Carl Icahn Now Wants ALL Of Lionsgate 
Action Comedy TV: Showrunner Matt Nix 
SAG National Board Approves Joint Bargaining … 
FRIDAY AM UPDATE: Here's the new Top 10 including the New Year's Eve take. Overall box office Thursday was an estimated $52.1M:
1. AVATAR (Fox) [3,456 runs] Week 2
Wed $18.5M (+1), Thurs $14.9M (-19%), Cume $283.8
2. ALVIN SQUEAKQUEL (Fox) [3,700] Week 2
Wed $11.8M (-6%), Thurs $8.7M (-26%), Cume $120.7M
3. SHERLOCK HOLMES (Warner Bros) [3,626] Week 1
Wed $9.7M (-5%), Thurs $8.7M (-10%), Cume $102.3M
4. IT'S COMPLICATED (Warner Bros) [2,887] Week 1
Wed $4.4M (+3%), Thurs $5.3M (+22%), Cume $40.3M
5. THE BLIND SIDE (Warner Bros) [2,766] Week 7
Wed $3M (+2%), Thurs $3.4M (+13%), Cume $196.4M
6. UP IN THE AIR (Paramount) [1,895] Week 5
Wed $2.3M (+3%), Thurs $2.8M (+23%), Cume $33.6M
7. PRINCESS & THE FROG (Disney) [3,475] Week 6
Wed $3.3M (-1%), Thurs $2.6M (-21%), Cume $76M
8. MORGANS? (Sony) [2,718] Week 3
Wed $1.2M (-1%), Thurs $1.3M (+8%), Cume $20.4M
9. INVICTUS (Warner Bros) [2,160] Week 3
Wed $895K (+3%), Thurs $988K (+10%), Cume $26.6M
10. NINE (The Weinstein Co) [1,412] Week 3
Wed $1M (-1%), Thurs $864K (-15%), Cume $9.8M
THURSDAY PM UPDATE: Who woulda thunk it? (End of sarcasm...) Adding Wednesday's estimated North American gross of $18.4M, Avatar's new domestic cume is now a staggering $268.8M after only 13 days in release. It's been averaging $18M a day. Avatar's international for Wednesday was $36.9M, down only 6% from Tuesday, making the foreign cume now $525.3M. So the worldwide total ending Wednesday was $794.1M. It has now crossed $800M today. Yowza!
Overall, today's box office should be very good and tomorrow should be huge. In fact, Friday should be about the same as last week's Christmas Day. That's according to my box office gurus who once again I need to thank for another year of accurate film forecasts (except for those sleepers that shocked the hell out of all of Hollywood). Saturday and Sunday will then look normal. Saturday could be down 30% from last week and Sunday down 45% from last week. So overall this weekend could be down about 25% from Christmas weekend. The exception will probably be Warner Bros' Sherlock Holmes which fell alot from Friday to Saturday last week and will be fighting Fox's Alvin And The Chipmunks: The Squeakquel for 2nd place in the $40M range.
Rival studios think Avatar could do $55M-$60M and maybe even $65M this weekend. But 20th Century Fox conservatively anticipates the number in the $50M neighborhood. Nevertheless, the studio boasts that James Cameron's big budget technopic will end 2009 as the #2 grossing domestic film. "And there's a whole lot of gross still to come in 2010. This rocket ship still has loads of fuel in its tanks!" a Fox exec reminds me. Even rival studios tell me they expect Avatar cume to hit $335M domestic by end of Sunday. "Cameron looks like he'll rank #1-#2 with Titanic," a Fox competitor emailed.
So it's no wonder that, with today being the last box office opportunity of 2009, this final week will post record numbers with nearly $500 million in revenue generated from December 25 through December 31. Overall, 2009 is looking at $10.6 billion box office, up 10.07% from 2008. Hollywood numbers guru Paul Dergarabedian is also reporting that attendance figures are the highest in the past 5 years at 1.42 billion tickets sold at an average price of $7.46.
Hollywood.com box:
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I never doubted Cameron for a second, but this is staggering!
Say what you what you want about him but he knows exactly what he’s doing.
Amazing…
You’re being sarcastic… right?
This calls for a round of layoffs!
Always trust Cameron. He’s the only guy out there who knows how to make a movie that audiences actually want to see and exceed their expectations at the same time. Take a bow, James.
Yep! Him and Michael Bay!!
Maybe he will direct a FILM next time instead a videogame intro.
Good luck, James!
really? you dont’ think this is a film? why, because it doesn’t have the independent vibe of ‘juno’,
or the stellar edge of ‘inglorious basterds’? films come in many forms, i for one can appreciate all of those that are made well, and cameron’s ‘avatar’ is miraculous in many ways. this may be a big hollywood film, but that’s what cameron does, and he just proved again that few do it better. ‘avatar’ is such a huge and well executed undertaking, that it deserves best picture for that alone….
grow up.
Maybe you will make an actual comment instead of a ridiculous one.
Good luck, leffe!
Flop, huh?
This will cause quite a bit of cognitive dissonance among Drudge denialists.
Well done, Jim. I hope he cut and pasted the vitriolic predictions of failure and catastrophe that were littered in the comment section of every Avatar article on this site leading up to its release. Might be good for a laugh to sift through the portending of doom and gloom since he’s badly put his doubters in their place yet again. The last refuge for his haters will be to complain that the film is overrated and wholly unworthy of its runaway success, sentiments that will fall on deaf ears as it continues to shatter box office precedent after box office precedent. In a weak Oscar year where no frontrunner has emerged, don’t discount its chances of taking home the top prize there, either. It’s blossoming into just as big a cultural event as Titanic.
James Cameron truly lived up to his reputation as a hard-working perfectionist and a genius behind a movie camera. Very interesting to see since this is the first movie where he truly had complete control over what he wanted to do, with no timing, technological, studio or budget issues holding him back. I hope people who liked Avatar will go back and check out his most overlooked film, The Abyss. It arguably is his most personal and original movie, has better suspense, action and acting than Avatar and still holds up nearly perfectly visually despite being from 1989. The overall plot may not be as smooth and satisfying as in Avatar but because it’s so unique it’s always interesting and engaging. And it has what some have called the single most dramatic, suspenseful and intense scenes in movie history. Please check out this film, Avatar fans, you won’t regret it!
just because it makes a lot of money, doesn’t mean it’s a good film. See Transformers 2, Pirates 3, Spidey 3.
So yay, money?
Those were all 1-weekend movies though. Avatar keeps building and building. I realize the film isn’t everyone’s cup of tea but clearly the word on the street is positive.
“Those were all 1-weekend movies though. Avatar keeps building and building.”
Um, Udo? Ever heard of something called the “Christmas holidays”? Everyone’s off school/work. Next week will be another story.
Not even holiday films perform like this. The last one to do it? Titanic. Research and understand first before you write baseless comments. Moron.
