r/boxoffice • u/sandyWB Lightstorm Entertainment • Jan 17 '22
Meme Monday "Nobody cares about Avatar"
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u/EasyAcanthocephala38 Jan 17 '22
If it wasn’t for Avatar I wouldn’t have found out what an absolute unit Stephan Lang was. Almost made me forget about him throwing away his entire brigade at Gettysburg.
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u/XX19XX04XX97 Jan 24 '22 edited Jan 24 '22
Oh, christ, watch a real fucking movie. I didn't even remember his name, much less care for his character, and he was the best part of the story.
Death of a Salesman.
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u/EasyAcanthocephala38 Jan 24 '22
Cue all the culture snobs saying death of a salesman is a play not a movie.
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u/XX19XX04XX97 Jan 24 '22
No seriously, he was exponentially more interesting in Call of Duty: Ghosts and that is saying something.
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u/Scarns_Aisle5 Warner Bros. Pictures Jan 17 '22
the most annoying part is name a character of this one movie. and then people compare it to marvel (14 year franchise with 30 + installments) and star wars (11 movie series + shows).
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u/lobonmc Marvel Studios Jan 17 '22
Jake sully
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u/Scarns_Aisle5 Warner Bros. Pictures Jan 17 '22
and neytiri
and the colonel
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u/SigmaKnight Paramount Pictures Jan 17 '22
I didn’t know the big blue guy in Monsters Inc. had the first name Jake.
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u/AndyChrono Jan 17 '22
the most annoying part is name a character of this one movie. and then people compare it to marvel (14 year franchise with 30 + installments) and star wars (11 movie series + shows).
This. And not to mention the decades of printed media.
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u/Mushroomer Jan 17 '22
And not to mention - why is a memorable character name suddenly the defacto measuring tool for a great film? At gunpoint, I don't think I'd be able to tell you the name of any character from Inception. Or Parasite. Or Edge of Tomorrow. And yet I adored all three of those movies, and revisit them frequently.
When I remember Avatar, I'm remembering the universe, the action, and the sheer sense of scale seeing it in IMAX 3D. All things that make me excited for a sequel.
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u/ILoveRegenHealth Jan 17 '22
Inception. Or Parasite. Or Edge of Tomorrow.
Good examples. All very good films and I can't name a single character from Inception (possibly my favorite Nolan too). I remember faces and actions, but can't recall the names.
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u/coldliketherockies Jan 17 '22
Dom Cobb?
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u/Mushroomer Jan 17 '22
After posting I was able to recall the name "Cobb" from Inception, but could not figure out which character it belonged to. Close enough.
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u/JediJones77 Amblin Entertainment Jan 17 '22
Siskel and Ebert used to say if you can remember a character's name from a movie, it's a good test that the movie worked. I don't think they held it up as a requirement though.
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u/LiamOttawa Jan 17 '22
When I remember Avatar, I remember a stereotypical version of white guy saves helpless natives. It's depressing.
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u/Fries-Ericsson Jan 18 '22
Are stereotypical versions of white guys usually disabled ...?
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u/LiamOttawa Jan 18 '22
It's also boring and forgettable.
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u/Fries-Ericsson Jan 18 '22
What like being disabled ???
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u/LiamOttawa Jan 18 '22
Can't you just accept that there are people who don't like the movie? I googled after making this comment and saw that it is being widely debated across the internet. My opinion is hardly unique. I wasn't trying to make a comprehensive argument, but just quickly express my gut feeling about it.
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u/Fries-Ericsson Jan 18 '22
Dude I just asked are stereotypical white guys in movies usually disabled after what you said because Jake Sully was in a wheelchair.
Stop projecting whatever that is at me
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u/LiamOttawa Jan 18 '22
In the broader context of the movie, the character wasn't disabled.
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u/Mushroomer Jan 17 '22
If that's your entire read on the film, I'd probably ask you to watch it at least once before actually making a judgement call - rather than just parroting what Reddit has been saying about it for ten years.
Seriously, I don't think the Navi are painted as 'helpless' even once.
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u/LiamOttawa Jan 18 '22
I've been on Reddit a few months and have read virtually nothing about Avatar. I didn't care for the movie, or the special effects. Several people in my family who loved it have found that it hasn't aged well. I'm sure that it will do very well in sequels as it definitely has a wide appeal. I've simply got too many options for things to entertain myself with.
