice Film Festival, subsequent cinema screenings around the world and eventual television broadcasts on major networks in select regions. The film showcases Jackson’s creative genius wonderfully, taking you on an exclusive behind-the-scenes journey from the conception to the realisation of some of the most iconic visual masterpieces in music history – including “The Way You Make Me Feel”, “Smooth Criminal” and the title track, “Bad”.
It was commonly believed by fans that the documentary would be re-launched on physical formats, featuring additional unreleased footage and bonus features, in order to maintain the momentum that the initial “Bad 25″ campaign had generated. This would follow the the release of the “Bad 25″ commemorative album, Live at Wembley concert DVD and box set – all of which hit the market in September 2012.
However, since the documentary’s November 22, 2012 Thanksgiving broadcast on ABC in the U.S., the global campaign, which at one point included a Pepsi endorsement, TV ads and a CD single, had seemingly come to an end. As a result, sales of the “Bad 25″ commemorative album suffered, selling a mere 100,000 copies in the U.S. to date since its release.
In addition to being available on michaeljackson.com, the “Bad 25″ DVD and Blu-ray, which does not appear to include any additional footage or bonus features, will be made available at the merchandise stands at Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino when Cirque du Soleil’s brand new production, “Michael Jackson ONE”, premieres to the public on June 29, 2013.
Update: Spike Lee has tweeted a fan in response to questions about the documentary. Lee confirmed that the “Bad 25″ DVD and Blu-ray will be free region, released worldwide and that an extended version WILL available also. See below…
“@saino23: @spikelee will the #BAD25 be free region and released worldwide ?! will there be extended version or somethin ?!”YES”.
— Spike Lee (@SpikeLee) May 31, 2013
Fingers crossed that Spike is correct and we get to see even more footage of Michael doing what he does best. Time will tell. Stay tuned…
http://www.damienshields.com/bad-25-documentary-wont-be-available-in-stores/