How did Avatar become to highest grossing film ever?

[Duderonomy]

I didn't have any desire to see it, I don't remember many people seeing it or people talking about it.
The film made $3 billion how?

[NBAplayoffs2001]

No idea. When I watched it, I was pissed I paid for 3D to be honest. I felt I was getting ripped off. I watched it quite late, there was only one local theater in a neighborhood about 20 minutes away that was still playing it. Waste of a night and the $18 I spent on the tickets/3D glasses/snacks.

[SugarHill]

It was being hyped before release due to some nonsense about it being a tech marvel. Jurassic World doing the numbers it did is even more insane to me. That shit felt like it had no buzz. Looked like a summer flop if anything. Goes on to break a ton of records. Biggest opening weekend ever as well as weekend. Biggest world wide opening ever. All time 3rd highest grossing. 23rd adjusted....

[Draz]

I think around that time 3d was getting big?

[NBAplayoffs2001]

Yeah, it was massively overhyped. The only movie in recent years that lived up to its hype has been Inception. I can't think of any other that really matched it's media craze.

[imdaman99]

I think because of the hype + most of the screenings were 3D. So that could have added at least $5 to the price and the gross. Plenty of people saw it multiple times. Personally, I only ever watched it once and it was in regular 2D. I thought it was fine, didn't understand the hype. I liked it, but I had more fun watching The Dark Knight, Titanic, and Jurassic World.

[Shade8780]

It was a very fun, once-in-a-lifetime cinema experience.

That was what it was billed as by critics and the media anyway. Plus, it was a new James Cameron film, his first in twelve years, and his last movie was the highest grossing film of all-time.

It had a clich

[ErhnamDjinn]

what I dont get was how the last Pirates made over a billion and how much money the last transformers did, atleast Avatar had some sort of story although for a cartoon it was too serious like what Final Fantasy the spirits within did.

[LJJ]

It's a bit of a weird one.

The 3d buzz was growing for a couple years and I guess this movie was just a great vehicle at the perfect time for the "3d is going to revolutionize your movie viewing experience forever, and this movie will prove it." sales pitch. This was that one movie that you had to have seen on the big screen, even if you only go to the cinema once every five years. The highly anticipated and long-awaited new blockbuster from the maker of Titanic. Many different forms of hype appealing to many different audiences just converged for this movie.



In the end people got to see a very decent and quite silly sci-fi action movie. The CGI and visuals really do not stand the test of time either.

[LikeMike]

It was the first massive 3D movie. Seeing it in 3D was billed as a must see event.

[BasedTom]

i thought the blue people looked like shit even on release
main character didn't really have much charisma
story was kind of predictable

still would probably see the sequel, just to see how far they've come


It was the first massive 3D movie. Seeing it in 3D was billed as a must see event.
lolwut? it came around at a time when the trend being pushed was having 3D TVs and shit, but it absolutely wasn't a historic never before seen kind of thing before.

kids 20 years from now are going to think 3D movies and 3D glasses weren't a thing until Avatar.

[outbreak]

dunno we couldn't sit through it. it's just the kids movie ferntree gulley with blue people and the cgi looked shit. i know a guy who saw it 3 times though so some people enjoyed it. i think it was big with those people who buy in to hype and love something just because everyone tells them to.

[Nick Young]

its the shittiest sci fi movie ever and no one likes it anymore. I dont know any one who still talks about that shitty movie. I have no idea why so many people went to see this garbage.

[Yoda]

Stupid the general public is.

[bballnoob1192]

because it made 70 million opening weekend. that's why u didn't hear about it or think many people saw it. However what happened after the opening weekend was what made it one of the most unique movies of all time. It made 67 million the second weekend, and continue to only have a single digit dropoff every weekend.

[LikeMike]

lolwut? it came around at a time when the trend being pushed was having 3D TVs and shit, but it absolutely wasn't a historic never before seen kind of thing before.

kids 20 years from now are going to think 3D movies and 3D glasses weren't a thing until Avatar.

No, James Cameron had new 3D technology incorporated into Avatar that had never before been used on a major film and the movie was one of the significant reasons for the push towards 3D TVs. Of course it wasn't the first 3D movie, but it was absolutely a cultural event to see that in theaters, thus the ridiculous amount of money it made.

[kentatm]

lolwut? it came around at a time when the trend being pushed was having 3D TVs and shit, but it absolutely wasn't a historic never before seen kind of thing before.


:coleman:

the tech used to film that movie was absolutely historic and groundbreaking baw

[magic chiongson]

i had the same question for titanic before that

[bigkingsfan]

It was an event, more than a movie. The first of its kind and still regarded one of, if not the best 3D effects today.

[Nick Young]

http://thestorydepartment.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/sigourney-weaver-avatar-600x400.jpg
No one gonna get hyped for this shit.:facepalm


Also starred that charisma vacuum Sam Worthington as the lead. For some reason, that guy was getting all these blockbuster movies with him playing the lead. He must have sucked a lot of producer dick that year to get these roles because he sucks at acting.