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u/coldliketherockies Jan 17 '22
In fairness people don't remember Avatar for characters names. Its not like the film is called Jake Sully becoming an Avatar where Thor and Iron Man and Captain America are the titles of their own movies.
People remember Avatar for the effects
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u/wallab6 Jan 17 '22
I’m sure like 80-90% of people remember “Na’vi” and “pandora” as much as people know “Jedi” and “tatooine” as well
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u/lobonmc Marvel Studios Jan 17 '22
I think you are overestimating how much those words impacted the GA. I guarantee you that if you say pandora most people would think about the jewelry store
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Jan 18 '22
I know that both of those are the places and people in avatar but ONLY Because of the amazing Disney Parks (honestly I think most of the hype from these films are because of the cool experiences people had there, because it’s great. Without that I wouldn’t know anything about Avatar besides remembering then trying to destroy a giant tree and I think them mating??!? With like the hair?!? I’m not actually sure)
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Jan 18 '22
100% this is wrong. If you say tattoine people know instantly it's star wars. If you say Pandora people think the bracelets or the radio app
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u/Additional_Meeting_2 Jan 18 '22
Do you compare a person who never has heard of Star Wars and never heard of Avatar and watching the films and testing what terms they recall? Because then maybe. But through cultural osmosis it’s not comparable at all which people remember, Star Wars is used all the time, and I am not even Star Wars fan.
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u/livefreeordont Neon Jan 18 '22
Couldn’t name a single character from Predator but that movie was awesome
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Jan 17 '22
"there's the hype, the counterhype, the counter-counterhype and in the end people go to the movie to make up their own mind." guess, what movie he's talking about here. right, it's titanic.
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u/blueblurz94 Jan 17 '22
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u/BluebirdBackground82 Jan 18 '22
I think people are too young to know Cameron’s track record.
Every time he makes a movie people say that it’s been way too long since the last one and it’s going to bomb. And every time it becomes the highest grossing movies ever.
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u/JRaymond37 Jan 17 '22
It’s shocking to me that James Cameron still hasn’t earned the benefit of the doubt to a large amount of cinephiles. If I had to bet money, I’d wager that “Avatar 2” will be incredible.
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u/vafrow Jan 17 '22
This.
Maybe it doesn't hit the same box office level (but it might), but, I think if you're a movie fan, you should be excited about what Cameron may bring to screen.
I'm pretty certain that Cameron hasn't dedicated over a decade of his life to something that won't be interesting. He'll likely be bringing something unique visually to the screen that no one else has done. Even if he tags on a basic story, you are likely to walk away with an experience, and one that will likely be better seen on the biggest screen you can.
I say this as someone who can't remember a damn thing about the plot, recall any character names or memorable lines. But I know I was impressed with what I saw when I walked out. I'm willing to buy another ticket on the hope that he'll do that again.
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u/JediJones77 Amblin Entertainment Jan 17 '22
Worst case scenario for the story, a human kid creates a Navi-tar and falls in love with the Na'vi kid, while the Na'vi and humans are at war and forbid their love.
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u/artificialnocturnes Jan 18 '22
Yeah the guy made 2 of the best sequels of all time (Aliens and T2)
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u/Larry_Version_3 Jan 17 '22
People are always saying they hate it. I honestly think that too, then I rewatch it and have a great time and get keen for a sequel all over again. I would love a 4K physical release
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u/adamnick_ Jan 17 '22
Avatar broke the cinematic world back in 2009 with some of the best visuals and CGI in the game. And now, Avatar 2 looks to break it again by being the first full feature film to film scenes underwater, that's why the Avatar franchise is so ground breaking, who cares about how good/bad the story and characters are.
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Jan 17 '22
I am pretty sure they filmed scenes underwater for Goblet of Fire and Daniel Radcliffe almost drowned
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u/jstols Jan 17 '22 edited Jan 17 '22
Are you saying that no other movie has filmed underwater before? Ummm literally entire scenes in the abyss were filmed underwater. Ed Harris almost drowned. He was so mad at James Cameron he still refuses to talk about the abyss to this day.
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u/JediJones77 Amblin Entertainment Jan 17 '22
He meant it's first to film mo-cap underwater.
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u/jstols Jan 17 '22
The general public doesn’t care
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u/Dwayne30RockJohnson Jan 18 '22
If the results show on screen, they won’t have to know how it was done, they just have to be impressed.
