2010 at the Box Office (1 Viewer)

[Edwin-S]

Does he succeed in mostly getting rid of the "viewmaster" effect that 3D films seem to have? I haven't been able to see a theatrical 3D presentation, but I have watched a couple of these types films that have been released on BD using the shitty anaglyph method. I know anaglyph will come nowhere near a proper 3D presentation, but still the 3D effect in the films always leaves me with the impression that I'm watching the film through a viewmaster.

 

[Patrick Sun]

Your impression is not too close to what unfolds before your eyes for IMAX-3D (or RealD 3D).

 

[Edwin-S]

Originally Posted by Patrick Sun

Your impression is not too close to what unfolds before your eyes for IMAX-3D (or RealD 3D).

I wish the dinosaurs that own the theatre here would upgrade at least one auditorium to show these types of films, but they haven't even gotten to the stage of installing at least one DLP system, let alone RealD.

 

[TerryRL]

Originally Posted by Chris_T

Terry...any idea what Fox projects Avatar's final box office to be? Is is also safe to assume that Cameron has a blank check to make anything he wants at any cost? One more thing. Any word / rumor that Lucas may be looking at more Star Wars movies with the success of Avatar's 3D and CG?

As always thanks.

Fox is speculating publicly a final domestic mark of no less than $500 million, but from what I understand the studio is "cautiously optimistic" that "Avatar" will pass the $600.8 million haul of "Titanic" to become the biggest hit in history. Worldwide the movie could be headed for a final haul of more than $2 billion if it continues its current pace.

As for Lucas, nothing is set in stone, but he is said to be looking into possible 3D reissues of the six SW movies. With Lucas you never know, it could happen, but don't believe anything until you see an official announcement from Lucasfilm.

 

[TravisR]

Originally Posted by Edwin-S

Does he succeed in mostly getting rid of the "viewmaster" effect that 3D films seem to have?

I think it's the best 3-D that I've ever seen but it made everything look fake to me. I loved the movie but I won't miss the 3-D at all when I watch it at home. And just going off your posts, you seem to be very critical so I think you will HATE the 3-D.

 

[dpippel]

Um, just about everything in Avatar WAS fake!

 

[LynxFX]

For me it is a bit of both. The 3D is cool and fun to look at, but I really like the story as well. It remains the shortest movie over 2 hours I've ever seen. The Dark Knight (which I really like as well) remains one of the longest movies over 2 hours. I've seen it twice in theaters, and I plan to go once more just because it will be the last time to experience this story in 3D form. I think if it was just the 3D then we would have seen other 3D films do much better. Some people have said that the 3D in Avatar is good but no better than some other films like Coraline or the recent Christmas Carol. People keep knocking the story, but if the story sucked there is no way people would sit through it multiple times just to look at some 3D flaura and fauna.

Originally Posted by Edwin-S

Did he finally create a 3D movie that people find so visually impressive that they can't get over it? Are people repeatedly seeing it less for the story and more just to marvel at the 3D?

Amazing numbers, 3 weekends over $65m, incredible.

 

[Jose Martinez]

Movies like Coraline and A Chrismas Carol forced the 3D onto it's audience. Whether something pokes you in the eye or some object is flying at you. Avatar doesn't do that. It is more of an immersive 3D experience where you actually feel like you're in it. At least for me.

 

[Chuck Mayer]

I liked Coraline's 3D. Thought that was a great film. It did give some eyestrain and a headache though.

 

[Chris_T]

Thanks for the knowledge as always Terry.

I saw Avatar over the weekend and was simply amazed by the level of depth and detail of the 3D. Kudos to Cameron for putting his money (or in this case Fox's money) where his mouth is. The man continually pushes the envelope and it shows on screen.

Here's hoping Lucas is inspired to greenlight new SW movies and give them the "Avatar" treatment. I think it could be something very special especially if he infuses it with some new blood (creatively).

 

[Tino]

From boxofficemojo.com:

Dipping a mere 10% from its busy Christmas weekend haul, Avatar grossed a sensational $68.3M propelling its 17-day total to an eye-popping $352.1M. The sci-fi epic broke the record for the best third-weekend gross ever beating Spider-Man's $45M from May 2002. Even with today's higher ticket prices and 3D surcharges, Avatar still sold more tickets than the first webslinger pic - approximately 8.4 million vs. 7.8 million. Spider-Man was not helped by any holidays in its third weekend, however. The Na'vi pic also became the second fastest film in history to break the $350M mark. Only The Dark Knight did it quicker in 14 days on its way to a $533.3M final.

Of the five films in the top ten that suffered declines this weekend, Avatar enjoyed the lowest drop meaning audiences are still happy with the product and spreading positive buzz. Many of the top-grossing movies of all-time started out with gargantuan numbers but then faded quickly. The mega-budgeted actioner has also grossed more than $10M each day of its release across 17 consecutive days - also a record.

Avatar has hauled in the second largest 17-day start for any film and only trails The Dark Knight which made $393.8M last year by the end of its third weekend. But the Na'vi flick has been catching up and could eventually surpass the Joker pic to take the number two spot on the all-time domestic list after Titanic. Compared to the Batsequel, Avatar was 51% behind after three days, 32% behind after 10 days, and is now lagging by just 11%. That gap could be cut in half again after next weekend and the two should be equal at around the 31-day mark when Knight stood at $471.1M. After the fifth weekend, Avatar may just end up flying ahead. Plus, if it wins a major award at the Golden Globes on January 17 or scores a Best Picture Oscar nod in the expanded field of ten nominees on February 2 then the film could enjoy even more longevity.

