Avatar (the movie) and its Sequels

[MrPromey]

I would not worry too much about that… it has been said premium theaters are selling out… but the theaters are not selling tickets for just a normal screening…if people can not get into a 3d Imax/Dolby they are opting to wait till they can see it on the best screen possible. I read somewhere only 35% of the screen in the US are Premiums

This is not gonna play like your normal tentpole

Saw it tonight in the most premium I could get locally which was RPX 3D.

Theater only has one auditorium for that which means there are only four showings per day in that format.

My 6pm showing was sold out except for individual "spacer" seats and some around the ends of the front row.

I've gone to a lot of movies in that auditorium and it's often not even half full most of the time (especially post-covid) because people don't want to pay the premium but in this case, I could see lack of capacity for the various premium offerings holding back opening weekend numbers some.

I'd have held out for a drive to a better format but... okay, if I'm being honest, I can't think of a movie I'd drive an hour or more one-way to see unless it's on a really, really big screen... with motorcycle-like seats that expand and contract on the sides and move up and down with some slight left-to-right movement.

For that, I'm also willing to sometimes wait a couple hours once I get there for it.

 

[MrPromey]

No I meant Dolby Cinema 3D. I kind of wrote off 3D years ago when I realized the screens always looked too dim. I’ve never seen anything anything in Dolby Cinema 3D. Is it crisp and vibrant? I also just wonder if three hours of any kind of 3D will be tiring on your eyes. Man I sound old.

Having seen it, I can say asking if you should see this one in 3D is like asking if you should see Spierman Homecoming in color.

... unless you're name rhymes with Rick Curry, in which case, the 3D might not be worth it.

 

[Jedijax719]

My alternate suggestion is to buy a large soda, drink fast, and then you have everything you need right there in the theater and you don't miss a moment!

Except for immunity against indecent exposure.

 

[Movielover]

Sometimes the critics are dead wrong

Sometimes the audience is too

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

Sometimes the audience is too

Point taken

…the reality is if the scores aren’t 90/90…it’s usually a totally forgettable movie.

 

[Movielover]

Point taken

…the reality is if the scores aren’t 90/90…it’s usually a totally forgettable movie.

Or you know people could just judge a movie themselves and make up their own mind instead of relying on a website using a weighted average generator....

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

Or you know people could just judge a movie themselves and make up their own mind instead of relying on a website using a weighted average generator....

I’m not saying they can’t…it’s just pretty predictive of how things settle.

There are people all over this site that insist they like bad movies. Fine. No problem…that is your right. But if nobody else does…just accept it and move on to the next flick.

 

[DKampy]

this only had a 15% decline for Friday to Saturday which is excellent….for comparison Top Gun had a 27% decline…and looked how that legged it out

 

[Slpy3270]

this only had a 15% decline for Friday to Saturday which is excellent….for comparison Top Gun had a 27% decline…and looked how that legged it out

Except Maverick also did very well internationally and has a kind of nostalgia to it that Avatar just doesn't have.

Even if it legs out in the US (which I highly doubt), the spectacular collapse in China, Japan and Europe will keep it at risk of losing Disney at least tens of millions.

And while Disney is in comparatively better financial shape than most of the competition (WBD especially), 2023 could end up being a total bloodbath in employee layoffs and canceled movies and shows, especially if Iger fears activists or impatient longtime investors will attempt to remove him or force a break-up or sale of parts or all of the company. It won't matter that they made more money this year than in 2021 and 2020.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

Except Maverick also did very well internationally and has a kind of nostalgia to it that Avatar just doesn't have.

Lol are you joking?

Even if it legs out in the US (which I highly doubt), the spectacular collapse in China, Japan and Europe will keep it at risk of losing Disney at least tens of millions.

What on Earth are you talking about?

 

[Slpy3270]

What on Earth are you talking about?

Disney was betting on huge numbers from China to help it reach $2 billion and the country's Zero Covid policies ensured they weren't coming. Any potential legs the movie will have will be offset by a spectacular collapse in China. It's like how Warcraft did extremely well in China yet Universal/Legendary still lost money because it bombed everywhere else.

 

[Ghost93]

Avatar opened with $434 million worldwide. We'll probably have a better idea a week or two from now whether it will be a success as it all depends on legs.

https://variety.com/2022/film/box-office/avatar-2-box-office-opening-weekend-1235464497/

 

[Animaniac93-98]

I think it will hold well.

I mean, what else are people going to see over the holidays? There's no competition in the blockbuster department. Black Panther has been out for over a month, most people who want to see it have already done so.

 

[TalkingHead]

I mean, what else are people going to see over the holidays?

Babylon, obviously. (Thinking there are about a dozen of us eager to see that.)

 

[CaptainAmerica]

Disney was betting on huge numbers from China to help it reach $2 billion and the country's Zero Covid policies ensured they weren't coming. Any potential legs the movie will have will be offset by a spectacular collapse in China. It's like how Warcraft did extremely well in China yet Universal/Legendary still lost money because it bombed everywhere else.

1. TWOW is not "bombing" anywhere. It is slightly underperforming its opening weekend projections with theaters reporting strong demand for PLF showings in future weeks.

2. China has rolled back many zero COVID policies.

3. The studio share of box office from China is poor. So even if China hurts the final worldwide total, the impact to Disney will be somewhat mitigated.

4. This movie was never expected to open like a superhero movie.

 

[Slpy3270]

Babylon, obviously. (Thinking there are about a dozen of us eager to see that.)

I wouldn't be too shocked if that movie overperforms, but whenever Christmas lands on a weekend it historically doesn't translate to big box office numbers (especially this year, where Xmas is on a Sunday, and Xmas Eve will be full of NFL games).

 

[DKampy]

Except Maverick also did very well internationally and has a kind of nostalgia to it that Avatar just doesn't have.

Uhh what..
It was not just Nostalgia… if it was it would have opened better… it was the great word of mouth… the original Top Gun is not a great movie.

From where I sit Avatar has that some great word of mouth with people saying it has to be seen in a theater. I have seen a few people who did not care for the 1st one who loved this one.

The fact remains this has the best Friday to Saturday hold than any wide released movie this year

 

[MisterPenguin]

2023 could end up being a total bloodbath in employee layoffs

"Layoffs" were never announced. A hiring freeze was announced.

Disney has not yet informed their unions, FL, nor CA of a large number of layoffs.

There has been no social media buzz of people being laid off.

The only people laid off was Chapek and two of his guys.

Disney's help wanted site is still full of new postings daily.

Parks are already short-staffed. Layoffs would only come about in another Great Recession in which demand dropped substantially. Is that what you think 2023 will bring?

 

[CaptainAmerica]

"Layoffs" were never announced. A hiring freeze was announced.

Disney has not yet informed their unions, FL, nor CA of a large number of layoffs.

There has been no social media buzz of people being laid off.

The only people laid off was Chapek and two of his guys.

Disney's help wanted site is still full of new postings daily.

Parks are already short-staffed. Layoffs would only come about in another Great Recession in which demand dropped substantially. Is that what you think 2023 will bring?

There will absolutely be layoffs, but it won't be union people.

 

[Phroobar]

We are forgetting. We need to denounce things not made by Disney and praise stuff made by Disney no matter how crappy it is.