Did you see the movie?
Speaking as someone who rarely goes to the theater to watch new movies, I can say that what James Cameron offers is a true experience. He creates experiences that are unlike anything seen before. Plus, he’s actually a good storyteller.
Some people may just go to the movies every week and pick a movie to watch. For those of us that don’t, we wait to experience something great.
Actually, Cameron doesn’t know what he’s doing. The numbers are driven by the 3-D IMAX theaters. In my area, 3-D adult tickets are significantly more expensive ($15) than normal viewing ($11). That’s a 36% increase over regular ticket prices (no matinees).
Is there technology to make Avatar on home video look as good in 3-D as the IMAX theater? No.
Considering that Avatar has to cover costs of $430 domestic, and by my counting Avatar has pulled in only $391 net to Studio, not counting foreign promotion, dubbing, and other fees that have to be paid out the $476 foreign box office (which the studio would be lucky to keep half).
Studios make most of their money off sales to TV (rights) and home video. How is a 3-D film like Avatar going to make the kind of money in those areas when the whole film looks “flat” and boring in 2-D?
Yeah, brilliant move by Fox/Cameron to make Avatar in 3-D (I’m only halfway sarcastic). It DOES cut down on piracy (how can you pirate a 3-D movie).
BUT … how can you sell it to consumers in 3-D at a 36% premium ?? The Independent states that half the first weekend ticket sales were 3-D. Which makes Avatar likely a home-video and TV rights sales bust.
People ARE going to see Avatar. But not as many as you might think because most of the revenue seems to be coming from 3-D sales (again, half tickets sold the first weekend were 3-D, and they had a 36% premium over 2-D).
Avatar STILL has not covered its domestic production+marketing costs. Given collapse of theatrical exhibition in China, Eastern Europe, Latin America, and South Korea due to piracy, to the point where Nikki and others have reported financing for indies on foreign pre-sales is non-existent, even with stars like Johnny Depp, I’d be shocked if Avatar got even HALF of foreign box office revenue (considering the expense of setting up 3-D).
If Cameron had brought this in under half the budget, the movie would make a tidy profit. IMHO Cameron was too undisciplined (the film is lazy, bloated, long, predictable, and other than the startling imagery, derivative in a “Dances with Smurfs” way). Its “the Abyss” only in 3-D with cats on stilts.
Unobtainium? Heck the Core used that old tired cliche. Color me skeptical that $15 IMAX 3-D ticket prices will be enough on their own to make this ultra-high cost movie profitable. [You'll notice Fox is very cagey about the numbers they release, including numbers of tickets sold and 2-D/3-D breakouts.]
You are obviously an idiot. I was going to argue your points then I remembered the saying ‘Don’t argue with fools / because from a distance and you can’t tell who is who.’
Do better, hater.
Your arithmetic is silly. At 18 mil per day, the costs will be paid off completely by the weekend. You can see a conventional movie under better conditions at home so 3 D makes a good reason to go out to see this film rather than wait and rent it on Netflix for thirty- five cents. George Lucas has been developing new technology for years with no practical result while he recycled (exploited Star Wars endlessly. The autograph thing was a setup. Film is supposed to be a unifying experience and this is the first film in decades that is doing this. It is a watershed picture like THE JAZZ SINGER, GODFATHER, STAR WARS, and Cameron should be recognized as a visionary.
Oh you had me until you mentioned “The Jazz Singer.” And the more I think about the more I think you should replace each of those films (especially the R rated one) with the “Lord of the Rings” triology and “ET.”
DirecTV will be offering 3D broadcasts in 2010 and 3D televisions are coming in 2010 as well. A perfect time for Avatar to be available on home TVs.
@ DirecTV will be offering 3D broadcasts in 2010 and 3D televisions are coming in 2010 as well. A perfect time for Avatar to be available on home TVs. Comment by EJP — December 31, 2009 @ 8:58 pm
So, I’m supposed to have 1 tv for regular viewing and 1 tv for 3D?
or am I supposed to upgrade from the flat panel I just purchased to the new 3D? will the 3D tv also play blue ray?
In a way, I sincerely hope they pass Cap and Trade so the craziness will stop and tv’s (which have become disposable items it seems – kind of like toothbrushes) will be something that you don’t trade up to every christmas at walmart.
Let people keep their jobs, let entrepreneurs have some business, keep the corn farmers growing and go see 3D at IMAX.
The numbers don’t lie. This is an unassailable hit and you look like a fool for trying to spin it any other way. Pathetic attempt at best whiskey.
“Given collapse of theatrical exhibition in China”.
China’s theatrical exhibition business grew 30~35% in 2009, depending on your sources.
Yeah, brilliant move by Fox/Cameron to make Avatar in 3-D (I’m only halfway sarcastic). It DOES cut down on piracy (how can you pirate a 3-D movie).
Considering that it also played in 2D, it was quite possible to pirate the movie, and in fact, bad telesyncs were out within 24 hours of the movie’s release.
Avatar STILL has not covered its domestic production+marketing costs. Given collapse of theatrical exhibition in China, Eastern Europe, Latin America, and South Korea due to piracy, to the point where Nikki and others have reported financing for indies on foreign pre-sales is non-existent, even with stars like Johnny Depp, I’d be shocked if Avatar got even HALF of foreign box office revenue (considering the expense of setting up 3-D).
Shocked! Shocked, I say, considering that roughly 64 percent of the movie’s gross so far comes from those territories that don’t have the Star-Spangled Banner or the Canadian Maple Leaf. Duh.
Here’s an indicator as to why it is successful. My nephew, who firmly and squarely belongs in the “I don’t like going to the movies” camp went to see the movie on the first weekend with seven of his friends, came home, called me immediately and said, “Uncle, you got to see this in the theatre. Nothing else will do.” And that kid at the age of 17 has seen more bullshit being forced down his throat than I had when I was his age, including all the toy movies, he is incredibly jaded when it comes to the cinema.
And before that, based on the trailers, I was very “meh” on the idea of AVATAR. But if that kid came out of the theatre with such glee, maybe the trailers were wrong. So I went the following day. Was blown away by it. So I called two of my female friends, both also decidely “meh” on the movie based on the trailers, told them they had to go and see it in the theatres, nothing else will do. So they went before Christmas. Were blown away. So they called some of their friends…
… and that is why the movie didn’t open with 154 million, but why it continues to NOT DROP a lot, why it continues to build. People at Fox may pat themselves on the shoulder and say, they did good marketing.
No, they didn’t. The marketing for AVATAR was decidedly awful. The trailers were decidedly awful. It’s people going in, loving it, calling other people and tell them to do the same. And again. And again.
You’ve got it 100% correct. I work in the business and wanted nothing more than this film to succeed – contrary to what some selfish or jealous people say/write – when big movies do well, it encourages the studios to make more, when they tank – everyone stops spending and we all suffer.
