Michael Jackson’s This Is It led Thursday’s box office with $2.17 million, in what should be the film’s final day in first place domestically. This Is It was up 3 percent from Wednesday and down a solid 42 percent from last Thursday. That suggests that the much hyped Sony release will hold up well this weekend. Thanks in part to solid midweek business This Is It grossed $32.65 million for the week, which places the film’s nine-day total at $43.86 million. This Is It is currently $21.43 million away from matching the domestic performance of 2008’s Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert Tour (which charged higher admission prices, but also played in much fewer locations).

Paranormal Activity remained in second place with $0.98 million. Paramount’s low-budget horror film was up 9 percent from Wednesday, which represented the film’s first daily increase since this past Saturday. However, Paranormal Activity was down 40 percent from last Thursday as a result of the momentum it has lost in the days after Halloween. For the week Paranormal Activity was down 36 percent with a second place showing of $20.59 million. Although it will likely experience a significant slide over the weekend, Paranormal Activity has already grossed an exceptional $88.83 million through its first six weeks in theatres.

Overture’s Law Abiding Citizen finished in third with $0.80 million. The R-rated action-thriller continues to hold up well, as it experienced a 10 percent increase over Wednesday and a decrease of just 13 percent from last Thursday. Law Abiding Citizen grossed $10.62 million for the week, which was down 36 percent from the previous week and brings the film’s three-week total to a better than expected $54.70 million.

Couples Retreat remained in fourth with $0.67 million. Like Law Abiding Citizen, the PG-13 comedy from Universal also continues to hold over nicely, as it was up 13 percent from Wednesday and down a very slim 4 percent from last Thursday. Couples Retreat grossed $8.99 million this week, which was down 33 percent from last week, and has grossed $89.55 million through 28 days of release.

Where the Wild Things Are rounded out the day’s unchanged top five with $0.59 million. That was up a positive 17 percent from Wednesday and down just 23 percent from last Thursday, as the Warner Bros. release held up well during the midweek. However, the solid holds of the past few days are likely too late to make a significant difference for the film, especially with Disney’s A Christmas Carol opening in theatres today.