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[GhaleonEB]

It is difficult to overstate how unusual these numbers are. I keep looking for parallels on boxofficemojo's daily record charts, and there are none. The only other movies to post numbers like this are TDK - coming off a weekend exactly double Avatar's - and Transformers. On July 4th.

The movie that had the 28th largest opening weekend ever is putting up the third biggest weekly performance ever, behind two recent July blockbusters. This just isn't supposed to happen.

why is Alvin playing on 200 more screens than avatar?

Because most of Avatar's business is coming from 3D screens, which are apparently near capacity each night. The 2D screens are busy but not full. And Avatar has most of the 3D screens locked up already, so there's no point expanding the number of 2D screens when those aren't sold out.

 

[artist]

Wed B.O. Estimates:

TOP 10
1. Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel (Fox) Wed $19M
2. Avatar (Fox) Wed $16M
3. The Princess And The Frog (Disney) Wed $2.4M
4. The Blind Side (Alcon/Warner Bros) Wed $2.3M
5. Up In The Air (Paramount) Wed $1.8M
6. Did You Hear About The Morgans? (Sony) Wed $1.0M
7. A Christmas Carol (Disney) Wed $1.0M
8. New Moon (Summit) Wed $950K
9. Invictus (Warner Bros) Wed $777K
10. Brothers (Relativity/Lionsgate) Wed $500K

Ouch, good for Fox I guess :lol

ERC Numbers:

TITLE STUDIO SITES GROSS AVG TOTAL
1 ALVIN AND THE CHIPMUNKS: THE SQUEAKUEL Fox · 3656 · $19,000,000 · $5,197 · $19,000,000
2 AVATAR Fox · 3452 · $16,500,000 · $4,780 · $125,997,762
3 THE PRINCESS AND THE FROG Walt Disney · 3475 · $2,500,000 · $719 · $53,276,554
4 THE BLIND SIDE Warner Bros. · 3407 · $2,250,000 · $660 · $171,195,040
5 UP IN THE AIR Paramount · 1825 · $1,700,000 · $932 · $10,983,559
6 DID YOU HEAR ABOUT THE MORGANS? Sony · 2718 · $1,000,000 · $368 · $9,903,798
7 A CHRISTMAS CAROL Walt Disney · 2070 · $975,000 · $471 · $133,699,858
8 THE TWILIGHT SAGA: NEW MOON Summit · 3035 · $900,000 · $297 · $277,520,062
9 INVICTUS Warner Bros. · 2125 · $800,000 · $376 · $18,261,526
10 BROTHERS Lionsgate · 2009 · $400,000 · $199 · $23,873,733

Avatar actually increased on yesterday's numbers. IN YOUR FACE.

 

[mckmas8808]

So guys will Avatar hit $200 Million domestically this week?

 

[artist]

So guys will Avatar hit $200 Million domestically this week?

Very good chance.

 

[Snaku]

ERC Numbers:

Avatar actually increased on yesterday's numbers. IN YOUR FACE.

These people need to learn that we don't stop.

 

[Solo]

Turns out it didn't, it actually increased.

1 ALVIN AND THE CHIPMUNKS: THE SQUEAKUEL Fox · 3656 · $19,000,000 · $5,197 · $19,000,000
2 AVATAR Fox · 3452 · $16,500,000 · $4,780 · $125,997,762

Not final yet, though.

So not a 0.6% decrease, but rather a 2.5% INCREASE? Mother of god :lol This has been my favorite week of the year, entertainment/movie wise, solely because Avatar doing so well warms my soul. Nothing better than seeing a movie that a) you loved, b) was shit on so much pre-release, and c) assumed to be a bomba kicking ass and taking names. The WOM is astronomical and is going to carry the movie for the next month.

Of course, it will drop mightily TODAY (as will everything - its X-mas eve after all), but then it will do gangbusters on X-mas day and into the weekend.

