Avatar: The Experience

I’ve seen Avatar 3 times.

1. Opening Weekend in NEW-IMAX 3D.  I believe people still weren’t too sure about the film.  Even though the theater was packed, I walked in Saturday and bought a ticket for the next showtime.
2. Third weekend in RealD.  I tried to see the film with my friend in NEW-IMAX 3D for the second weekend but was shutdown due to a sold out show (we arrived 15 minutes before showtime).  Arriving 45 minutes early and finding IMAX sold out for the third weekend frustrated us enough to settle for RealD.
3. Fifth weekend in NEW-IMAX 3D.  I figured to be on the safe side calling beforehand was a good idea.  I was right; showing up even an hour before the 11:35am show it was close to selling out.  Our theater was near full by 12:00pm at a start time of 12:35pm.

Five weekends strong and working on its sixth, Avatar has passed the $550 million mark in the United States according to estimates.  Total foreign and domestic box office is officially quoted at $1,836,346,000 (Box Office Mojo).

Ho-ly cr-ap.

Is it possible that this was a calculated business plan from the start?  Who knows.  What perfect-storm type events happen for a film to reach nearly 2 billion dollars?  That’s the question I’ve been stewing over after my three viewings.  And my thought sharing starts…now:

Limited IMAX/NEW-IMAX 3D Theaters
A more expensive ticket for an enlarged screen, booming acoustics, and a fine-tuned film print.  A ruckus began around these new semi-IMAX theaters (what I’ve been calling NEW-IMAX throughout this article) about a year ago, and it seems to have died down since then.  5 weeks have gone by since Avatar’s opening weekend and theaters are still selling out for these seats.  Whether the price is justified is up to the buyer, but to see the film in its full glory is hard to pass up.

Seeing Avatar in NEW-IMAX 3D was the only way to go for me.  At our theater the picture was beautiful.  RealD was really distant in terms of picture quality; much blurrier and not nearly as crisp.

Multiple Output Versions
If you showed up and tried to catch a morning or afternoon screening at the theater, there’s a good chance you were disappointed by a dreaded “sold out” sign for NEW-IMAX 3D.  But you planned this time to see James Cameron’s big return!  Going home is a possibility…or you could suck it up and catch a RealD/Dolby 3D or 2D show, telling yourself you’ll see this version and catch the IMAX later.  This scenario could be reversed as well for the hardcore types that are curious about the aesthetic differences.

That sound you hear is of cash being forked over by the customer.  My scenario is best case for its production companies and the theaters showing the film, though I do know many people that have seen the film these different ways successively.  Including myself.

Word of Mouth
From Comic-Con footage to Avatar Day to 2D commercials, the marketing consensus on the interwebs seemed to be good not great (except for me, I kind of fell head over heels with the 3D effects e.g. our Avatar Day reactions in August).  Buzz around the world might have changed though after that first release weekend; the next two domestic box office weekends only had a total gross decline of 11.2% from the initial $77 million opening.

I’ve told people to go see the film and people I’m acquainted with have told me to go see it as well (not knowing I’m a huge movie fan).  After all, it won’t be in the theater forever.  This wildfire of praise distribution is what all studios hope for.  Avatar seems to have reached its goal.

The Script
248 positive reviews and 44 negative have Avatar sitting at a 82% Tomatometer on Rotten Tomatoes.  On IMDB it is rated at an 8.6 out of 10 stars by 160,589 users.  While not the most original story ever told, the discovery of new characters and new worlds is still enjoyable.  Its themes are not incredibly subtle, but ultimately still important and touching.  Although this site never posted an official review of the film, I can honestly say that if I hadn’t seen or felt something from Pandora, repeat viewings would never have happened.

The James Cameron Experience
Everything I’ve stated until now is inclusive to this Avatar experience.  IMAX, the comradery of sitting in a room wearing goofy 3D glasses, an entrancingly beautiful world with literally larger than life characters, and a story that is rooted in our own history– it is an experience.  And one that won’t last forever in theaters.

James Cameron took a large and calculated chance on his film (I doubt he saw it as chance, more like opportunity.  Can’t confirm though.).  When you’re in a packed theater for not just the first week, or second, third, or fourth, recognize that he’s discovered this level of success TWICE! (Titanic was produced also by Paramount Pictures).  A 15 year old idea and 4 years of production are currently around 6 million dollars away from becoming the highest and fastest grossing film of all time.  Whether you like it or not, it won’t discount the numbers.  The world his team has created, its production and technical ambition, are all truly inspiring.

I’m not sure whether this was the best outlined business plan of all time or the luckiest.  I do know that if it’s possible to capitalize on again though…they will.

(All box office totals via of www.BoxOfficeMojo.com on January 24, 2010
Tomatometer rating via www.RottenTomatoes.com on January 24, 2010
IMDB Rating via www.IMDB.com on January 24, 2010)