Corey Feldman says he thought his time at the “Michael” premiere was gonna be a thriller … but a miscommunication prevented him from rocking with other attendees all night.

Here’s the deal … tons of stars — from Magic Johnson to Martin Lawrence to Tori Spelling and more — stepped out for the Hollywood premiere on April 20. However, Feldman, a longtime friend and defender of MJ, was conspicuously absent from the event.

A rep for Feldman tells TMZ … the actor did receive an invite to the “Michael” premiere about a month before it went down, but his manager — in the midst of dealing with a personal issue — thought Corey’s attendance was confirmed when they actually had to reach out and get him put on the list.

When Feldman’s team circled back just before the event, we’re told organizers said he was never officially confirmed … and it was too late to be added to the list because the premiere was over the maximum capacity. Basically, as Michael sings, “beat it” (but in a nice way).

A source with knowledge tells TMZ … there were attempts to reach Corey for a ticket … but his response was too delayed, and by the time he got back … the premiere was beyond capacity.

Feldman’s rep says he was naturally a bit curious to see the movie … but adds the star thinks everything happens for a reason … and it was probably for the best.

Don’t expect to see Feldman walking into a movie theater in L.A. with a ticket either … because we’re told he doesn’t have a strong interest in seeing a fictionalized version of Michael. He lived the story, his rep says … he doesn’t need to see it on the silver screen.

Like we said, Corey has a strong connection to the late star … getting to know him in the 1980s during his teenage years, though the two had a falling out later in life. Just recently, Feldman pulled out a few MJ moves while performing a dance to Billy Joel‘s “It’s Still Rock & Roll to Me.”