Yes, it WILL hit $200M by the end of Sunday. Avatar is gonna shit out Sherlock Holmes dead and eat Alvin's eyes like jujubes!

 

[Bit-Bit]

I used to work at the movie theater in Box Office. Christmas was always packed. From the early morning to the late night. Expect AVATAR numbers to be even higher tomorrow once whole families goes to see it.

 

[Solo]

Its at $125M right now. I feel like Im setting myself up to fail by saying it will hit $200M by the end of the weekend, but Im sticking with it. A $75M weekend would be only $2M less than opening weekend though, which would be an insanely low drop.

 

[Snaku]

I used to work at the movie theater in Box Office. Christmas was always packed. From the early morning to the late night. Expect AVATAR numbers to be even higher tomorrow once whole families goes to see it.

I worked at an AMC about 7 years ago, and they always considered it their busiest day of the year. Probably because they're the only thing open.

 

[artist]

Just to re-iterate:

According to people who have seen audience polling, "Avatar" will probably decline very modestly, if at all, this coming weekend compared with its $77-million debut. Combined with the $109.5 million it has grossed so far, it will probably be close to and possibly over $200 million by Sunday and on its way to an ultimate domestic gross of at least $350 million.

Combined with even bigger grosses from foreign countries, including a debut in Japan today that is expected to be very strong, a final worldwide total of more than $1 billion is looking more and more likely for "Avatar."

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/ent...&utm_campaign=Feed:+newsandbuzz+(News+&+Buzz)

 

[artist]

Its at $125M right now. I feel like Im setting myself up to fail by saying it will hit $200M by the end of the weekend, but Im sticking with it. A $75M weekend would be only $2M less than opening weekend though, which would be an insanely low drop.

Few corrections;
1. Its at 126M (literally)
2. It will most likely gross 10M today taking the total to 136M.
3. It needs 64M Fri-Sun, which is more likely.

 

[GhaleonEB]

Its at $125M right now. I feel like Im setting myself up to fail by saying it will hit $200M by the end of the weekend, but Im sticking with it. A $75M weekend would be only $2M less than opening weekend though, which would be an insanely low drop.

Don't forget it will make money today as well. Looking at past years, box office for Christmas Eve drops about 50% from the day before, so add another $8m or so, and then it's not all that unrealistic.

Avatar would need a $67m weekend. And between word of mouth and the Christmas boost, I don't think a $10m drop from last weekend (which was nerfed due to the storm) is out of the question. It will be close, either way.

But think of it this way: Avatar will probably be around $600m WW by the end of the weekend, after ten days of release.

Edit: beaten on most points.

 

[duderon]

It is difficult to overstate how unusual these numbers are. I keep looking for parallels on boxofficemojo's daily record charts, and there are none. The only other movies to post numbers like this are TDK - coming off a weekend exactly double Avatar's - and Transformers. On July 4th.

The movie that had the 28th largest opening weekend ever is putting up the third biggest weekly performance ever, behind two recent July blockbusters. This just isn't supposed to happen.

It's actually quite normal for box office numbers to increase on the first Tuesday and Wednesday of a films first week. If it holds steady or increases today, that would be unusual. It could be possible given the holiday and all.

 

[Veidt]

:lol

 

[Expendable.]

ERC Numbers:



Avatar actually increased on yesterday's numbers. IN YOUR FACE.

In my face? I LOVED Avatar, I want it to do really well.

 

[CassidyIzABeast]

:lol

whatchu talkin bout sully?

 

[artist]

In my face? I LOVED Avatar, I want it to do really well.

Not you personally but the people who think Avatar's Wed numbers are bad.

 

[GhaleonEB]

It's actually quite normal for box office numbers to increase on the first Tuesday and Wednesday of a films first week. If it holds steady or increases today, that would be unusual. It could be possible given the holiday and all.

Not so for large debuts on their first week.

Daily all time rankings:

32nd biggest Friday
44th biggest Saturday
19th biggest Sunday
11th biggest Monday
3rd biggest Tuesday
3rd biggest Wednesday (excluding Wednesday releases)

I repeat: this is not normal.

