What do Ryan Coogler, Jonathan Demme, F. Gary Gray, Sylvester Stallone, Michael Bay, Peter Jackson, and M. Night Shyamalan all have in common? They love filming in Philadelphia! You want to know why? The Greater Philadelphia Film Office is the hardest working film commission that consistently supports all productions no matter how big or small, and the mastermind behind that is no other than Sharon Pickenson–who, in September, received the 4th Annual Philadelphia Storyteller Award.
Sharon, Philadelphia Film Commissioner and Executive Director of the Greater Philadelphia Film Office (GPFO) for three decades, has successfully elevated the GPFO from a little-known permit office to one of the most well-respected film commissions in the industry.
For more than three decades, as the leader in the Philadelphia film industry’s constant growth, GPFO has helped to create over $7 billion in economic impact for the southeastern Pennsylvania region.
Sharon, a longtime booster of film and television production in Philadelphia, recently stepped down as executive director of the nonprofit Greater Philadelphia Film Office. Erin Wagner and Nicole Shiner, two veteran Film Office employees, will take on her responsibilities. Sharon’s last day was November 30, 2024. She is now self-employed as the Executive Producer of Pinkerina Productions.
The city has hosted major Hollywood feature film productions including Sony, HBO, MGM, Netflix, and others featuring Will Smith, Sylvester Stallone, Harrison Ford, Nicole Kidman, Bryan Cranston, Kevin Hart, Bruce Willis, Richard Gere, Samuel L. Jackson, James McAvoy, Chadwick Boseman, Michael B. Jordan, Jason Segel, Sally Field, Adam Sandler, M. Night Shyamalan, and Kate Winslet.
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He is one of the greatest entertainers of all time, and I am a big fan, so I am excited to announce that “MJ The Musical” will be coming to Philadelphia straight off Broadway. Michael Jackson’s unique and unparalleled artistry comes to Philadelphia in MJ, the multiple Tony Award-winning musical centered around the making of the 1992 Dangerous World Tour.
Created by Tony Award-winning Director/Choreographer Christopher Wheeldon and two-time Pulitzer Prize winner Lynn Nottage, MJ goes beyond the singular moves and signature sound of the star, offering a rare look at the creative mind and collaborative spirit that turned Michael Jackson into legendary status. It’s thrilling sold-out crowds on Broadway, in cities across North America, and in London’s West End…and now MJ is startin’ somethin’ in Philadelphia as it makes its premiere at the Academy of Music in January 2025.
Recommended for ages 8 and older. MJ the Musical is a jukebox musical based on the life of the American entertainer Michael Jackson, focusing on his creative process prior to the 1992 Dangerous World Tour. It features Jackson’s music, with a book by Lynn Nottage and direction and choreography by Christopher Wheeldon.
MJ was scheduled to premiere on Broadway in mid-2020 but was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic in New York City. The production officially opened on February 1, 2022. It opened in the London West End in 2024. MJ received rave reviews and has been a success at the box office. It was nominated for 10 Tony Awards, including Best Musical, with the musical winning four awards, including Best Actor in a Musical for Frost, as well as Best Choreography, Best Lighting Design, and Best Sound Design. By November 27, 2024, “MJ The Musical” grossed over $230 million dollars and is one of the highest-grossing musical theater productions of all time.
The show opens as cast members are preparing for rehearsals for Michael’s upcoming Dangerous World Tour; the first show in Munich, Germany, is in two days. Michael recounts some of the terrors he suffered as a child and some of the memorable times when Berry Gordy played his family’s hits on his Motown label. He also recalls when he played at the Apollo Theater with the Jackson 5 and how he wasn’t nervous. There is a smorgasbord of songs that will take you down memory lane.
The musical was announced in June 2018. Wheeldon spoke about the musical, stating, “The show is very much anchored in one particular moment in time. I always bring up the fabulous movie that Spielberg made about Lincoln: You take one key moment, I suppose, in the history of someone’s life and then sort of use that as an anchor point for past storytelling and, perhaps, some kind of prophecy of what’s to come. We’ll be doing that with this story.”
I plan to see “MJ The Musical” this time around!!!
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Closing out this week’s news, among regular films in release, Universal’s “Wicked” continued to beat “Moana 2” daily, in the Monday through Thursday span, despite the sequel beating the Broadway musical on the weekends. “Wicked” made $3M yesterday, “Moana 2” $2.2M. Why is that? Essentially, kids are in school during the week and that’s why “Moana 2” makes a comeback on the weekends. “Wicked” weekdays are full of adult women. I’m told once we get into the Christmas break period, we’ll see “Moana 2” closing the gap with “Wicked” on a daily basis. “Wicked” ends its third week with $50.8M, a total of $336.5M, while “Moana 2” grossed $62.8M for a running sum of $310.8M.
Well, that’s the Philly Beat!!!
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