James Cameron's Avatar (2009)

[Masa]

Avatar Continues to Break More IMAX Records Every Week

Hollywood has shut down for the week, so there isn't much news to report. However, James Cameron's Avatar seems to still be kicking ass at the box office, landing in the #1 this spot last weekend and topping $600 million worldwide in just over 10 days. IMAX sent out a press release last night stating that Avatar is breaking more and more IMAX records, which is impressive because The Dark Knight set the bar quite last year. "To have reached $39 million from 249 screens in just 10 days demonstrates that moviegoers clearly understand the value of experiencing Avatar in IMAX," said Greg Foster, Chairman and President of IMAX.

If you haven't seen Avatar in IMAX 3D yet, it definitely is the way to see it, even though it wasn't "shot" on IMAX cameras. Although it was only "digitally re-mastered" for IMAX, it still looks incredible because of the level of detail in the visuals and 3D. The number of IMAX screens showing Avatar accounts for only 3% of it's screens overall, however approximately 12% of it's domestic revenue this past weekend ($75.7 million) was from IMAX. So it's making 12% of the revenue from only 3% of the screens. That definitely sounds like "consumers are clearly seeking out IMAX as the way to experience James Cameron's latest blockbuster." If only they could've released Titanic in IMAX, too, they would've made so much money off of that! IMAX CEO Richard L. Gelfond stated in the press release that "Avatar is well on its way to becoming our highest grossing Hollywood IMAX title." Bravo James Cameron, you're latest movie is a tremendous success!

http://www.firstshowing.net/2009/12/29/avatar-continues-to-break-more-imax-records-every-week/

[Masa]

Avatar Passes $1 Billion Worldwide in Revenue This Weekend

He's done it again. The true cinematic "king of the world" has made another movie that has earned over $1 billion worldwide at the box office, only the fifth movie in history to ever do so. Early reports are indicating (via Variety) that James Cameron's Avatar will pass $352.1 million domestically this weekend pushing it just over the $1 billion mark worldwide in only 17 days. I don't think Titanic was even this successful, this fast, which makes me wonder. It only needs $800 million more worldwide to pass Titanic, could it happen? It took The Dark Knight 33 weeks (and a re-release) to pass the $1 billion mark in 2008. This is incredible!

Even at a local theater in Colorado (where I was for my holiday break), Avatar had sold out in IMAX some 58 consecutive times. And it will probably only start to die down tomorrow, once people start going back to work after the holidays. For reference, the only other movies in cinematic history to pass $1 billion are (in order from smallest to largest via Box Office Mojo) The Dark Knight ($1.001B), Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest ($1.07B), Lord of the Rings: Return of the King ($1.1B), and Titanic ($1.8B). Avatar continues to break all kinds of other records, too, like "the best gross ever for a film in its third weekend."

I don't want to dig up any dirt or start any fights, but I can't help thinking of all those people who thought Avatar was going to bomb just a few weeks ago. In fact, I think there's very few people who actually thought it was going to be this successful. Even I will admit that I was concerned about how well it would do and I thought there was no way it would pass $1 billion, but it did, and much quicker than I ever imagined. I guess we all need to have more faith in James Cameron next time? Despite all the skepticism before Avatar hit theaters, James Cameron has proven once again that he is truly one of the greatest filmmakers of all-time!

http://www.firstshowing.net/2010/01/03/avatar-will-be-passing-1-billion-worldwide-this-weekend/

[daigong]

who else watched????? not me. I'll wait for DVD

Avatar sex scene cut from film

 An alien sex scene cut from Avatar to keep the film's PG13 rating could be included on the DVD release of the blockbuster hit movie, director James Cameron says.

Cameron said the film, which has already passed the $1 billion mark at the worldwide box office in just three weeks of release, would have several key scenes included on the DVD release.

One of these would be a sex scene between two Na'vi characters - Sam Worthington's Na'vi avatar Jake Sully, and Zoe Saldana's Ney'tiri, a member of an alien species.

"We had it in and we cut it out," Cameron said in a group interview, reported ReelzChannel.com.

"So that will be something for the special edition DVD, if you want to see how they have sex."

According to ReelzChannel.com, Saldana recently said filming the sex scene - of which only seconds were included in the version released to theatres - was difficult.

"It was a very funny scene to shoot because there were so many technical things that sometimes you have to keep in mind that paying attention to all those might disrupt the fluidity of how a scene is supposed to take place," she said.

"And because Jim was shooting for a PG-13 rating, we couldn’t move in certain directions. The motion would look a little too past the PG-13 rating standards. So it was really funny for Sam and me.

"We had a lot of giggles there."

SOURCE: http://www.stuff.co.nz/entertainment/film/3209369/Avatar-sex-scene-cut-from-film

[Foxy Brown]

James Cameron's completely immersive spectacle "Avatar" may have been a little too real for some fans who say they have experienced depression and suicidal thoughts after seeing the film because they long to enjoy the beauty of the alien world Pandora.

