Avatar

[Alexandro]

If you're ever going to see it you gotta do it in a 3d big screen. Otherwise I would argue is pretty much pointless.

[©brad]

It's official: Avatar is now the highest-grossing movie EVER
Source: SciFi Wire

It's official: As expected, James Cameron's Avatar on Monday officially pulled ahead of Cameron's other big movie, about some boat, to become the biggest-grossing movie of ALL TIME.

Twentieth Century Fox said that the sci-fi epic had amassed an estimated global total box office take of $1.8437 billion, just ahead of Titanic's worldwide total of $1,843,201,268, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

The worldwide crown isn't adjusted for inflation, and Avatar's high grosses were certainly boosted by higher ticket prices overall and especially for 3-D and IMAX screenings. (Check BoxOfficeMojo for the full list of inflation-adjusted grosses.)

So if you haven't seen Avatar yet, you're the only one.

In a decade's time we're going to look back and blame this movie for ruining the movie business (and I'm speaking purely from a budgetary/revenue perspective).

[socketlevel]

It's official: Avatar is now the highest-grossing movie EVER
Source: SciFi Wire

It's official: As expected, James Cameron's Avatar on Monday officially pulled ahead of Cameron's other big movie, about some boat, to become the biggest-grossing movie of ALL TIME.

Twentieth Century Fox said that the sci-fi epic had amassed an estimated global total box office take of $1.8437 billion, just ahead of Titanic's worldwide total of $1,843,201,268, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

The worldwide crown isn't adjusted for inflation, and Avatar's high grosses were certainly boosted by higher ticket prices overall and especially for 3-D and IMAX screenings. (Check BoxOfficeMojo for the full list of inflation-adjusted grosses.)

So if you haven't seen Avatar yet, you're the only one.

In a decade's time we're going to look back and blame this movie for ruining the movie business (and I'm speaking purely from a budgetary/revenue perspective).

the studios will wrongly attribute the success to the imax 3D factor in a desperate scramble to pump out more and more. and truthfully, it was star wars and jaws that did the same thing in the late 70s/early 80s. they changed the industry from a budgetary/revenue perspective like you say and it was only a decade later that it could be seen as a more bad than good thing. bottom line is good movies can still ruin the movie business, and even if they're not responsible for the financial reaction and doppelganger copy-catting.

[Stefen]

If the studios are making money on their 3D blockbusters, it bodes well for them giving money away for smaller fare, which is a good thing, I suppose.

[Myxo]

Will this movie be a popular DVD/Blu-ray buy? What do you all think?

The best Cameron could hope for is a package of the movie with those crappy red/blue glasses and hope for the best, right? Is Avatar mostly spectacle? Can the movie stand on it's own without the 3D? For the first time in a while I think we can really discuss the future impact of watching 3D movies in a world without (for now) 3D televisions. Am I overstating how many people saw this movie in 3D at all? I just can't imagine watching it at home right now, with current technology. I won't do it. The movie itself wasn't good enough, in my opinion.

[Ravi]

Blu-ray specs now include 3D.  Perhaps Avatar won't come out on Blu-ray until 3D TVs (which have been announced) are introduced.

[Derek]

I don't know if you need 3d tvs to watch it in 3d (although a 3D tv would undoubtedly be better). A few blu-rays have come out in the format like Coraline and Polar Express, albeit with the shitty cardboard glasses. I kept my glasses from the theater when I saw Avatar in hopes that they would work on my tv, but they probably won't.

[Derek]

Blu-ray.com has announced the first release of Avatar will not be in 3D, and will be released before June 30th.

[Pubrick]

I don't know if you need 3d tvs to watch it in 3d (although a 3D tv would undoubtedly be better). A few blu-rays have come out in the format like Coraline and Polar Express, albeit with the shitty cardboard glasses. I kept my glasses from the theater when I saw Avatar in hopes that they would work on my tv, but they probably won't.

if 3D tvs are gonna be any different to the current 3D gimmick DVD releases like My Bloody Valentine 3D and coraline and polar express, they will hav to get rid of the cardboard glasses. the difference is that they still rely on the old BLUE/RED style of oldschool 3D. in case you didn't notice, when you watched Avatar in the cinemas your lenses were not BLUE/RED, they were clear.

it's a completely different system of 3D that works by projecting two separate images at the screen at the same time, one eye sees one layer the other sees the other, they are POLARIZED glasses. so i don't know 3D TVs will do that, but it definitely won't be with cardboard blue/red glasses that you get with current 3D dvd releases.

hope this helps.

[Stefen]

Fuck 3D.

[matt35mm]

it's a completely different system of 3D that works by projecting two separate images at the screen at the same time, one eye sees one layer the other sees the other, they are POLARIZED glasses. so i don't know 3D TVs will do that, but it definitely won't be with cardboard blue/red glasses that you get with current 3D dvd releases.

My understanding is that they use alternate-frame sequencing, where you have to wear these expensive LCD-shutter-glasses that actually "blink" for you in alternating order at such fast rates that you supposedly don't notice.  They blink in exact synchronization with the TV, which constantly alternates quickly between the two images of different perspectives.

Needless to say, whatever TV you have now cannot do this, so I don't know how anyone will be able to see Avatar in 3D in their homes until many, many years from now.

[Myxo]

so I don't know how anyone will be able to see Avatar in 3D in their homes until many, many years from now.

I guess what I'm asking is this: Will any of you buy this movie in a non-3D format? Did you enjoy the story enough to watch it that way at home?

[Pubrick]

jesus what are you a market researcher?  

one question at a time, no wonder no one really got what you were asking the first time.. count the question marks!

the ppl who buy every movie that gets released will buy it on whatever format they have decided to consume at the time, the macs and siliasses of the world,. but i think unless you got a blu-ray player with a really nice TV, the 2D version wouldn't be worth it. i don't even think i need to watch it more than the one time i saw it in cinemas.

i hav a feeling everyone knows at least ONE chump tho with an amazing entertainment set up who will definitely hav every reason to buy the film, and i imagine i will visit said chump once to see it again.

[matt35mm]

I think the DVD/Blu-Ray sales will be healthy, and probably comparable to any 2D blockbuster.  I certainly won't be buying it, but I wouldn't mind seeing it in 2D.

Anyway, on the creation of the technology for Avatar.  It's relatively detailed and covers some stuff that hasn't really been discussed that much in the articles I've read about the process of inventing these new camera systems.  Especially interesting are the various workarounds to the unexpected problems they ran into, such as how to simultaneously photographically shoot real human characters as well as digitally capture their motions for integration into a CG world that they are interacting with in real-time as seen by the new camera system, when any lighting that you use on the actors for photographic purposes will corrupt the light-based marker system used in performance capture.  If you find that sort of stuff interesting, even if you don't like the movie, you should enjoy this interview.

[Myxo]

jesus what are you a market researcher?

Pretty close to it.

I was a Sociology major in college and I now work for a large advertising firm.