The trailers had me very worried as they didn’t capture the excitement or jaw-dropping spectacle that awaited me. I should never had worried – after all – Jim has never let the audience down.
Thank you Jim for once again reinventing the game – setting the stage for a new decade of record setting attendance at the cinemas.
Bravo!!
Just don’t wait another 12 years please…..
Dude …you are a ReTARD! This film is going to smash every little scheme you’re head can think up. 800 mill in less than a month ??!! Give it a rest loser
C’mon, guys, you should know better than to take Whiskey’s posts seriously. He acts like an expert based on six “facts” he overheard. Remember when he was calling New Moon a failure because it didn’t outgross Iron Man? Now Avatar’s on pace to be the second highest grossing film of all time, and he’s still trying to spin it as a loser? He’s an idiot, plain and simple. A right wing bigot who picks on movies that offend his backwards sensibilities, then attempts to spin the numbers in his favor to “prove” that the rest of America agrees with his lunacy. Just ignore him. Or do what I do and laugh. That’s what James Cameron is doing — all the way to the bank.
i’m from eastern europe.
seems you know a lot about the life here, much more than we do. heh.
the tickets are still sold for 2-3 days ahead. it’s the theaters administration, who’s really shocked here. personally i’m going to watch it in 2D theater this (2nd) time.
and it’s not the big names, which might persuade smb to visit the local theater. it’s the movie itself, it has a great word-of-mouth publicity. some people watched it even for 3-4 times already and would like to watch again.
thanks to Jim!
Huh? Where do you come up with these idiotic thoughts? For one they are wrong. It is not even worth discussing. You clearly think into it too much and don’t use simple logic and actual data. Ever hear of the concept of quality over quantity. You wrote alot but most of it is crap and ust wrong
Cameron said he intended to go the Matrix/Pirates route of filming the second and third installments of Avatar back to back and releasing them within the same Calendar year if the first one made enough to warrant it. I suspect Fox is already on the horn with him trying to negotiate a deal for this 1-2 punch sequel package.
Amazing!!
It rocks the whole world!!
Damn you, Alvin, and your chipmunk friends!
AMAZING! You should never doubt the master himself, James Cameron.
Kinda makes all the naysayers from the previous post seem hilarious.
And, I’d just like to say to all the right wing wack jobs that have been yapping about how the “fly-over states” won’t see this liberal crap anymore, etc., etc….
Suck it, baby!
Well,well,well.
Cameron does it again in spite of the naysayers.
The truth of the matter is: Most of the so called industry folk know as much about making a hit film as the CIA(with it’s 50 Ba- Billion dollar a year budget!)knows about preventing a boy with Bomb drawers from getting on a plane.
Have a great,safe New Year everybody. That’s not sarcasm.
I haven’t seen it yet, and he apparently is a douche about autographs, but you gotta give it to Cameron!
Who would have thunk it, Nikki? Really? How about everyone who didn’t rush to judgment on Avatar and actually saw it before blasting it to hell.
I wonder what the odds are of Avatar passing Titanic. I’d say if the Academy really showers it with nominations and it gets the big awards, the chances are pretty good!
Now Mr. C is KING OF THE UNIVERSE!!!!
And hopefully, this BIG BOX OFFICE BOOM will spread throughout 2010 and beyond — and give this industry a good kick in the pants! Movies have always brought joy to depressed times — look at the Depression itself — the motion picture experience will never die…
-
Happy 2010 Hollywood!
this makes entertainment weekly’s shameless and lame attempt to stoke oscar for the box office let down UP IN THE AIR even more pthetic. this will not even be a race. people have already forgotten the box office failure.
Mike
Kind of a stretch to write UITA off as a failure. It had meager production costs and is already well on its way to covering them less than a week after widespread expansion. It’ll end up with close to 100 million when the dust settles.
Arithmetic? The film UP IN THE AIR has to gross eighty to ninety million to break even and that is all it can hope to do. At present it is positioned to gross around forty mil plus a little.
“forty mil plus a little”?
Up In The Air will have that by the end of this weekend! Right now it’s total stands at $37 million after Friday (New Year’s Day). After about another $7 million on Saturday and Sunday combined, it will have close to $44 million.
Even if it drops the usual amount after this weekend, the movie will still make at least $65 million total.
But, remember, this is a frontrunner for best picture, which means it will expand into more theaters, it will benefit from Oscar buzz and word of mouth, and it will make close to $100 million if not more.
And this comes from someone that thinks that George Clooney is one of the most over-rated actors today! He makes one bomb after another. So it’s not like I love this film or anything. In fact, I probably won’t even see the movie in theaters.
True, with it’s $25 million production budget and around $25 million or more marketing, this movie has to make $100 million to break even (the studio gets 50% of the total grosses).
But even you can realize that Up In The Air will make more than “forty mil plus a little”.
Not surprised. Saw the movie for the first time last night in IMAX 3D, and it stands with the Wizard of Oz and 2001 as an epochal film, ushering in a new era. In ten years all tentpole movies will be 3D. Cameron has made history; he may even have saved the movie business. His achievement cannot be understated, especially after the intense mediocrity of this movie decade.
The blue nipples became boring in the first hour. I began to fall asleep on Avatar.
In the second hour, I began to think of a child hood film ( Fern gully comes to mind)
In the final 40 minutes. I kept checking the time through out the movie, well let’s just say it wasn’t Star Wars wookies, or even the Abyss and I think the Alien ships were so much better.
So it can make 1 billion dollars, it still sucked like that guy on TMZ said.
It is good that you have unique taste in film. And believe it or not I am not being sarcastic. But there are others who have seen the film more than once; many others. I am seeing fascinating interpretations about the film that are poignant and legitimate. In other words it has taken on a life beyond Cameron’s initial vision. That, by the way is a quality of good art. Not saying it is but….
And yet, you still paid to see it.
LAMO
No, it was a gift card I wouldn’t pay a $1.00 to see this movie, the people I went with optioned for Sherlock Holmes and the Frog movie.
After wards they told me we knew Cameron’s movie stunk. Now mind you these are teenage girls. Must be that blue nipple thing.
Like Cameron or hate him but he does deliver. Now I know why the studies give him money, because he makes them money. This movie is huge, unstoppable. I’m usually cynical with hyped movies but I liked this movie as well.
“Who woulda thunk it?” I did.
Where are those losers now who kept saying it won’t make 200 domestic?
Whiskey:
Dude, give it up. You were wrong.
And you obviously don’t really know about the life and profitability of a feature film.
Whiskey:
Again, 800 million dollars in 13 days.
You sound Elizabeth Hasselback defending Sarah Palin.
LOL!!
What great entertainment. and for all the naysayers (whiskey, you are clueless) this film WILL make a lot of profit.
From someone who knows all the ways movies bring in the dough.
Funny to see how some desperate haters still trying to provoke “discussion” about this movie quality when everything is quite obvious!