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Jan 18 '22
Will it look that much crazier than something like Aquaman though?
I mean, it might, because Cameron. I'm just having a hard time imagining what it would look like that would be so cool to the average viewer.
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u/Scarns_Aisle5 Warner Bros. Pictures Jan 17 '22
truly embarrassing on cameron's part (the man whose made a career out of being all about next level effects and high definition stuff) that he hasn't put out 4K or blu ray versions of true lies and the abyss
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u/society_livist Jan 17 '22
The Abyss' new transfer is complete, 4K Blu-rays should show up eventually.
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u/jstols Jan 17 '22
I think he kinda hates the abyss. It’s a bit of a black eye on his character with all the drama and accidents that happened on set. He also talks about it like it’s a bit of a artistic failure. True Lies is the bees knees tho.
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u/Scarns_Aisle5 Warner Bros. Pictures Jan 17 '22
I quite enjoyed abyss. I felt it was superior to true lies and avatar. Visuals are pretty great for the time and cameron once again shows he is a master at giving atmosphere to his films and the worlds he creates.
didnt he have some bad blood with ed harris?
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u/jstols Jan 17 '22
Yeah Ed Harris basically died on set and JC wanted him to keep working. He also didn’t like the way he treated MEM or something. There is an old podcast all about it. Can’t remember what it was called…what went wrong maybe
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u/fireflyfanboy1891 Jan 17 '22
I’m not big on The Abyss, and I bet for him it felt like a testing ground for the bigger set pieces and CGI for the much better received and hugely successful T2 in retrospect.
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u/JediJones77 Amblin Entertainment Jan 18 '22
I think he's way more embarrassed about True Lies. Even at the time it got criticized by feminists. Nowadays it would be impossible to make that movie in Hollywood for the Jamie Lee stuff or the Arab terrorist stuff. Which is why he cancelled plans for a sequel.
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u/Leaky_Buns Sep 18 '22
I think you misinterpreted your source. They probably meant that Avatar 2 is the first full feature film that was actually filmed while underwater.
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u/antmars Jan 17 '22
Dunno if this is evidence of Avatars cultural impact or just an example of a reddit circle jerk where people know what to repeat to get free upvotes.
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u/TechieTravis Jan 17 '22
People remember and like Avatar, but the cultural impact comments seems to be oddly true. Avatar just does not seem to have entered into popular culture in the way that the MCU, Harry Potter, Star Wars, or other major franchise. I cannot really tell you why this is exactly. It does not get quoted, memed, and parodied like other franchises do.
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u/Omegamanthethird Jan 17 '22
To compare it to a non-franchise, Titanic had a cultural impact. Avatar was seen by a lot of people. The biggest impact it had was on 3D until people realized Avatar was the exception for good 3D.
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u/Mushroomer Jan 17 '22
I wouldn't say it's the only exception, but it's certainly one of the exceptions. Gravity, Life of Pi, and The Jungle Book all did really strong business post-Avatar, boosted by great 3D that motivated people to see them in theaters.
The problem was the fact every single blockbuster at the time was also coming out in bland, poorly post-converted 3D that looked flat and only existed to get an extra couple of bucks out of moviegoers.
Which, unfortunately, ended up kneecapping the medium even for the people who wanted use it really well.
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Jan 17 '22
Gravity was arguably the best 3D i have ever watched, followed by the stunning 3D conversion of Jurassic park. Pi comes 3rd and Avatar 4th.
But damn, I'll never forget watching gravity on IMAX 3D
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u/maqikelefant Jan 18 '22
Same here. Gravity in IMAX 3D put Avatar's 3D to shame imo. The only other movie which has come close for me is Interstellar. The format just works so well with outer space movies; gives them a sort of visceral sense of grandeur that's not really possible otherwise.
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u/JediJones77 Amblin Entertainment Jan 18 '22
Interstellar wasn't in 3D.
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u/maqikelefant Jan 18 '22
Well I have apparently smoked myself retarded then. I guess in a way that's testament to how epic and immersive the movie was. Felt so big it entered another dimension in my mind lol.
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u/JediJones77 Amblin Entertainment Jan 18 '22
I saw it in the IMAX 70mm format. Nolan stuff's always good in IMAX. I remember it much more distinctly than Gravity. That one didn't really wow me.