[daigong]

Watched it yest. and man, am I the only one who got a boner watching Avatar?

SPOILERS!!!




Pretty awesome visual experience. Those panther-type beasts was my fave. That fucking Army Guy was relentless, haha non stop training. The 3D was incredible!! I wanted to reach out and grab Michelle Rodriguez's breasts. I liked that part where Sigourney Weaver is dissing Jake, drinking and smoking - yet she's a tree hugger! I dunno how they gonna have a sequel. Maybe cuz the Corporation didn't get their rocks?

[JFC]

Watched it yest. and man, am I the only one who got a boner watching Avatar?

You just can't resist that digital blue alien ass, can ya?


I saw it yesterday as well with my godson and a couple buddies. Spectacular visuals, though 3D didn't really blow my mind. There was a definite, noticeable changes in depth perception at certain scenes of the movie, but I was wanting shit to happen that would make those of us in the audience jump back in our seats with a gasp of surprise.  

SPOILERS (highlight to see...but only if you've already seen the movie)
[bgcolor=#090909]I really liked how the Na'vi as both a species and as a culture. Not only did they live with a respect for the land/envirornment and the animals, but they actually had evolved to the point where it was truly a symbiotic relationship between them all. They really could understand and know what was going on around them, since they could make a literal connection with it all.

In terms of the actual story/plot, as I watched this, I could easily name 2 other movies off the top of my head that it resembled. When you get right down to the basic elements of it, it's a story that's already been done.   Think about it...a "foreigner" meeting people of a "different/alien" culture, living with them, slowly earning their trust and friendship. The protagonist soon is feeling more at home with them, understanding them, eventually to the point where he identifies/sides with them against his own people in the movie's climactic battle, etc.

Give up? Copy and paste the teeny text if you want to find out: It's the same basic storyline that was found in The Last Samurai with Tom Cruise and Mel Gibson's Dances With Wolves.  And chances are there are probably even more films out there that were made in the past whose stories have been somewhat mirrored by this one.

What a lot of people probably won't notice/realize about the movie is how the main conflict of the movie is also a commentary and/or reflection of what is happening right here on our own planet. A lot of what the Corporation was and wanted to do is also happening here with our own corporations in our own forests. We see what happens in the movie and we're appalled that the Corp would do such a thing, and yet what about what about what's going on right here at home?[/bgcolor]

Now don't get me wrong, I really did like the movie, it's just the English teacher in me.  Though the story wasn't anything new or dramatically exciting, it was executed well based on the setting in which it was based. The visuals for this movie are what you want to see here. It's probably as much of a revolution/step forward today as the original Star Wars was when it came out in '77.  Avatar is, IMO, an average story with AWESOME eye candy.

EDIT: Oh, and having Zoe Saldana (aka the girl who played Uhura in the 2009 Star Trek remake movie) being the alien girl? Frakkin' WIN right there.

[reina's eyes]

^ Guess I should have been an english teacher.

I saw avatar tonight at the fox studios because a friend had free tickets through the academy. So the theater was good quality and uncrowded though the sound was up too loud.

Anyway, it was good value for the money. :-)

Nothing about it, either in the story or the production, blew me away. With all the resources, I would hope to accomplish more. But maybe having so much at hand to go into a movie reduces it to a colossal management problem and just getting it done is the toughest task of all. Originality and cleverness take on little value.

(No spoilers here as there are no surprises to spoil.)

[JFC]

Well, that didn't take long...

Hustler To Make Porno Avatar
The game changer just got even more blue
19 January 2010
Source: Hustler

Well, we always thought it would come (fnar), but at long, long (really long) last, a porno version of James Cameron’s Avatar is on the way.

Those mucky fiddlers over at Hustler have just announced that they will make This Ain’t Avatar XXX as part of their forthcoming line-up of porn parodies of top films and TV shows. It may not be a game-changer, but it will be a pants changer. Ahem.

Also, no word on whether it’ll be shot in 3D, although we sincerely hope not. One thing's for sure, though - it'll Kleenex up at the box office.

But we won’t just be taking on a magical journey to an exotic land where blue people roger each other rotten. We can also XXX-pect fun sexy times with This Ain’t Curb Your Enthusiasm XXX (the mind boggles at this one), This Ain’t Glee XXX and This Ain’t CSI XXX: Chatsworth.

This follows rock-hard on the heels (and other parts) of their wildly successful This Ain’t Star Trek XXX, the sequel to which will be, ahem, released in April.

Of course Empire, being a good family website, has never seen or heard of any of these films, and we’re reliably informed that if you do, you’ll go blind. But then we’ve been hearing that old wives’ tale for years and it’s never done us any ld;o298kn.
 

Thanks to those sexxxed-up mofos at Latino Review for the heads-up.
 