Funniest one even started to pull numbers out of his ass just to prove his point, that Avatar is a mistake and finansial failure because of 3D stuff and blah blah blah..
Oh Gosh! Do you have any balls to admit it, that you were wrong and James Cameron was right( again! ) He took this risky and ambitious project just to push the boundaries and to raise the bar( again! ). And He did it!
He invented all new technologies which will evolutionize cinema industry from now on. And in result he created this awesome movie which will be remembered in decades (like a Star Wars saga). JUST ADMIT IT!
He promised to bring back people to cinemas. And he delivered! JUST ADMIT IT!
otherwise you have to know, that with your ignorant and immature comments you look so desperate and insecure
The movie STILL has not (and likely won’t) cover its costs with domestic box office. It relies on about HALF its sales from 3-D IMAX.
In 3-D Imax, the experience is amazing even though the story is lame and boring. How is that going to make the movie profitable? I seriously doubt that theatrical alone is going to make this movie a money maker with $430 million in domestic costs alone. Plus setting up a 3-D theatrical exhibition abroad means basically, FOX will have to pony up the money OR take a lesser cut than usual, foreign exhibitors are so broke that foreign pre-sales for indies is gone as a financing mechanism.
Cameron was smart in showing IMAX 3-D with stunning effects is a piracy blocker … BUT it has caveats:
*3-D IMAX is for obvious reasons incompatible with domestic and foreign video, for now.
*3-D IMAX ticket sales with higher prices don’t translate into sales of home video, particularly in an ongoing recession.
[As far as "genocide of the poor Indians" the native Americans did a pretty good job of wiping each other out, manipulated the environment like crazy (the Plains were originally forested), and practiced slavery, ritual human sacrifice, and other ugly things romanticized treatments of noble savages leave out. While until relatively recently Europeans were history's punching bags. Caesar killing about a million Gauls during his conquest, Barbarians and Muslims ruling them as slaves, etc.]
I’ve seen the movie. The effects are amazing. The story is boring. You could watch it with the sound off. Home video sales are bound to be disappointing compared to 3-D IMAX sales.
Henry — IF this movie were such a hit, why has Fox not nailed down a sequel NOW? When if this movie is so profitable, OTHER STUDIOS could nab Cameron for something similar?
Answer: the movie has lost money, and is likely to end up as a money loser, since MOST OF A MOVIE’S profitability lies in Home Video + TV Rights sales.
I would expect people here particularly those who work in Hollywood not to follow HYPE and instead follow profits.
AVATAR is important not because of its success (its likely to be a slight net loss) but because of the MODEL: IMAX 3-D is a piracy beater. Now, that model has caveats (i.e. higher ticket prices, costs to convert to IMAX 3-D, need to control production/marketing costs). But the real impact of Cameron is not “an amazing Movie” (its dancing with Smurfs meets a rehash of his earlier Abyss that will look monumentally stupid the MICROSECOND AQ kills lots of Americans which inevitably they will).
AVATAR is important because of the piracy-beater model. Which in case you didn’t notice simply destroyed the music business.
Yeah, profitability is important. Hype is just hair blowing from Fox, like another season of American Idol. Profits enable the business to survive, not end up like the Music publishers. Seen the fiasco at EMI lately?
Whiskey,
You keep referring to domestic box office. What you either fail to mention or don’t want to take into consideration is Foreign box office. Whether you like it or not the total worldwide BO is now in the $850 million range. Even if Avatar’s budget were really $430 million (which it’s not.. It’s $250 million with an additional $150 mil in Marketing)the movie HAS turned a profit. I can respect that you didn’t like the movie but to keep searching for any little thing to to convince yourself it’s flopping and make yourself feel better is not only untrue but a little childish. The movie could close tonight, be released on DVD Tuesday and it’s still a profit.
“The movie STILL has not (and likely won’t) cover its costs with domestic box office.”
- Whiskey, you continue your quest to prove you are the dumbest comment-writer on this board.
You may not be aware but the movie wasn’t just released domestically, it was released internationally as well.
It has already taken more internationally than The Dark Knight and will reach $1bn in global B.O. next week.
Costs covered, you’re a douche, etc.
***SPECIAL REPORT***
WHISKEY TO PREDICT IRON MAN 2 A FAILURE!
Whiskey to predict Iron Man 2 a failure before opening day, saying the movie will make less than $75 million over the opening weekend and less than $150 million in its entire run. He states that Iron Man 2 cost $200 million to produce and another $50 million to market. Seeing that the studio only receives 50% of the official gross, there is no way it will make the necessary $500 million worldwide to cover production and marketing costs.
After a $150 million opening weekend for Iron Man 2, Whiskey predicts that Iron Man 2 will drop over 80% in its second weekend.
Iron Man 2 drops around 55%, and its total domestic gross stands at over $250 million. Worldwide its total stands at over $400 million after 10 days.
Whiskey changes the numbers previously stated. He says that Iron Man 2 actually cost $250 million to produce and another $100 million to market. There is no way that Iron Man 2 will cover its production and marketing costs. It has to make over $700 million worldwide.
Whiskey also makes a comment that the depiction of Iron Man as a hero is ridiculous. He makes a comment about how Iron Man could never fight crime because his iron suit would be too heavy.
We remind him that it’s fictional.
After its third weekend, Iron Man 2’s total surpasses that of the original.
Whiskey compares Iron Man to the extinction of dinosaurs. In his mind it makes sense, leaving the rest of us confused by the incoherent nonsense. He comments on the state of DVD sales and rentals, and how that won’t make any money for Iron Man 2 when it comes out on DVD. He states that Iron Man 2 only appeals to people on the big screen and that it will make less than $10 million on DVD.
Whiskey also states that the studio will only get 30% of the foreign gross.
Iron Man 2 ends with around $400 million domestically and over $900 million worldwide.
Whiskey changes the numbers again, stating that Iron Man 2 actually cost $400 million to produce and another $200 million to market. Whiskey states: I told you so! Iron Man 2 will never make $1.5 billion worldwide to cover production and marketing costs!
We all believe him. After all, he has the numbers to prove it! It is numbers that he made up, but we have to believe him, right?
Simply-BRAVO….
Best post of the day…….
What does it matter if the movie doesn’t become profitable with domestic box office alone? By all accounts the movie has recovered its extraordinary costs already. It’s a world market out there and not to consider it is naive and/ or uninformed. Who drives American cars anymore? Where are films made? Considering domestic box office alone is a parochial notion.
The historical references are ridiculous. The notion that the natives denuded the Great Plains is silly. The Europeans ‘cleared the land’ when they got here. They also destroyed the Great Plains by introducing cattle that were not in harmony with the environment as the bison (buffalo) were, eventually leading to the infamous ‘Dust Bowl.’ The Europeans in North and South American were completely responsible for the genocide of perhaps a hundred million natives ‘in the name of the Lord’ through the introduction of diseases and outright murder. There can be no excuse for this and any reminder (as in the Holocaust) can only be good.