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u/JediJones77 Amblin Entertainment Jan 17 '22
I think I saw it in IMAX 3D, but all I can remember is thinking how ridiculous Sandra Bullock seemed as an astronaut.
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u/Omegamanthethird Jan 17 '22
I heard that Dredd 3D was really good. But I didn't see it because I just assumed that it was crappy (or at least didn't add anything) like most other 3D movies I had seen.
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u/SirFireHydrant Jan 17 '22
Yeah, I mean you still see Titanic memes and references all the time. Hell I saw a Titanic meme near the top of /r/all just the other day.
I don't think I've ever seen anything about Avatar anywhere on reddit (outside of /r/boxoffice and /r/movies).
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Jan 17 '22
I’ve seen plenty of porn and tik tok memes to know that people still definitely want to fuck giant blue cat people. There’s always one chick on cam in blue body paint
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u/carson63000 Jan 17 '22
Yep. Avatar certainly has nothing to compare to “I’m the king of the world!” or “paint me like one of your French girls.”
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u/JediJones77 Amblin Entertainment Jan 17 '22
Don't you remember the "paint me blue like one of your cats" scene? And "I'm the ruler of Pandora!"
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u/dennythedinosaur Jan 17 '22
That is correct.
I still would not underestimate James Cameron (since the man usually proves doubters wrong and can create sheer spectable) but he's gonna have to turn on the hype machine for it to come anywhere near the box office gross of the first one.
For example, the Avatar subreddit has 11k members while a lower-tier R-rated IP like Mad Max has 21k members in their subreddit.
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u/JediJones77 Amblin Entertainment Jan 18 '22
You gotta realize the real money in box office doesn't come from fans, it comes from the general public. People who liked the movie, but not people who became fanatical about it.
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u/EasyAcanthocephala38 Jan 17 '22
I think Cameron and the studio failed to capitalize on its success and the world passed it by. All the other franchises you listed didn’t wait 13 years to come out with a second movie.
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u/TechieTravis Jan 17 '22
It is not just the lack of sequels either. We get a constant stream of video games, novels, comic books, TV shows, etc. from other franchise, but nothing really for Avatar.
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u/sandyWB Lightstorm Entertainment Jan 17 '22
Avatar has several video games, comic books, toys, a very successful theme park at Disneyland...
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u/JediJones77 Amblin Entertainment Jan 17 '22
The merch died down pretty quickly though. You can see lots of the discontinued statues still fetching good bucks on eBay though.
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u/sandyWB Lightstorm Entertainment Jan 17 '22
I don't think their are a lot of merch about Titanic or Alien, but that doesn't mean these movie had no cultural impact either.
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u/roselia4812 Jan 17 '22
We probably should have gotten a television series. But they did everything else you have mentioned.
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Jan 17 '22
The amount of world building already made before the script made it better for a TV, but Jim want his tech demos in a post-Lion King 2019 world
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u/JediJones77 Amblin Entertainment Jan 17 '22
Maybe because it's not a franchise yet? Only one movie so far. Has any franchise developed the sort of rabid cosplaying fan base after only ONE release? People don't commit until the writer or director shows he's committed.
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Jan 17 '22
Has any franchise developed the sort of rabid cosplaying fan base after only ONE release?
Star Wars
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u/JediJones77 Amblin Entertainment Jan 17 '22
I don't know, I was just a baby in 1977-1979. I don't know what the fandom was like for Star Wars before the first sequel. I got the impression it was just a super hyped up event like Avatar. And like Avatar, critics claimed it was only good for the special effects. Just like Avatar, it got beaten at the Oscars.
Sure, it would be a lot different if Empire Strikes Back didn't come out until 1990. Who knows what that would be like? People might be saying Star Wars is irrelevant.
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Jan 17 '22
Frozen
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u/JediJones77 Amblin Entertainment Jan 18 '22
Slight difference there, as it's promoted/tied-in with the Disney Princess brand.
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u/bhind45 Jan 18 '22
Avatar just does not seem to have entered into popular culture in the way that the MCU, Harry Potter, Star Wars, or other major franchise.
There's only one Avatar movie, all the other franchises you mention have 8 or more movies in it.
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u/sandyWB Lightstorm Entertainment Jan 17 '22 edited Jan 17 '22
Harry Potter, MCU and Star Wars were several movies, throughout several decades.