 

[Zeliard]

My god, this piece:

http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/w...-cameron-deserves-the-worst-lefty-award-2009/

And it was the relationships between the Na’vi and animals on the planet of Pandora which I would argue have racist undertones: they are explicitly sexual, displaying the “triumphant bestiality” which Chinua Achebe criticised in Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness.

:lol

This shit would get someone laughed out of any English Lit class.

But James Cameron’s film has more than a racist subtext, according to some of its fiercer critics. The New Yorker and Vanity Fair say the director is a closet feminist in two highly sycophantic articles, but entertainment writer Emma Rosenblum disagrees:

The male characters’ avatars are the strongest, most powerful versions of their current selves, but they share their respective human’s facial structure, general build, and age… But then look at the avatar for Weaver’s Dr. Augustine: When we’re introduced to her, the slinky alien is wearing a belly-baring Stanford T-Shirt and sporting beaded dreadlocks, a marked difference from her usual lab coat and fine lines. So Augustine transforms from a 60-year-old scientist into a college-age Outward Bound instructor?… Is Cameron hinting that in their most idealized versions, women want to have the wisdom of a long life, but the body of a 20-year-old?

James Cameron is a racist who hates women, guys. Stop giving him money.

 

[Count Dookkake]

1) Man, those Avatar crow quotes are just about as funny as those in the Wii name announcement thread. Some of you guys are terrible at prognostication! :lol

2) Of the two books, I much prefer the field guide over the art book. It feels much better put together.

3) One thing I just realized this movie is missing is Bruce Spence, the only actor to appear in each of these epic series: Star Wars, Mad Max, Lord of the Rings, and Matrix (yeah, being generous with the last one). Here's hoping Cameron finds use for the man in the next one.

4) The DS game is actually pretty good.

5) Regarding the snippet Zeliard posted... Yeah, only a sexist would want their 60 yo mind in a 20 yo body... Go fuck yourselves, dopey 'feminists.'

 

[Ding]

I can't say a goddamn thing about this film without people who haven't even seen it telling me "oh I heard it's just a sci-fi Dancing With Wolves" and "the plot sucks" only because these are the two frequent things they "hear" about the movie.
.

(Full disclosure: I myself have told several people that Avatar is basically Dances with Wolves, in space.)

People are idiots. How can a movie be "like Dances with Wolves", and also "suck" for that reason? Those two things really don't go together, do they? Didn't Dances more or less rock? I liked it. And I'm pretty sure it got critical acclaim, and some nominations. Would people have preferred that Avatar "steal" its plot from a crappy movie (book?) instead?

[Edit] Beaten by several pages....

 

[Askani]

James Cameron is a racist who hates women, guys. Stop giving him money.

But that's why I am giving him money.

Spoiler

It saddens me that I have to explicitly point out that was sarcasm lest someone take it seriously.

 

[Deleted member 22576]

I had a dream I saw AVATAR on "IMAX Digital Cube."
The screen was like the edge of a cube, complete with a 90 degree angle.
If you weren't sitting directly in the middle you couldn't even see part of the screen.
There were also a bunch of weird geometrical shapes that, again, if you weren't perfectly in the center would misalign and block part of the picture.

Also, Tony Stark was in it for somereason.. but as an actor.

 

[TacticalFox88]

So what would GAF do if this surpassed $1 Billion WW?

 

[duderon]

Not so for large debuts on their first week.

Daily all time rankings:

32nd biggest Friday
44th biggest Saturday
19th biggest Sunday
11th biggest Monday
3rd biggest Tuesday
3rd biggest Wednesday (excluding Wednesday releases)

I repeat: this is not normal.

Of course it's different when compared to the huge blockbusters, given the nerfed opening weekend. I'm just saying that other popular movies like Twilight, Harry Potter, Up, etc. all showed increases or held steady in their first week.