Wow. It’s making 1 Billion by the end of next week. It’s a 1,2 knockout by Mr.Cameron.
I think it’ll break $1 billion by the end of THIS weekend
Any popular film that conjures up our legacy of genocide upon the native Americans is going to stir up the haters. They poo poo the film, snidely put it down as a product of liberal Hollywood (overlooking the big corporate money backing the film) or a copy of Dancing with Wolves, but don’t really want to talk about what’s in their craw. History is a bummer!
As someone who works in the business and got to see Avatar for free and then went to see it again and paid..Good work James!! My other favorite flick..It’s Complicated ..so no I am not a videogame nut, I just like good work and love that good, interesting movies are being made and people are coming out to see them again! Gives me a little hope for 2010 and the scary business of movie making. Ok Happy New Year all and that includes you haters, you were wrong, oh well, we will be wrong in 2010 if it makes you happier. Off to see Sherlock Holmes….:)
The guy has a vision and delivers a movie that will make a billion dollars…and people criticize him. Truly amazing.
and how many billions has mcdonald’s served…enjoy your prole theater
I have to wipe the monitor, there’s drool from you fanboys dripping down the sides.
Yes, the numbers are incredible, bigger than I expected. I have no problem with this making as much as possible, no axe to grind and Cameron made a couple of my all-time favorite movies in Aliens and Terminator 2.
But – ‘original’? That’s just stupid. This is a note-for-note re-telling of Dances with Wolves, the Last Samurai and Rain Man (not sure about the last one, it’s late). The very last thing this is, is original.
This is an incredibly successful tech demo, I can’t wait for the new tools to be used to tell a good story.
King of the world, indeed.
Theatre owners are surely hoping that another twelve-year gap doesn’t elapse until his next release.
If you actually expected something ‘original’ after seeing the trailer, then the the joke’s on you Joe.
I was deeply skeptical of Avatar – but Cameron did a fantastic job. I hope it continues to do awesome box office, because it is the shot in the arm the entire industry needs. Here’s to a prosperous 2010!
So what if Avatar shows similarities, storywise and philosophically, to Dancing With Wolves? That was a very good film, very good. If I were Cameron, I would be proud of the comparison
Pochahontas is actually its main forerunner. Nobody has a problem with Flash Gordon and The Hidden Fortress being the forerunners to Star Wars, but for some reason, Avatar drawing from classical paradigms is a dealbreaker for some.
Finally, someone says it!
Every single criticism of Avatar that I have seen could just as easily be leveled at the original Star Wars. Not original. Check. Weak dialog. Check. Too much tree-hugging. Substitute too much New Age gibberish and… Check. Weak acting. Check.
Not saying I agree wtih all of the criticisms I listed, just that there is an equally strong argument for the same criticisms.
Did anyone notice that “It’s Complicated” has been beating the critics’ darling “Up in the Air?”
Hardly unexpected. It’s Complicated was prepackaged to have prolonged appeal with a predominantly female audience of old people. Up in the Air will perform steadily through award season en route to a robust gross relative to production costs. Did the readers of this site have Avatar expectations for Up in the Air’s box office or something? Or are you just overeager to take a cheap shot at Clooney?
On the nose, Phil; they’re overeager to take a cheap shot at Clooney. This Drudgebot is particularly hilarious in that he seems to be supporting a movie that stars Alec Baldwin (who I’m sure he loathes just as much).
Saw it day one. As a writer, I found the movie derivative and predictable, as an audience member, who the fuck cared, it was bigger than the sum of its’ parts… And as a parent… After my kid and I walked out of the theatre, him stammered excitedly about it being “the coolest ever” he wanted to get into the massive lineup for the next showing, buy another ticket and see it again… we did see it again, three days later…
Only in schadenfreude addicted LA can you call the film a failure.
I have to say I’m happy Up In The Air appears to be underperforming. Almost comically overrated, that one. And Reitman seems like a douche.
I agree it’s overrated but it wasn’t designed to be a huge earner right out of the gate. They went with the strategic approach of a limited engagement followed by a gradual roll-out. Also, I read Reitman’s Tweets and to me he seems like a stand-up guy with no trace of smug entitlement because of his father’s success.
Excellent! Cameron is the master of entertaining, popular, cutting-edge movies. I plan on seeing this again in the theaters, and many of my friends are, too.
I don’t understand people complaining about the big budgets, when all that money is going to creating jobs in the film industry. It was money well spent. Fox made a smart gamble, and it’s paying off. Now that Avatar is making bank, more people will be employed making the the sequels. Can’t wait to see them.
Never for a moment doubted this film will be a masive hit, been following it since 2006 and after Titanic I was SURE jim will deliver, how can anyone doubt the guy whose last movie made the most EVER (non adjusted) at 2billion worldwide?
some right wing rags said he had a eccentric idea that people will go to see blue aliens from outer space.. guess what, people wanna see blue aliens is the movie is done right!
So, how do you like your crow?
Sauteed?
Deep-fried?
Baked?
I know I am eating crow because I called Avatar this — Smurfs 2.0
I also said it would fail.
Well, I was wrong. And after I saw it, I like many other premature nattering nabobs of the negative were blown away by the cinematic masterpiece that excels as a form of pure escapist entertainment. Were there shortcomings in the script? Sure. Was the dialogue Velveeta in spots? You betcha.
But watching Avatar, and then putting any Michael Bay movie in the DVD player, is akin to attending a master’s class at Harvard, then dropping by a junior college in Waco. Cameron may be the closest thing Hollywood has these days to a sure thing. Maybe we should celebrate this ornery but unqualified film genius, rather than tear him down, every which way when the opportunity presents itself.
Crow pie, anyone?
Finally! Someone converted! Hahaha
As I stated before, I didn’t think this movie was OUTSTANDING, but I liked it for the technical achievement that it was. So much so, that I have tried and failed twice to see it on IMAX after seeing it on regular 3D the first time.
Yes, the script has some shortcomings. Yes, the dialogue is cheesy in some parts (although, I was expecting the dialogue to be a lot worse from what critics were saying before the movie came out).
It’s one of those movies that you just have to see on the big screen in 3D!
I’m one of those event filmgoers. I wait for something I really want to see on the big screen and then I go for the best possible movie experience. So for me the only way to see Avatar is in IMAX 3D, which I did with my family on Christmas day. And I want to see it one more time the same way even though it was expensive. So I don’t have a lot of interest in what the naysayers say, except to admit I’m less interested in this on the small screen, on BlueRay™, even if they do get the 3D HDTVs into production this new year (and which in any event I’m not, myself, inclined to purchase.)
Oh, and when I go see Avatar again, the theater has got to be the true, original big-screen IMAX. This one didn’t show any commercials or anything beforehand, which was nice. I suppose that enabled the theater to have more showings in consideration of all the people lining up to see it. And yeah, profitability of course.
