Two L.A. Movie Releases Go for Guinness Records
by Alesandra Dubin

Published: October 26, 2009
BizBash Los Angeles

Attention-grabbing stunts intended to break Guinness world records are surrounding two movie launches in town this week. On Saturday, more than 6,000 made-up and costumed fans converged on Nokia Plaza at L.A. Live to participate in a world record attempt for the most people simultaneously dancing the routine from Michael Jackson's "Thriller" video—part of a worldwide simultaneous dance event known as "Thrill the World." The upcoming release on Wednesday of the movie Michael Jackson's This Is It inspired the stunt.

The participants wore a specially created T-shirt distributed free by event sponsor TapouT. (Fans can also purchase the shirt online with a portion of the proceeds benefiting the City of Hope.) Clear Channel Radio Los Angeles sponsored the event, which was hosted by its stations' on-air personalities.

The world premiere of This Is It, culled from concert footage shot at Staples Center, will take place at Nokia Theatre Tuesday night at 6 p.m., with the first public showings taking place on all 14 screens of the new Regal Cinemas—serving as the venue's own debut—beginning at 9 p.m.

Also tomorrow, Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment will attempt to break the record for tallest ice sculpture—currently held by a 40-foot creation made in Dubai in 2006—to coincide with the release of the Ice Age 3: Dawn of the Dinosaurs Blu-Ray disc and DVD. The event will take place at the seasonal ice skating rink, Ice at Santa Monica, and the sculpture will be 45 feet tall, making use of more than 133,000 pounds of ice gathered across four states. Artists from Blue Sky Studios developed the model, which took months of preparation. A team of 14 sculptors from Newport Beach-based Ice Bulb LLC, are building the sculpture over a period of more than four days.