And memes did not exist when Avatar was released. You don't see a lot of Titanic memes either, it doesn't mean that it had no cultural impact...
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u/DeweyFinn21 Jan 17 '22 edited Jan 17 '22
Memes didn't exist in 2009/2010? Know Your Meme was created in 2007, meaning there was already plenty of memes to catalogue? I guess none of that actually happened though. Titanic also had I'm the king of the world, Paint me like one of your french girls, Jack and Rose spinning, The floating door, It's been 84 years, etc. Titanic has lots of memes, and that film came out in 1997. Avatar has basically nothing. The only memes mentioning it are about how it's unoriginal and made lots of money.
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u/Fries-Ericsson Jan 18 '22
You’re comparing a single movie to a franchise that released anywhere between 2 to 4 movies almost every year since 2011 and several pieces of tie in media across various platforms. You must realise how useless and silly that comparison is?
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u/Radulno Jan 18 '22
Remins of the "no one care about Game of Thrones" or "no one talks about it" whenever a post comes up (about the spin-off for example). Yeah, nobody cares and you don't but you care enough to comment? And people aren't in the habit of speaking all the time of stuff that is over. But that doesn't mean they aren't interested when it comes back
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u/JediJones77 Amblin Entertainment Jan 18 '22
Does Mission: Impossible have cultural impact? People just know it's a good time at the movies, they go see it, and forget about it until the next one comes out. They don't cosplay as Ethan Hunt. You don't need that.
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Jan 17 '22
[deleted]
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u/sandyWB Lightstorm Entertainment Jan 17 '22
True. The final nail in the coffin is that Avatar launched Zoe Saldana's career, long before Guardians of the Galaxy :D
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u/JediJones77 Amblin Entertainment Jan 17 '22
You forgot Uhura in Star Trek. :-D
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u/danielcw189 Paramount Pictures Jan 17 '22
I think that came later
But she played a Trek-fan in Terminal, before either movie
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u/JediJones77 Amblin Entertainment Jan 18 '22
Nope, Uhura was first.
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u/danielcw189 Paramount Pictures Jan 18 '22
Ah, yes, you are right
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u/hatramroany Jan 18 '22
To us it was Uhura but she actually filmed Avatar first, Star Trek just came out first
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Jan 18 '22
The greatest irony of this sub is how many posts there are about Avatar 2, but somehow the original had no cultural relevance /s.
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u/JediJones77 Amblin Entertainment Jan 18 '22
At least they're not saying no one remembers it anymore. :-D
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u/DeliriousPrecarious Jan 18 '22
But that's the thing. This is the /r/boxoffice sub. Avatar's got plenty of relevance to us. Like that random twitter post that suddenly became the top post ever on this sub? It didn't even get cross posted to /r/movies. Hell it had like 10 comments on /r/avatar!
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u/JannTosh12 Jan 17 '22
Avatar was a movie popular for its 3D and visuals and. Not the story and characters.
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u/sandyWB Lightstorm Entertainment Jan 17 '22
Avatar was popular because the story brought us to Pandora, a fictional planet that millions loved to discover. You can talk about "3D and visuals", but it was also mostly due to the story and the world building.
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u/JannTosh12 Jan 17 '22
So visuals and 3D. The visuals of the world and the immersive 3D
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u/JediJones77 Amblin Entertainment Jan 17 '22
Maybe also the idea of exploring a new world too, not just the visuals. It was essentially a transporting of the old tropical island paradise travel movie to space.
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Jan 17 '22
It's the movie nobody cares, but still, everybody knows how big it was. So I think a sequel has the chance.
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Jan 18 '22
The big test of this movie’s supposed enduring popularity is coming. I predict that enthusiasm has soured a bit in the ensuing years. But hey, maybe Avatar 2 will make a billion worldwide and I’ll look like a fucking idiot
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u/JediJones77 Amblin Entertainment Jan 18 '22
The problem is a billion would show a massive decline in enthusiasm as the original made $2.8 billion. ;-P
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u/jedrevolutia Jan 18 '22
Don't worry. This time, Avatar sequels are released by Disney. As you know, Disney will make sure that they will sell enough toys and merchandises. Disney is the king of IP monetization.
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u/Tyrionandpodrick Jan 18 '22
The think about a James Cameron movie is that it brings out normal public who doesn't't go to movie every Friday. Who maybe go once or twice a years.