We also all of us saw Sherlock Holmes at the same theater the next day (not on IMAX.) I had somehow missed hearing about the film beforehand and was bitterly spoiled in my seat by a trailer beforehand, which was played during the NBC/Universal 20-minute ad block-slash-forced entertainment. (I would so pay extra to not have to see those!) I did manage some measure of being entertained by the movie, but each one of all 3 generations of us liked Avatar the best.
(But when I go again, I’m going to have to sneak off to see it just by myself. ‘Cos this sh*! is getting expensive!)
As a brief addendum, I’d like to address the numerous people who keep on blasting Avatar for being an unoriginal, blow-by-blow and beat-by-beat update on, say, Dances with Wolves.
Well, anyone who knows anything about story (see: Campbell, Joseph) knows there are only a handful of broad variations on any tale, especially one involving a clearly defined hero’s journey. Cameron’s story closely follows beats of the classic “fish out of water” story line, ie Dances with Wolves, Out of Africa, etc.
Here’s another way of looking at it. Say I pitched the following story:
“A down-on-his-luck sports figure gets his act together and help lead an unlikely band of competitors to unexpected triumph…”
That pitch could easily describe:
Keanu Reeves in “Hardball”
Gene Hackman in “Hoosiers”
Robert Redford in “The Natural”
Samuel L. Jackson in “Coach Carter”
As you can see, there’s nothing new, just like the Good Book says, under the sun!
Shine on, Mr. Cameron. Shine on.
5. THE BLIND SIDE (Warner Bros) [2,766] Week 7
Wed $3M (+2%), Thurs $3.4M (+13%), Cume $196.4M
Cume is 196 mil? Sorry but this film is so below my radar that I am questioning how I missed almost all the advertising for what appears to be a giant hit.
Pretty amazing run for The Blind Side. It has grossed over $1 million everyday since its release, which was now 42 days ago.
Regarding the “inflation of the gross” by 3D and Imax ticket sales:
I’m not sure how anyone could criticize the portion of the gross contributed by premium priced Imax and 3D ticket sales. If folks are willing to pay Imax and 3D ticket prices then they must think that its worth it. You gotta give credit to a guy (and his team) who can create a movie that makes fans PREFER to see the movie in the most expensive format that they can find. In the city that I live in (Kelowna, BC, pop: 110,000), Avatar is showing on 3 screens (2 in 3D, 1 in 2D, we don’t have an Imax in town). I stopped by the theatre on Wednesday (at 5:10 pm), after work, with the intention of watching the 5:30pm show (my second viewing). Incredibly enough, both the 5:30pm and 7:45pm shows, both in 3D, were already sold out. I could have easily gotten into the 6:30pm 2D show, but who cares! I want to see it in 3D again or not at all, and I’m willing to pay the premium to do that.
If you are a marketer, you might think of every movie shown in a theatre as a product purchasable by a consumer. That product includes not just the movie itself, but also the movie’s “packaging”, in other words, the experience of going to see the movie, including the entrance to the theatre, the concession, the seating and layout of the theatre, the size and shape of the screen, the quality of the sound, etc. Traditionally, the movie industry has only been able to offer the potential viewing consumer a single product, a movie in 2D at a typical theatre. Cameron, on the other hand, has created a movie product available with 3 different levels of packaging, 2D, 3D, and Imax; really not any different than Apple offers different versions of its IPod Touch, for example, in 8GB, 16GB, 32GB, etc. Some folks are willing to pay for an 8GB Ipod, while others are willing to pay the premium for the 32GB version. Cameron has created a product that is available, and desirable, on all three kinds of screens and, incredibly enough, most folks seem to be more than willing to pay the premium to purchase the most expensive version of his product that they can get their hands on. That’s just good marketing.
And don’t forget that because of the length of the movie (nearly 3 hours long), Avatar is actually being shown fewer times in a night than a regular movie running on the same number of screens. For example, here in town, the movie is shown only 3 times total in an evening between both 3D screens that are showing it; that means that it’s actually taking in fewer dollars per theatre per evening than it would if it were of a more standard length (2 hours). So the length of the movie is actually skewing the numbers (to this point) downwards from what they could be!!! In the end, of course, everyone will eventually see the movie and the total will be whatever it will be. Cameron could’ve made the movie shorter (2 hours instead of 3 hours) and made more profit sooner. But, if 2 hours made the movie less fulfilling then he might not get the total gross that he’s going to. That’s a balance that I suppose every movie must strike.
Great comment!
I had the same issue as you about seeing Avatar for a second time. First of all, I have to say that I didn’t LOVE this movie the first time I saw it. But I saw it on regular 3D, and right after the movie, eventhough I was a little disappointed with the story and some of the characters, I told my girlfriend that we just HAVE TO see it on IMAX. She agreed.
On Thursday (New Year’s Eve) we went to IMAX for the 1:30PM showing. We showed up 10 minutes before the movie started. I know, the movie has already been out for 2 weeks, but we should’ve known that it would be sold out…LOL
In fact, not only was the 1:30PM show sold out, but also the next one that started about 4 hours later.
So, we decided that we would go back on New Year’s Day and try again. This time we went 2 hours before the movie started. We thought that we would buy the tickets, have dinner and then go watch the movie.
And, of course, again the movie was sold out…We got there around 7PM for the 9PM showing and it was sold out! Hahaha
It’s strange. I don’t love this movie. I don’t think it’s the greatest movie ever. What I do know, is that it has to be seen on the big screen, especially on IMAX. I have never even seen a movie on IMAX before, but if there ever was one, Avatar is it!
Yes, I will also buy the movie once it comes out on Blu-Ray, but it just won’t be the same. Maybe Avatar can be one of these movies like Nightmare Before Christmas that gets re-released annually so that we can catch the magic on the big screen every year!
Hi everyone I would just like to say Im experiencing the same thing here in the D.C. area. I saw the movie first with my wife in IMAX 3D. We loved it. After I saw it, I called my daughter from a previous marriage and treated her to the matinee showing at 1230pm. My wife took a day off from work to take her daughter to see it, again a matinee show. We all loved the movie. But guess what, me and my son inlaw have failed to see it in the evening for the second weekend in a row, even the 1130pm show was sold out. I believe that reason the film is so sucessful is that after you leave the theater you feel like you have been on a vacation and made new friends. In other words you feel like you have visited Pandora. This film will make 2 billion in total sales because it’s a film no one can see just once.
Once upon a time, walking into an almost empty, small town movie house prior to a movie, I heard the mgr. tell the snack counter person ” I’m sending this turkey back tomorrow -it’s a bomb!” That movie was the original TERMINATOR.
