Is Avatar really the biggest movie ever???

jksmith269

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From http://screeningroom.blogs.cnn.com/2010/01/26/is-avatar-really-the-biggest-movie-ever/?hpt=T2


James Cameron is king of the world. Again. On Monday, "Avatar" saw its worldwide box-office hit $1.85 billion, eclipsing the record set by Cameron's “Titanic” (1997), and become the biggest grossing movie. Ever. Expect that to grow still further during the coming weeks as it continues to ride publicity from the awards season, where it has become a major player.

The billion-dollar club didn’t exist till 12 years ago, when Cameron’s period epic berthed at screens worldwide and became the first movie to score eight digits. Since then three other releases have gained entry to the clubhouse.

How did "Avatar" make so much, so quickly?

Like "Titanic," "Avatar" opened late in the year, catching holiday crowds before sitting unchallenged in cinemas through the slack weeks of January.

Had it rolled out anytime from mid-May till late August, its freedom to fend off competing blockbusters would have been curtailed. Sure, like fellow club members, it may well have hit a billion - but no way as fast. Likewise, "Avatar" has shown the value of 3D screens, with much of its cash heap coming from those premium-price seats.

For "Avatar" is event film-making spectacle, the kind that only comes along every few years, that harks back to cinema’s origins in 19th-century fairgrounds. Cameron is a modern-day PT Barnum. The moviemaker who put the world’s biggest maritime disaster on screen is now back with 12-foot tall blue-skinned aliens. In 3D. A movie of that scale is either going to be queue-forming spectacle or car-crash folly - but either way it’s must-see.

In recent years this directorial showmanship has only been equaled by the likes of Mel Gibson’s "The Passion of The Christ," another holder of his own distinctive and particular vision, which many predicted for failure before its filmmaker parlayed it into big bucks.

For whatever its shortcomings - and there are several - "Avatar" possesses a streak of originality that can only be admired.

Sure, it’s a mashed-up rag bag of everything from James Lovelock’s one-world Gaia theory to "Aliens" but, unlike fellow billion scorers, it’s not based on an existing franchise or historical event.

Glance at the other movies lounging in the billion-dollar clubhouse. Aside from "Titanic" (based on a historical event) they are "The Lord Of The Rings: The Return Of The King" ($1.1 billion, released in 2003), the third film in a book adaptation series; "The Dark Knight" ($1 billion, released in 2008); a comic-book sequel; and "Pirates Of The Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest" ($1.07 billion, released in 2006) -– takes breath -– the sequel to a Disney theme-park ride adaptation.

As such "Avatar" is the climax of the geek decade, when fanboy franchises from "Harry Potter" to "Lord Of The Rings," "Spider-Man" to "X-Men" ruled screens like posters on a 10-year old’s bedroom wall.

But is it really “the biggest movie ever?”

Admissions - or cinemagoers on seats - is arguably a better measure of movie appeal than the kerching of the cash till.

Numbers Web site boxofficemojo.com has produced an inflation-adjusted list for the top movies of all time. ( http://boxofficemojo.com/alltime/adjusted.htm )Top of the tree? That period romance evergreen "Gone With The Wind," with $1.49 billion at 2010 ticket prices.

"Avatar" trails way behind at 26th, at time of writing, wedged between "Grease" (1978) and "Thunderball" (1965).

But wait. This chart is only for the United States. One feature of the past two decades is how Hollywood has to rely increasingly on international for the bulk of its box office. Around 70 percent of "Avatar’s" box office has been pulled from outside the United States. Expect it to be way further up any all-time worldwide list.

"Gone," released in 1939, played in an era with fewer entertainment distractions: "Avatar" has to compete with TV, computer gaming and music downloads. Movies also tended to enjoy much longer release windows during the 1930s and 1940s, often hanging around cinemas for months at a time.

So which is biggest?

"Avatar?"

"Gone With The Wind?"

Face it. Does such academic argument really matter for anyone beyond industry bean counters and movie journalists?

Or, as Rhett Butler once put it: "Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn."
 

bbgun

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I still have no desire to see this movie. The natives look ridiculous, and the anti-American allegory ain't an enticement.
 

Oldschool7

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I saw it. What a dud.

It's Fantasia all over again. No intellect. No humor. No personality. No brain. It does have sophisticated visual effects that are nice to look at.
 

Tusan_Homichi

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I saw it. It was alright. Lots of action and very pretty to look at. It's big for the same reason Star Wars was big.
 

Teren_Kanan

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I hate 95% of every movie I see.

That being said I liked Avatar a lot. I went into it totally expecting to see a heaping pile of crap, and came out pleasantly surprised.

Storyline didn't have any fatal plot flaws, which nearly every movie has these days. There was no ******** character stupidity, where characters do **** completely out of character.