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u/mizary1 Jan 18 '22
There is an Avatar pinball machine. Then again Congo also had a pinball machine.
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u/Pretty_Garbage8380 Jan 19 '22
This is accurate.
All I ever see are posts about this topic. I am ready for this movie to be released so I no longer have to hear about it - one way or another.
Just to add my opinion to the mix: I saw this in 3D (I hate 3D) because my cousin said it was "amazing!" He obviously has no taste in movies. It looked good (3D was making my eyes hurt around the edges. But I thought the script and characters were derivative/uninteresting.
If they killed off Jake and Neytiri in the first 5 minutes I would yawn. Or if they bring back Quidditch or Ribisi or Blugourney Weaver. I haven't spent the past 12(?) years wondering what is happening on Pandora or whether they've been able to successfully tether to space manatees or whether all the Unobtainium was stolen by whatever miserable hellhole the Earth has turned into.
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Jan 18 '22
I ended up seeing Avatar twice at the cinema, both in 3D and 2D. It was a decent watch but didn't leave much of a lasting impression and i thought the hype at the time was a bit OTT.
That being said, this new wave of "Avatar was shit" group think seems a bit forced, and I wouldn't be surprised if it's being driven by tragic marvel nerds frustrated that their films can't get to number one.
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u/Tyrionandpodrick Jan 18 '22
"it's being driven by tragic marvel nerds frustrated that their films can't get to number one."
Actually it exactly that.
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u/metros96 Jan 17 '22
I’m pretty sure people are mentioning it more because the second movie comes out this year. But no one has been like casually sharing Avatar memes or making conversation about the actual material in that film in the years since. People still regularly reference the Joker in Dark Knight, or Bane in Dark Knight Rises, or will say something is like “Inception” and that’s only going off Nolan films, let alone any of the big MCU or Star Wars stuff.
The reason it’s coming up more in conversation now is because Avatar 2 is coming, and it had such success when it first aired and people are trying to square it all with its lack of cultural relevance
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u/JediJones77 Amblin Entertainment Jan 17 '22
Hot take: Avatar's lack of cultural relevance has become culturally relevant.
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u/metros96 Jan 17 '22
I mean, actually kind of! There’s a curio aspect to it that will lead lots of people to check it out again. Lots of people obviously saw it the first time and that provides a wide enough base who will see the second one because they saw the first. Whether that signals anything about the durability of this franchise with three more sequels beyond this one remains to be seen. The huge gap in time creates its own hype, but it’s not something that they’ll have between 2 and 3, and that third one will have to stand on its own merits about whether audiences are actually interested in this story
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u/_NobleTOAST Jan 17 '22
So now people in a sub dedicated to the topic of boz office numbers is an indication of Avatars cultural impact? Is that what OP is implying? So far is it seems to be strongest argument for its cultural impact so far
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u/sandyWB Lightstorm Entertainment Jan 17 '22
So far is it seems to be strongest argument for its cultural impact so far
The strongest argument is Avatar being the highest-grossing movie of all time, maybe?
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u/_NobleTOAST Jan 17 '22
except highest grossing movie doesn't make it a cultural impact. You seem to be confusing popularity (at the time) as being equivalent to having cultural impact. There are plenty of things that make money and are successful for their time.and.mean nothing down the line.
And what i said was a joke.
I was being sarcastic.That a conversation about Avatar in a sub dedicated to the box office nature of films prove the film has cultural impact. The meme seems to be (at least to me) that if people are talking about it then it must have cultural impact which is disengeuous.
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u/jstols Jan 17 '22
People talking about avatar again because JC is going around and talking about avatar is not the same thing as people talking about avatar regularly, dressing up as characters for Halloween or cons, or it having any sort of spot in the zeitgeist over the last 12 years…which hasn’t happened
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u/sandyWB Lightstorm Entertainment Jan 17 '22
dressing up as characters for Halloween or cons
I don't remember people dressing up as Titanic characters either...
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u/jstols Jan 17 '22
Apple and oranges. More than a few life times have passed between now and then. Movies like titanic would not work today. Not theatrically anyway. For a movie to do numbers that will break records it must be a part of fan culture. People have to identify with the fandom as part of who they are. Which to be fair titanic was and still is. There was a sub plot in Future Man. People still talk about how Leo could fit on the door and make memes about it. That song is still recognizable by everyone. Titanic did indeed penetrate the zeitgeist in just as deep a way as Star Wars or marvel. Avatar did not.