So, as a shameful member of the proletariat, I am often faced with the difficult decision of how to spend my discretionary dollars. When I have to pick between say – AVATAR or ANTICHRIST, I ask myself -”How much am I getting paid to see these flicks?” Once I’m certain they won’t be paying me, I go see the one I’ll actually enjoy. I can always get that drained & disturbed experience once I leave the theater. . ..
Why were all the black people in the film blue? Just wondering why Cameron did not allow African Americans to “sully” his vision, yet, include them as “race neutral” Blue People. Oh right forgot about the forgettable Rodriguez chick and token brown guy, but all the brown people were BLUE in the film.
Just noticing this bit of racism from Cameron.
Missy,
CCH Pounder, Zoe, and the other actors of colors are going to make buckets of dollars off this gig. They will take that money, feed themselves and their families,make their Ins.req.,and pay their bills.
They were not slaves,mammies,coons,or jiving bucks in this film.
I am happy they had work that allowed them to look at themselves in the morning.
Laz Alonso is of African AND Cuban descent. Zoe Saldana is Dominican and Puerto Rican. Wes Studi is Cherokee.
I’m sure you mean well, but you may want to consider means other than ignorance to fuel any future agendas, because as someone you’d likely lump into the “race neutral” group, your own racism is far more pungent than Cameron’s.
You’re wrong. While – unfortunately – all of the main human characters are white, there are other human characters that are various shades of brown.
It’s pretty clear that at least on one level the film is staging a colonial narrative in which the aliens stand in for an amalgamation of various indigenous groups. In this sense it would make sense for the aliens not to be played by whites.
Does this constitute ‘othering’ of nonwhites? Is there a problem essentializing native cultures in this way?
Maybe, possibly, sure. But these questions are distinct from the blunt criticism you’re trying to draw, which – again – is without foundation if you look at the film closely.
what planet do you live on? this is a science fiction film. colour is not an issue with this film.
You sound like a crazy person…….
Hi All,
I hope race doesn’t become a factor in discussing this movie it has nothing to do with race. Everyone in the move was treated fairly and with respect. If you want to be fair about it I think the colonel played and excellent villan, and he may well be nominated for something, maybe a darth vader type beloved villan, and you have to admit he died an honorable death. But this IS science fiction. A good suggestion, look at the positive side of the movie, I noticed almost all the races on the planet in the movie, it has a little something for everyone. Enjoy the show.
I guess I’ll be the only person in America (in the world?) who chooses not to see Avatar.
It’s making a lot of money and apparently audiences like it. So now expect even more effects laden, story deficit vehicles to be made in the coming year. Gawd, what is the world coming to?
And it’s again a “white-centric” movie about guilt and redemption, because obviously the natives can’t possibly redeem themselves without help from a guilty white man.
Sheesh.
Jake Sully may be white but he’s not guilty. He’s simply smitten by the beautiful Neytiri! His love for her is what guides him over to their side, and frankly, who could blame him? They’re a very noble race in a wondrous environment and the evil corporate mercenaries are trying to violently uproot them.
Buzz is starting to build for Zoe Saldana to set a precedent by being nominated for Best Actress. Frankly I would be tickled pink if it happened because I think her essence really shined through the complicated technology that it took to bring the character to life.
Your comments, at best, are ignorant guesses. Come back when you’ve put in your time and money like everyone else.
My comments are based upon the overhyping of the movie, including ruining an episode of my favorite television series “Bones” by spending half of the episode hawking the movie as a “plot” device.
That ruined it for me. You ruin my show, I don’t see your movie.
In 2009, over 500 movies were released in theaters. Of the over 500 released, about 25 or so had budgets of $100 million or more.
That leaves over 450 releases that are not “effects laden, story deficit vehicles”. So, there are still plenty of movies for you to choose from.
And eventhough these “effects laden, story deficit vehicles” make up about 5% of movies released, it still makes around 40% of the total domestic box office. Which means that studios have the money to make the “movies with a great story” you want.
No one ever said that Avatar was about “story”. It has always been about a new techinical advancement in cinema. That’s what everyone likes about it.
We still go see the other movies that have a great story, because they overrun the movie market. So, let some of us enjoy the 25 or so movies that have the great effects every year.
And before you say that the big budget movies make it impossible for smaller movies to make money, just take into account that “The Hangover” which cost only $35 million to produce, made $277 million, good enough for #6 on the list of 2009’s top movies.
Also, “The Blind Side”, which cost only $29 million to make, has crossed the $200 million mark and “The Proposal” which only cost $40 million made $163 million. “Distric 9″ cost $30 million and made $115 million. “Paranormal Activity” which cost only $15,000 to make, grossed $107 million.
So, there are a few movies that cost a lot to produce and they “have no story” and are only “effects laden”. So what? People enjoy that! They can always go and see the other movies too. That’s whats great about movie theaters! They have more than one screen these days.
Some of the better movies I’ve seen this year:
- District 9
- Sunshine Cleaning
- Moon
Story counts. Effects are nice. But story first.
I have to agree with you. District 9 is better than Avatar. I haven’t seen Sunshine Cleaning or Moon, although I really want to see Moon badly. I think it’s coming out on DVD soon though.
So, there you go then! You got to see three movies with a good storyline. Does it matter that there is a few movies that are effects laden?
By the way, Sharlto Copley, the star of District 9 is “amazing” in that movie! I can’t believe there isn’t talk about him during this awards season. Or Sam Rockwell for that matter. Ok, I haven’t seen Moon yet, but just from the previews it seemed like a great performance!
NINE is just about all the money left in the Sweinsteen bank accounts. Fatman is gonna have to pimp out his lesbian wife very soon.
How did such a dumb post get approved? I mean, “Sweinsteen?” What is this, third grade?
A shout from Taipei, Taiwan- Avatar is killing the box office over here with LONG lines yesterday being the first day of the New Year. Could not get any tix for the life of me and I have already seen it once. Fact of the matter, could not get tickets since my 1st screening the 1st day of release for 2 WEEKS now. The LAST time this happened was with JC’s last theatrical giant Titanic. The buzz is thru the roof and I can imagine this phenomenon taking place the world over.
I caught Sherlock Holmes yesterday and I have a feeling the same reason others in my theater did so because they could not get tix for Avatar. SH is not a film I will see again and will not tell friends that it’s a must see. Avatar on the other hand was being discussed on New Year’s eve and my group of friends plan on seeing it next week when hopefully the crowds will die down though I highly doubt it since there simply aren’t enough IMAX theaters here. Seriously, I overheard Avatar being talked about at the local gym LOL. Buff looking guys who don’t look like sci-fi geeks were chatting it up. This film is cutting across all demographics and nationalities (Taipei has a very international profile if you’ve ever visited).
Btw, I am in the film industry and have seen many a film in my lifetime. Am a big fan of Star Wars, Star Trek, Matrix, Terminator just to name a few. Have seen every major blockbuster including this year’s Star Trek, Transformers 2, District 9 but none of these films’ experience can compare to Avatar.
