Challenging Avatar’s Box Office Dominance
I currently have no plans to see it, but couldn’t help but hear that blockbuster film Avatar is doing so successfully. This, despite a review which said, “Great entertainment puts plot first, character second, dialogue third, idea forth, music fifth, and spectacle last, as Aristotle noted. Cameron reverses this in Avatar.”
But, since being released on December 18, it did not take long for its box office returns to leap into the billions, with total worldwide earnings pegged on February 1st at $2.04 billion. By standard accounting, it has now earned more money worldwide than any film before it, recently beating Titanic’s worldwide earnings of $1.84 billion, which had held the record since 1998. However, as shown here, a more conservative estimate of Avatar’s global earnings, which also accounts for inflation, puts that movie at #4, beneath Gone With the Wind (#1), Titanic (#2), and Star Wars (#3), but just above E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial (#5).
As well, all time domestic box-office records can be found here, which has its own different take, as it does not appear to account for inflation (which is why Gone With the Wind is at #99). At the time of this writing, Avatar was only $2M below Titanic, though I’m sure the two will change places on that list shortly.
Regardless, the ongoing Hollywood box office returns competition involving James Cameron films brings me back to a classic little video I came across in around 1998. Titanic had been released and was well on its way to becoming the highest-grossing movie in the world. It was still a year before the release of the first of the new Star Wars prequels in May 1999, and Titanic presented a direct challenge to the box-office supremacy of the sprawling Star Wars franchise.
Video editing at the time was not the more simplified task it has become today, but it did not stop John Bunt from putting together this five-minute parody film, ‘Tie-Tanic” which cleverly combines elements of the two movie behemoths. The basic plot: Titanic threatens the box office dominance of Star Wars. The Galactic Empire will not stand for this.
Is it not already time for a similar blow to be leveled against Avatar?
Explore posts in the same categories: Mediums at Large
February 5th, 2010 at 2:19 pm
I have to jump in to give three little cheers for Avatar, because I really, truly loved it! As a person who hasn’t owned a TV for close to two years and regularly falls asleep in movie theatres, I was a little worried when my boyfriend wanted to take me to a 3 hour long movie. Once I was in my seat though, it was just magical! I have quite an active child-like imagination sometimes, so that may be part of it, but it was so nice to believe in the magic of a far-away world, and I found the theme to be very spiritual, and I really liked that. I even want to go see it again in 3-D! If you’re ever in the mood to be a kid again, I would go see it while you’re in that mindset. And if you enjoy the special effects, music etc… they’ll just be added bonuses.
February 5th, 2010 at 11:39 pm
As I have mentioned elsewhere, I have been hesitant to see James Cameron’s films ever since he shaved his beard.
Thanks for the summary though – it does sound like real sensory overload, as most of his films are.
February 9th, 2010 at 9:11 am
As I heard, it is the usual – exploiting corporation+noble savages resisting. Of course, special effects overlay this weak plot.
February 9th, 2010 at 9:18 am
Since I suffered through that phony movie, Titanic, and numerous buddies of mine berated me after hearing the word “phony”, I will not suffer watching another Cameron phony story about something he knows nothing about. But if the mantra of the day is moneymaking – then it’s a great movie for everybody else but me.
February 10th, 2010 at 10:49 pm
Storyline and characters are not as important when you have an amazing showcase of special effects.