Culled from 80 hours of videotape taken of the pop star's final days of rehearsals for a series of London concerts in July, director Kenny Ortega has called the film "a story of a master of his craft."
Several hundred fans, many of them wearing a single sequined glove like the one Jackson donned in the 1980s, gathered for the Los Angeles premiere and at a simultaneous opening in London. Some 150,000, including fans from Brazil and Australia, watched the L.A. event live on the Internet.
Premieres were also held in 15 other cities including Seoul, Johannesburg, Rio De Janeiro, and Berlin.
Motown Records founder Berry Gordy, and Jackson's brothers Jermaine, Tito, Jackie and Marlon were among those who paid tribute to Jackson, who died in June, days before his concert comeback.
"You are going to see preparations for what would have been one of the greatest shows ever," Jermaine Jackson told reporters. But he warned, "You are going to see him going through the motions, not giving 100 percent."
Jackson's three children, his mother and his sisters appeared not to have attended the premiere.
Jackson, who grew up as one of Motown legends The Jackson 5 and still has the best-selling album of all-time with 1982's solo effort "Thriller," died suddenly on June 25 in Los Angeles after suffering cardiac arrest at age 50.
Officials have since ruled that his heart stopped due to an overdose of sedatives and the powerful anesthetic propofol, which is utilized in surgery.
The film does not delve into the details of his death, which could result in criminal charges being filed against his doctors.
"It's a privileged path to observe Michael as the creative architect and mastermind behind his work," Ortega told Reuters. He called it "unguarded" and said "it's a unique behind-the-scenes look at the creative process of putting a show together."