Chris Hewitt

http://www.empireonline.com/news/feed.asp?NID=26754


Maybe they saw and were inspired by this (NSFW/NSFK)
[noembed]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0D8IRIYBSnk[/noembed]

[Saburo]

Saw AVATAR in 3D yesterday, an afternoon matinee at a multiplex right down the road.  When I exited the theater after the movie I saw a row of 40-50 people waiting in line for the next showing -- so thankful it wasn't all that crowded when I was there.

A friend of mine said I should pony up the extra ca$h for the 3D show; didn't like the extra charge but he was absolutely right: I'm not sure this movie would have been as good if not for the added bonus of depth (especially since the actual plot was decidingly thin).  At first I was kinda distracted, paying less attention to the screen and awaiting the next time a tree branch or sparkling firefly thingies hovered in front of my face.  But I eventually got into the story and just enjoyed the 3D as added atmosphere for the FX.

I'm grateful I went into this movie as fresh as can be.  And does anyone really want/need a sequel?

[Masa]

Avatar Finally Passes Titanic as Highest Grossing Movie Ever

They said it would fail. They said this was impossible. They said this would never happen. But it did. James Cameron's Avatar has finally passed Titanic to become the highest grossing movie of all-time. Titanic held the record for over 12 years with a worldwide total of $1.843 billion (via Box Office Mojo). This past weekend, Avatar brought in $36 million domestically and $109 million internationally, and combined with Monday's revenues, that puts its worldwide total at $1.858 billion, just above Titanic. And the craziest part is that it's still playing very well. It's still making money and people are still seeing it. It's unstoppable!

While the total box office haul of Avatar is officially above Titanic's earnings, some may still argue that the premium prices of 3-D / IMAX tickets and inflation may prove that Avatar isn't actually as big of a success as Titanic or other movies. For example, on Box Office Mojo's all-time domestic gross chart that's adjusted for inflation, Avatar is only ranked #26 behind other films like The Lion King, Jurassic Park, Jaws, Star Wars, and Gone with the Wind (which is #1). However, I do believe this proves that Avatar is a phenomenal success. And not many other movies recently have come close to matching it (except for The Dark Knight).

I remember no more than six months ago thinking that Avatar wouldn't even be a success. I wasn't sure if anyone was even going to see it. But here we are, in January of 2010, watching James Cameron beat James Cameron's record. I never thought in a million years we'd see Avatar make this much money. Cameron, and 20th Century Fox, both deserve acclaim for helping achieve this kind of incredible success. Bravo, James.

http://www.firstshowing.net/2010/01/26/avatar-finally-passes-titanic-as-the-top-grossing-movie-ever/

[coachie]

Oh China...
http://moviesblog.mtv.com/2010/01/19/avatar-2-d-screenings-to-stop-in-china/

[tat2330]

gratz on avatar becoming the highest grossing film, now the top 2 spot is taken by James Cameron!!

[whiteleppard]

Finally saw this one as well.  About half way through, I just shut it off.  It just didn't keep my interest.

[popopo0o0o]

5 stars for this one.  After watching it, i can help myself thinking of final fantasy ha ha
may be he's final fantasy fan

[zoolander]

I thought I should see it in 3D while I still could and I'm really glad I did. Great not only movie but experience. Some of the heavy handed "hurrr greed, kill mother nature" made me roll my eyes but eh who cares. 10/10

Downside is I now have a blue cat people fetish and am in love with Zoe Saldana. >_>

When they were showing the previews for other 3D movies coming out I was thinking "this 3d sucks dammit!" then when Avatar started I was like "Ooooh Ahhhhh this IS pretty awesome". I guess it needs to be specifically shot for 3d like Avatar was.

[THUNDERDUCK]

I never saw it at theaters, but I'll just get it on Blu-Ray on Earth Day.

[borly]

this movie was just WOW! love the attention to detail and its conscious effort to remind viewers of the environment! 

[adventwriter]

Got this on DVD...very pretty movie...

The story was ok.... wish there was more characterization.

[shadowstar]

I'm pretty sure they'll deal with characterization and everything with the next movie. I think this first one was more of an introduction to everything in the Avatar universe.

[zoolander]

Yea sounds like they have big plans for the whole Avatar universe in the sequels. Even other planets in the system.

We created a broad canvas for the environment of film. That's not just on Pandora, but throughout the Alpha Centauri AB system. And we expand out across that system and incorporate more into the story—not necessarily in the second film, but more toward a third film. I've already announced this, so I might as well say it: Part of my focus in the second film is in creating a different environment—a different setting within Pandora. And I'm going to be focusing on the ocean on Pandora, which will be equally rich and diverse and crazy and imaginative, but it just won't be a rain forest. I'm not saying we won't see what we've already seen; we'll see more of that as well.

Cameron loves them oceans.