The pacing of the movie got a tad bit rushed in the middle, but that's almost unavoidable when so much had to be packed into 3 hours. It would honestly be better as 2 2hr movies.

They touched on the science behind the planet and how it was connected/worked, but didn't go too into detail. Leaving it open for both sides of the spectrum, whether it be the skeptical or the religious side.

The characters were done really well. Asides from looks, the aliens weren't super original. Very Indian like. Sort of like a futuristic Pocahontas/Dances with Wolves. Still though, the characters were done well, and built up well.

The movie had shades of grey (aka: Shades of reality) in it's theme, instead of black vs white. I've heard a lot of complaints about the anti-human (has nothing to do with America, sir) allegory, but I don't understand them. It's extremely realistic, in the sense that, given those same impossible conditions, it's pretty much exactly what would happen. History has proven this pretty much at every point.

My only problem with the movie, is only a minor detail. The name of the ore they are trying to mine from the planet is flat out hilarious. Unobtainium. Might as well just call it "impossible-to-getium"

I give it an 8/10. Average movie being a 3/10.
 

TheCount

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Saw it and enjoyed myself, don't really care how much it made or makes. It's just a movie.
 

YosemiteSam

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TheCount;3257393 said:
Saw it and enjoyed myself, don't really care how much it made or makes. It's just a movie.

Now that is a respectable view. Some others seem to need a flag, a spotlight and a marching band. :laugh2:

Drama club is down the hall. :D
 

Rampage

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nyc;3257366 said:
Either that or how anal-retentive people are today. :laugh2:
I just think that their's a a lot more crappy movies these days and way too many remakes.
 

ABQCOWBOY

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Teren_Kanan;3257292 said:
My only problem with the movie, is only a minor detail. The name of the ore they are trying to mine from the planet is flat out hilarious. Unobtainium. Might as well just call it "impossible-to-getium"

Catchy! I think I like this one better.

"Impossible-to-getium"!

Has a ring to it.

:laugh2:
 

ethiostar

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FYI

http://movies.yahoo.com/feature/forbes-avatar-box-office-king.html

Is Avatar Really King Of
The Box Office?
by Dorothy Pomerantz · January 27, 2009
Yes, it's got the biggest worldwide gross of all time.
But it's still no "Gone With The Wind."

James Cameron broke his own record Tuesday. With a $1.86 billion haul, "Avatar" beat "Titanic" to become the highest grossing movie of all time at the worldwide box office.

It's a remarkable achievement. But before every Hollywood studio exec decides that all future movies must be in 3-D and feature blue aliens, it's worth getting a little perspective on the film.

In Pictures: Is Avatar Really King Of The Box Office? >>
"Avatar" has the advantage of showing in 3-D (which usually commands an average $3 extra per ticket) and coming out at a time when even 2-D movie tickets are more expensive than ever. According to the National Association of Theater Owners, the average ticket price in 2008 was $7.18, up 56% from prices in 1997 when "Titanic" was in theaters.

A look at domestic grosses adjusted for inflation shows a more realistic view of "Avatar"'s performance.

In the U.S., "Avatar" has grossed $555 million making it the second highest grossing domestic (as opposed to worldwide) film of all time. Titanic is temporarily still in the lead here with $600.8 million.

But adjusting for ticket price for inflation, Avatar ranks as the 26th highest grossing film in the U.S., according to Box Office Mojo. Number one? "Gone With The Wind" with $1.5 billion adjusted gross in the U.S. "Star Wars" ranks second with $1.3 billion.

Cameron's "Titanic" ranks sixth (just behind "The Ten Commandments") with an adjusted $943 million take in the U.S.

Movies are released very differently today then they were in 1939 when "Gone With the Wind" premiered. The film showed originally in 156 theaters in the U.S. "Avatar" premiered on 3,452 screens. "Gone With the Wind" was re-released in 1947, 1954 and 1961. In 1967 it was shown in 70 mm. With as many as 600 films being released per year, these days few films get a second shot in theaters.

Of course movie now can sometimes double their box office with DVD and television sales. Here we're only looking at box office.

Even some modern films beat "Avatar" when looked at through a price-adjusted prism. "Forrest Gump" (1994) ranks 22nd with an adjusted $623 million box office. "Star Wars: Episode 1 -- The Phantom Menace," which was released in 1999, ranks 19th with an adjusted $623 million domestic gross.

But most of the films at the top are from at least 30 years ago. "The Sound of Music" ranks third with an adjusted $1.05 billion take. "E.T." is just behind with $1.04 billion.

With no film on the near horizon poised to challenge "Avatar"'s dominance, the film is sure to continue to mint money. But it's got a way's to go to catch up with a classic like "Gone With The Wind."
 
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