So the big question on industry minds is how high can Avatar go? The first 17 days were always going to be supercharged thanks to the opening weekend plus the Christmas and New Year's holidays. Titanic used the same strategy 12 years ago. But with adults and most teens going back to work and school on Monday, midweek grosses will start to deflate. The film will, however, benefit from college students still being on break for the next two weeks so weekday grosses will still be a little better than normal, but not quite summer-like.

The road ahead looks promising for Avatar because of a lethal combination - excitement remains strong so audiences are still very interested plus competing movies in January do not look to offer much firepower. The iceberg pic also had a weak slate of loser films to deal with so moviegoers had nothing else to shift their attention to. Should Avatar find itself with modest daily grosses of $6M this week and then depreciate by 35% per week for the rest of its run, it would still reach an astounding $547M by the end of its domestic run.

The self-proclaimed king of the world remained the leader of the worldwide box office with another $133.5M in ticket sales from overseas markets this weekend. That sent the international cume soaring to an astounding $670.2M and the global gross to a jaw-dropping $1.022 billion. Avatar easily became the fastest film in history to shatter the $1 billion mark doing it in a mere 19 days. Only four other blockbusters have ever reached ten-digits and they took weeks if not months to do so. Avatar currently ranks fourth on the list of all-time worldwide blockbusters between Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest ($1.07B) and The Dark Knight ($1B) and by this Saturday will surpass Pirates and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King ($1.12B) to claim the number two spot.

James Cameron will then own the two biggest worldwide blockbusters in motion picture history with Titanic and Avatar grossing $3 billion in combined ticket sales as of next weekend with much more to come. Globally, his latest megahit could soar to $1.5 billion or more and may even try to challenge the $1.835 billion of Jack and Rose.

 

[Adam_S]

Originally Posted by TerryRL

As for Lucas, nothing is set in stone, but he is said to be looking into possible 3D reissues of the six SW movies. With Lucas you never know, it could happen, but don't believe anything until you see an official announcement from Lucasfilm.

well the 3D-ification was tested on Star Wars right? I would think Lucas will want another BO take with another release.

But screw that I'm not really interested in seeing the special editions in theatres.

On the other hand, a rerelease of the Lord of the Rings movies for the 10th Anniversary in 4k or in 3D as a lead-in to the Hobbit would be absolutely amazing.

 

[JediFonger]

really surprising performance for Avatar imho =).

i wonder if there is a breakdown of 2D vs. 3D attendance, i know it's probably overwhelmingly 3-D... but i've had many friends who just saw it in 2D cause of headaches .

 

[Adam_S]

breakdown is about 80% domestic screens are in 3D about 50% worldwide (including domestic) are in 3D, so factor those against the respective domestic/worldwide grosses you get the relative attendence of 2D and 3D

 

[TerryRL]

According to Fox execs, the official theater admission average for "Avatar" is $8.15 (rival studios had put that figure closer to $10 bucks) compared to the current national average of $7.18, meaning that since its release the film has sold an estimated 43.2 million tickets through Sunday (its first 17 days in theaters). If "Avatar" sells as many admissions as "The Dark Knight" did (just over 74 million) that would put it in the neighborhood of a final domestic haul of $605 million, moving it past "Titanic".

During its first 17 days in release, "The Dark Knight" had sold 54.8 million admissions. I think "Avatar" has a solid shot at ultimately matching (if now exceeding) the ticket sale figures of TDK because the movie has thus far showed far greater staying power than the last Batman flick did (which had a phenomenal run). The movie has tallied more than $65 million in each of its first three weekends in theaters, which is simply jaw-dropping. This weekend the sci-fi epic is expected to pull in more than $40 million. "Avatar" has become that rare "must-see event" movie that has to be experienced on the big screen.

 

[TravisR]

Originally Posted by TerryRL ">[/url]

According to Fox execs, the official theater admission average for "Avatar" is $8.15 (rival studios had put that figure closer to $10 bucks) compared to the current national average of $7.18...[/QUOTE]
I paid $12 for a matinee! Where are these theaters that are charging $7 for a 3-D ticket?!

 

[LynxFX]

Heck I paid $18.25 for an Imax ticket. I never did understand where the average price came from, even the $7.18 for a standard movie. I haven't seen a ticket that low since 1996 for a first run theater.

 

[JediFonger]

$11.50 IMAX 3-D anytime . yes be jealous AND they installed buttkickers in our seats... =). not all IMAX have that... if any... that i know of.

meanwhile... terry, what is ur opinion of Avatar surpassing Titanic... is that even possible w/the way things are going?

 

[Patrick Sun]

In my area, many AMC theaters charge $6 for the morning shows before noon, then $8 for the afternoon shows, and $10 for the evening shows after 6 p.m.

The Regal IMAX in my area is charging $15.50 for Avatar IMAX-3D, no matter which showing you attend.

The RealD 3D showings typically charge an extra $2 for the 3D glasses in the theaters near me.

 

[TravisR]

Originally Posted by Patrick Sun

In my area, many AMC theaters charge $6 for the morning shows before noon...

They have that at the AMC in my area too. Conveniently, they only have shows shows before noon on Saturday and no other day.

The problem for me with the AMC near me is that it's a dump (the seats are falling apart, you can hear mice running around the floor if it's quiet enough and you never know if the person behind you is a raving maniac or planning on robbing you) and their selection is lacking at best (looking at their website, they currently have two movies that opened in the last month) so the AMC is basically a non-option for me.