I remember everyone said the flying scenes in 3D were the most amazing "experience" in cinema, wasn't that impressed. Saw how to Train Your Dragon in 3D later that summer and the flying scenes in that movie blew Avatar out of the water.

[The.Juice]

I did not like this movie. It was sorta boring.

[West-Side]

Imagine introduction to the first ever flying car, it will probably resemble a KIA. 25 years later, this same thread will be created asking everyone why KIA is still the highest selling flying car.

It's the evolution of the film industry.
At the time, 3D was just being introduced to the public.
Lets not act like Avatar wasn't a great popcorn flick.

Movies like Titanic & Transformers are on the same charts as well; Avatar was easily better than either of those two.

[Nick Young]

Imagine introduction to the first ever flying car, it will probably resemble a KIA. 25 years later, this same thread will be created asking everyone why KIA is still the highest selling flying car.

It's the evolution of the film industry.
At the time, 3D was just being introduced to the public.
Lets not act like Avatar wasn't a great popcorn flick.

Movies like Titanic & Transformers are on the same charts as well; Avatar was easily better than either of those two.
Reintroduced. 3D cinema already existed and was first popular in the 1950s.

Avatar sparked a brief re-intrest in 3D cinema, a craze that is currently on the way out.

[West-Side]

Reintroduced. 3D cinema already existed and was first popular in the 1950s.

Avatar sparked a brief re-intrest in 3D cinema, a craze that is currently on the way out.

Exactly it sparked interest from the public, so it wasn't so much that the movie itself attracted so much attention, it was the fact that it was a beautifully directed film that also was on 3D.

Popcorn flicks like Avatar or Titanic or Jurassic World will always attract more viewers than masterpieces. Too many people just want to be entertained at the movies, not necessarily watch a serious film.

[~primetime~]

Avatar was a good movie...it's actually underrated, as shown in this thread. The war scene was great.

So much undeserved hatred toward it...




not sure how they are going to make another 3 of them that are all good though...

[Draz]

I think I seen half the movie on hbo or some shit like the ending never seen the entire thing

[iTare]

Best movie i've seen in theaters was GoTG. Nothing else has got me like that.
Especially not avatar, all i got from that movie was a headache. it was a beautiful film, but the story was just shit.

[Shade8780]

Also starred that charisma vacuum Sam Worthington as the lead. For some reason, that guy was getting all these blockbuster movies with him playing the lead. He must have sucked a lot of producer dick that year to get these roles because he sucks at acting.
Seriously, I completely forgot this guy even existed until a few months ago. What the fvck happened to him?

It just goes to show how shit and boring he is that he went from the main lead of the highest grossing film of all-time to a bunch of low budget films and supporting roles in the space of a few years.

[Shade8780]

Best movie i've seen in theaters was GoTG. Nothing else has got me like that.
Especially not avatar, all i got from that movie was a headache. it was a beautiful film, but the story was just shit.
GotG is one of the only films I've paid to see more than once in the theater. Love it.

[Lakers Legend#32]

Dreading the sequel

[SwayDizzle]

Avatar was a game changer. The only truly 3D movie made. Then a plethora of pseudo 3D movies followed to try and capitalize on the trend. I have only watched it once and it was in the IMAX theatre, but recall being blown away by the visuals. The storyline was recycled, a Pocahontas remake, but this movie was always more about the visuals to me. I would not recommend watching it anywhere but in an IMAX theatre. You would be doing the movie a great injustice by not watching it in the right setting. I have been to plenty of movies after Avatar in hope of experiencing similar 3D visuals but to no avail. I now refuse to watch a 3D movie, all I get is a headache from the half-assed visuals which feel more like an add-on rather than a truly 3D film.

[AintNoSunshine]

Well I for one watched it 3 times....

[CeltsGarlic]

what I dont get was how the last Pirates made over a billion and how much money the last transformers did, atleast Avatar had some sort of story although for a cartoon it was too serious like what Final Fantasy the spirits within did.

That story was nothing special,basically a filler,so I couldnt call it "too serious", just because it was nothing to even care.

[Meticode]

Because IMAX screenings were double or triple the price of regular screenings and the way to see that movie was at IMAX to get the complete experience.

[I<3NBA]

i wonder why they don't rank highest grossing films based on adjusted inflation and ticket prices (for 2d and 3d)

i'm sure if we adjust for inflation and ticket prices, Avatar wouldn't be the highest grossing film of all time.

[Duderonomy]

i wonder why they don't rank highest grossing films based on adjusted inflation and ticket prices (for 2d and 3d)

i'm sure if we adjust for inflation and ticket prices, Avatar wouldn't be the highest grossing film of all time.
Yeah that bugs me too. I think it would still be 2nd after Gone with the Wind. Which I understand why that was an important cinema event. But Blue CGI indians, no thanks.All hype garbage in garbage out.