'This Is It',' the film based around the rehearsals for Michael Jackson's cancelled London concert residency, topped the North American box office charts, figures released on Sunday showed.

The movie, which was released in the US on Wednesday (Oct. 28), took $21.3m (£13m) over the weekend, taking its five-day haul to a massive $101m (£61.5m).

The film had been premiered in 19 cities around the world on Tuesday (Oct. 27) , including London, New York and Los Angeles.

The film had only been due to have a two-week run, but Columbia Pictures has now said it will now be in cinemas until Nov. 29, the BBC reported.

Its topping of the charts, compiled by Hollywood.com, is all the more impressive given that its number one place is in Halloween weeks, where major movies usually lose out to horror films.

'This Is It' is drawn from more than 100 hours of Los Angeles rehearsals ahead of the planned 50-date residency Jackson was supposed to play at London's O2 Arena. Jackson died, aged 50, weeks before the shows were supposed to begin. His death is being treated as homicide.