I have read so many a post online hating this film but I guess that’s what happens when you have a successful product and I don’t blame ppl getting jaded and pessimistic towards a CG film especially in 3D when you look at the history of this genere which has produced tons of crap and sequel after sequel.
JC had the fucking balls to pull this off and the industry should be grateful. All movie goers should rejoice that this film has set a new standard for how blockbusters should be made and I for one am excited about the future of film. Money is not easy to make nowadays and I for one like to get my money’s worth.
What I find telling is that there is no bidding war over James Cameron.
Nikki is as dialed in as anyone in Hollywood. If there was a bidding war, rest assured Nikki would be reporting it.
There is no “Avatar 2″ announced, no desperate courting of Cameron. No “James here is $500 million no questions asked make your movie.” No question AVATAR has made a ton of money, but the high cost obviously has a lot of FOX and other studios wary of just plunking down half a billion to have Cameron make another movie like it.
Wasn’t there a bidding war for Zach Snyder and Christopher Nolan when their films hit it big?
Forget the hype, look at what people do. Who the heck is bidding out for Cameron? Why the hell aren’t studios fighting to give him money, if AVATAR is just printing money? Heck if there was interest, guaranteed the interest would leak out so that Cameron could collect the maximum amount of money.
Whiskey,
You have proved my point exactly! You now say that Avatar cost $500 MILLION! You are doing what I predicted! Too funny!
Your supposed production cost for Avatar keeps going up every time! I have to look back, but I think originally you said that Avatar cost around $250 million.
NOW YOU’RE SAYING AVATAR COST $500 MILLION! HALF A BILLION DOLLARS!
You are hilarious Whiskey! What’s next? Are you going to say that Avatar actually cost $10 Billion?
Let me predict…After Avatar crosses the $1 Billion mark, you’re going to say that it actually cost $550 million to produce.
Then, when the movie goes over $1.25 billion worldwide, you are going to say that it actually cost $650 billion to produce.
What’s next? Are you going to say Avatar cost $1 Billion?
Like I said before, show me where you get these numbers! You continue to ramble on and on without any actual facts to support you.
Go ahead, prove me wrong (yeah right, you haven’t been able to do so in over a week!)
Too bad scifi movies never win top oscars, Alien was up for best actor,Sigourney Weaver, her first time out. She didn’t get it because it was scifi. I’d be very suprised if Avatar won any top awards execept for techincal awards. But maybe James Cameron can do! Good luck to him.
I am still trying to figure out how Up in the Air is supposedly underperforming? It has a budget of $24 million. It will pass the $40 million mark sometime later this weekend in it’s secong week in wide release. It will need merely $8 million to turn a profit. It will pass the supposed “smash hit” Precious on Monday? What part of that is underachieving?
Avatar with another $24 million day! Over $300 million in 15 days! $307 million to be exact.
Interesting side note: Did you know that on its 15th day, The Dark Knight made $12 million? That’s only 1/2 of what Avatar made on its 15th day in release! After 15 days, The Dark Knight had grossed $363 million. After 15 days, Avatar has grossed $307 million. After 17 days (it’s third weekend), The Dark Knight had grossed $393 million. At its current pace, Avatar will have around $340 – $350 million by the end of its third weekend!
There is no longer a question as to whether Avatar will top $400 million (after some people predicted only $250 – $300 million on this site). The question now has to be, will Avatar top $500 million? And is it possible that it could top the $533 million of The Dark Knight?
True, we won’t be able to really tell the potential until after next weekend, when Avatar will most likely drop 50%. But let’s just assume that Avatar makes “only $30 million” next weekend. It will already be over $400 million domestically.
Yes, now that I do the math, it will be tough to make it to “The Dark Knight’s” total of $533 million. But, with the word of mouth Avatar is getting, don’t be surprised!
Oh, by the way…
Those that said that Avatar won’t beat the $402 million of Transformers 2: After its third weekend, Transformers 2 had $339 million. After its third weekend, Avatar will have over $340 million.
And that total of $339 million for Transformers 2 is a 19 day total (since it came out on a Wednesday). The $340 million+ for Avatar is after 17 days.
Whiskey, I clicked on that Independent article you linked. You may have read it too quickly. It says that half of the total box office for ALL films on that weekend was earned by Avatar. It says nothing about the breakdown between regular and 3-D showings.
I simply don’t understand why a 25 million Friday will end up 60 million weekend. Why Saturday should be lower than Friday and Sunday will gross less than the weekdays?
I predicts a 28 million Saturday (similar to last week) and 18 million Sunday (similar to Monday to Wednesday grosses) which will make its weekend gross at 71 million and 354 million total.
If the prediction is close, it will easily surpass TDK even if it drops in the similar fashion as TDK did from now on.
Avatar is TRIPE: no story, a snore, character development sucked.
Hey Troll, I mean, Tracy, I got a billion dollar crow pie hot and ready for ya! How are the rats and chipmunks living with you doing?
TO WHISKEY: Please, shut the fuck up, and fuck off, you annoying, boring, repetitive sack of shit.
You’re taking up valuable comment space (not to mention living space).
Let me get this straight. Just because you haven’t read anywhere about this supposed ‘bidding war’ for Cameron, Avatar is a failure? WTF?
What bidding war? Cameron is his own man. He does what he wants, when he wants, on HIS OWN TERMS. Was there a bidding war for Cameron after Titanic? If so, show us. Was there a bidding war after Terminator 2? If so, show us.
I thought so. And your so-called ‘logic’ is pathetic at best. How do you explain the fact that actors who continue to lose money for studios, still get paid obscene salaries? John Travolta still gets paid 15-20 million a pic, despite not putting a lot of butts into seats. Dicaprio and Crowe haven’t put buts in seats for a while either (their box office performances are sporadic and unpredictable). Yet they still get paid 20 million a pic. Plenty of studios still fight to have them.
There goes your pathetic argument out of the window. EVERY SINGLE FILM that Cameron has been involved with, has made money for studios.
Avatar is well on its way to cross 1.4 billion dollars world wide in the next few weeks. Let’s do some basic math: That gives the studios a minimum of 300 million dollars cold hard profit. MINIMUM. That’s 300 million bucks cash for the Studios, after having paid everybody already.
And that is if Avatar indeed had a production cost of 400 million dollars! And that’s just the Cinemas.
And that’s just if we presume it doesn’t surpass Titanic with 1.8 + billion bucks.
I think it’s time you fuck off, okay? You’re not even amusing anymore. You’re simply boring.
Stupid monkey.
The majority of the world population who earn below $20,000 per year still buy movies in the old disc format as prices of DVD player brands fall around and below $100. When prices of blu-ray player brands fall below $US200, movies in the old disc format could be phased out quickly, as blu-ray DVDs would soon be the only format available. Blu-ray movies could all go below $20 each as time goes by. No ordinary DVD discs means no extra plastic cost wastage.