 

[Bit-Bit]

How can Cameron hate women? He single handily made two of the most badass fictional female characters of all time.

Spoiler

Ripley and Sarah Connor

 

[Count Dookkake]

How can Cameron hate women? He single handily made two of the most badass fictional female characters of all time.

Spoiler

Ripley and Sarah Connor

I don't think the dude is a misogynist, but the argument you put forth is more or less the same as the racist's refrain of SOMBFAB.

Spoiler

Neytiri, Vasquez

 

[Zeliard]

This particular... strand of writers needs to get together and agree on whether the film is racist towards sub-Saharan Africans, racist towards Native Americans, or racist towards white people, and/or sexist on top of it as well. They should probably attempt some sort of collective coherency.

Someone should point out that Cameron simply hates humans. That's obviously the crux of the issue. Titanic was like a genocide.

 

[Bit-Bit]

This particular... strand of writers needs to get together and agree on whether the film is racist towards sub-Saharan Africans, racist towards Native Americans, or racist towards white people, and/or sexist on top of it as well. They should probably attempt some sort of collective coherency.

Someone should point out that Cameron simply hates humans. That's obviously the crux of the issue. Titanic was like a genocide.

I think people should just watch Cameron films as they are. Action pack thrill rides with performances that make you love the characters.

Cameron's strongest suit for me is his directing. I see genius in every little detail he puts into his films. People can fuck off with their crazy parables, metaphors, and shitty analogies trying to sound smart.

 

[Snaku]

Someone should point out that Cameron simply hates humans. That's obviously the crux of the issue. Titanic was like a genocide.

I don't know which species is worse. You don't see them fucking each other over for a goddamn percentage.

 

[GhaleonEB]

Of course it's different when compared to the huge blockbusters, given the nerfed opening weekend. I'm just saying that other popular movies like Twilight, Harry Potter, Up, etc. all showed increases or held steady in their first week.

Yeah, you're missing the point entirely. Twilight (the first) for instance did this its first week:

$35,978,348
$21,287,029
$12,372,363
$4,515,245
$6,012,635
$7,964,881
$5,231,976

It's easy to float up a bit during the week when you crash to $4m on Monday.

Up did this:

$21,481,834
$26,394,319
$20,232,637
$6,271,151
$6,405,897
$6,116,646
$6,169,951

Very steady performance. While making half as much.

So I suppose the caveat would be, at the level Avatar is performing at, this is unprecedented.

 

[StuBurns]

I don't know which species is worse. You don't see them fucking each other over for a goddamn percentage.

That confused me for about thirty seconds. I read it, heard Sigourney Weaver's voice, then in my head played the whole of Avatar searching for it. And then, relief.

 

[Zeliard]

I think people should just watch Cameron films as they are. Action pack thrill rides with performances that make you love the characters.

Cameron's strongest suit for me is his directing. I see genius in every little detail he puts into his films. People can fuck off with their crazy parables, metaphors, and shitty analogies trying to sound smart.

Reminds me of what Tarantino recently said, which is that he never puts any subtext into his films. Whatever viewers derive from them beyond the surface, that's their own thing. There's an obvious message in Avatar but it's very clearly limited to one of environmentalism and anti-imperalism. There aren't any "hidden messages". People are projecting their own inherent shittiness onto the movie.

And I wish I could see this at work:

http://www.tmz.com/2009/12/24/james-cameron-in-major-a-hole-dispute/

Does Cameron really go off on him that badly? :lol :lol

 

[Veidt]

"Garbage movie with no plot"

"Make a real movie" :lol

 

[firehawk12]

He must have seen the camera guy trailing him... why wouldn't he just sign the fucking poster? :lol

It's like a dorkier version of the Megan Fox rose thing.

 

[FirewalkR]

Could Avatar's revenue actually be suffering a bit coz of people waiting for a chance to see it in 3D in some locations where theatres are getting packed easily?