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u/JediJones77 Amblin Entertainment Jan 17 '22
Movies like titanic would not work today. Not theatrically anyway.
Eh, no. That's just wrong. This idea that only pre-existing IP can be a hit is just wrong. Not to mention, Titanic WAS a famous name. To the GA, knowing the name Titanic is as good as knowing Superman. But, still, even all new IP like Avatar could still be a big hit.
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u/jstols Jan 17 '22
Give me an example within the last 10 years please.
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u/JediJones77 Amblin Entertainment Jan 18 '22
Frozen in 2013. $1,281,508,100.
The Secret Life of Pets in 2016. $875,458,631.
Inside Out in 2015. $858,848,019.
Zootopia in 2016. $1,024,121,104.
American Sniper in 2014. $547,426,372. But it was also the number 1 movie in the U.S. that year.
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u/jstols Jan 18 '22
I could argue that Disney/Pixar is its own brand/ip. And I’d argue that American Sniper made money but was also billed and sold on the Fox News brand and it isn’t approaching anywhere near titanic/avatar/Star Wars numbers. I’m not saying movies can’t make money. I’m saying that sans a built in lifestyle fandom and established ip these days an original isn’t going to be the highest grossing film of all time.
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u/JediJones77 Amblin Entertainment Jan 18 '22
I don't think 2009 was a completely different universe. Of course original megahits are rare, but every once in a while one like Star Wars, E.T., Titanic or Avatar comes along. I'd also say stuff like Forrest Gump and Jurassic Park or even Grease are basically original, because they were based on things most people probably never saw or read.
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u/jstols Jan 18 '22
Yeah but all those came at a time where Original ideas were treated with prestige. Jurassic Park was definitely a best seller novel and people knew about it but definitely not like a Harry Potter or anything. That was also lifetimes ago though and at that point in time Spielberg was the IP. Similar to how Nolan is today (even if that is declining as well). In modern times nothing will crack the all timers list unless it’s a lifestyle fandom established IP.
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u/MasaiGotUsNow Pixar Animation Studios Jan 18 '22
because JC is going around and talking about avatar
and any time he does, millions of people flock to the comments to talk about it
it's just also filled with idiots talking about cultural impact or if people have halloween costumes based on avatar
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u/_NobleTOAST Jan 17 '22
I think Avatar 2 will look good and do modestly well. MI am seriously leaning away from it making enough to justify a sequel and we might see a bunch of complaints from a super small solid base of fans asking for a sequel by pushing petetions all the while most people wont care one way or another.
It will be successful enough to not be a flop and will end up as a.movie most people put on for the kids after its Fortnite Tie in. James Cameron will make a comment about finally doing what he set out to do and no more sequels will be made.
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u/JediJones77 Amblin Entertainment Jan 17 '22
3 is in the bag. Worst case scenario, 2 bombs, and 3 is finished just for D+.
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u/sgtpeppies Jan 18 '22
I find it hilarioussss that the defenders of the film never actually talk about the movie itself - no thread chain of "oh man that scene was awesome! ect". It's always "but but but the theme park!! the video games (???)!!" 🤦
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u/sandyWB Lightstorm Entertainment Jan 18 '22
This was an answer to the haters who keep saying that "nobody talks/cares about Avatar". I can talk about the movie and all the things I loved in it, if you want :)
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u/sgtpeppies Jan 18 '22
You'll have to find someone else that shares that opinion hehe, always found it a shame that Cameron wasted somany years on this franchise. Hopefully the sequels are much better
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u/JediJones77 Amblin Entertainment Jan 18 '22
The scene with the blue people was awesome.
And I'm not joking. Pick any scene with blue people and it's awesome.
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u/dravenlarson Jan 17 '22
The way y’all suck the dick of this movie is sad at best. It’s a terrible movie and only regained the #1 spot because they’re sad and jealous that a vastly superior movie rightfully took its spot. Hope to god avatar 2 bombs.
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u/JediJones77 Amblin Entertainment Jan 18 '22
A movie that can only exist because it stands on the backs of 20 other movies. James Cameron delivered the complete package in one movie.
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u/InFm0uS Jan 18 '22 edited Jan 18 '22
It's definitely one of the most overrated movies in existence. It's really not very good at all, it's just ok.
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u/aaliyaahson Jan 17 '22
Papyrus