 

[UrokeJoe]

"Garbage movie with no plot"

"Make a real movie" :lol

If the guy felt that way why did he buy a poster? Looks like a set up to me.

 

[Veidt]

He must have seen the camera guy trailing him... why wouldn't he just sign the fucking poster? :lol

It's like a dorkier version of the Megan Fox rose thing.

Guys like these sell the autographs on ebay for major money. He really didn't sound like a fan. :lol

 

[StuBurns]

Could Avatar's revenue actually be suffering a bit coz of people waiting for a chance to see it in 3D in some locations where theatres are getting packed easily?

I was thinking that would be a possibility, I have no idea how well the theatres are selling outside of the UK though.


EDIT: The signature thing is interesting, Cameron is known as a dick, but the guy should have left him alone after he said no.

 

[jett]

If the guy felt that way why did he buy a poster? Looks like a set up to me.

He no doubt planned to sell it off at ebay. Dude doesn't look like a fan.

 

[CassidyIzABeast]

obvious set up. Guy just happens to be in the airport Cameron is in and he just happens to have a rolled up movie poster with him.

 

[Zeliard]

I was thinking that would be a possibility, I have no idea how well the theatres are selling outside of the UK though.

Anecdotally, I've seen the movie twice, once on Friday night and once this past Monday, after work. Both times, huge lines formed outside of the theater.

I think one of the unfortunate things about 3D, beyond the often-tinted glasses, is that it really does matter where you sit. It could just have been a coincidence, or maybe just due to it being a different theater (though not necessarily a nicer one), but the second time I was in the dead center and had a considerably better experience with the 3D itself. It just worked, and flawlessly. No blurring or strange focusing issues like the first time. It was marvelous.

I still hugely enjoyed the movie the first time, but my friends and I underestimated just how popular it'd be. We got to the theater an hour early and there was already an enormous line, so we ended up getting stuck at the far left edges of the rows. The 3D sort of felt distracting to me then at times, and I had some issues with focusing on certain things (particularly out of my left eye).

Both times, it was in RealD.

 

[GhaleonEB]

obvious set up. Guy just happens to be in the airport Cameron is in and he just happens to have a rolled up movie poster with him.

I might be thinking of someone else, but I remember a similar story with Cameron - or another director/star recently - that was posted on GAF. Similar situation, except the guy called out the "fan" directly, saying he was just going to sell it on eBay and please get the fuck out of my face.

Cameron probably has an eye for spotting these douchebags by now.

 

[ymmv]

So what would GAF do if this surpassed $1 Billion WW?

 

[polyh3dron]

Zeliard, if you have the opportunity, try watching it in IMAX. RealD hurt my eyes too.

 

[CassidyIzABeast]

the comments on the tmz page make me facepalm

 

[Expendable.]

"Garbage movie with no plot"

"Make a real movie" :lol

:lol This is amazing.

 

[Jobiensis]

I find it hard to believe that a human civilization advanced enough to achieve faster than light space travel would act in such an uncivilized manner.

Have they achieved faster than light travel? I thought it took approx 6 years to go 4.4 light years.

I have a real hard time believing humans will ever stop behaving in an uncivilized manner, it's in our nature.

 

[D23]

Reminds me of what Tarantino recently said, which is that he never puts any subtext into his films. Whatever viewers derive from them beyond the surface, that's their own thing. There's an obvious message in Avatar but it's very clearly limited to one of environmentalism and anti-imperalism. There aren't any "hidden messages". People are projecting their own inherent shittiness onto the movie.

And I wish I could see this at work:

http://www.tmz.com/2009/12/24/james-cameron-in-major-a-hole-dispute/

Does Cameron really go off on him that badly? :lol :lol

its obviously a set up, he will sell it on ebay or signature site! glad cameron didn't sign it

 

[Kaako]

Continued full rooms for NoVA. You need to pre-order in a day or two in advance just for the Imax 3D experience ones and need to line up an hour early for the regular RealD3D ones. This weekend's numbers will be freaking insane, I can just feel it.