Box Office: 'Star Wars' Will Not Beat 'Avatar' Global Record

[dstrawn9889]

too much bat-flek, not enough BatBale... the new Batman doesnt look gritty enough.

 

[BrianLo]

too much bat-flek, not enough BatBale... the new Batman doesnt look gritty enough.

Bat-Flek was actually reasonably good. The universe is not inherently ruined, it wasn't Fantastic Four level bad. It's just not going to pump up the rest of the DCU in the same way the 'Avengers effect' trickled into all the subsequent solo movies.

Wonder Woman seems fine, she honestly didn't do a whole lot in the movie other than what's been shown in the trailers.

Superman is botched though, too bad...

Spoiler

Snyder couldn't actually commit to killing him in the end like the last ten minutes lead you to believe. I actually was confused and thought something surprising was going to happen in the movie.

The things people hated about AoU are on display here. Dream sequences out the whazoo. Except they are all Thor in a bath level dream sequences, where they interrupt the story and seriously confuse the hell out of the audience.

Spoiler

Once someone sees it, I hope they can explain the whole weird bug sequence followed by ?was it the Flash warning Batman, I had no idea. It made no sense other than, ok obviously this is pumping up a future movie. Everyone turned to each other and had no clue who or what was going on. I couldn't really find any online discussions about it as clearly 120k people haven't actually seen the movie yet...

We had the Snyder opening asking us please to not spoil the movie. There is nothing terribly to spoil though, ironically the trailers are mostly of the third act. The first two acts are just dull and not worth spoiling. Only one or two story beats actually surprised me of how we eventually get to the end of the movie with everything everyone knows.

 

[Siren]

I made sure to highlight Star Wars domestic success in the first post. I'm not putting down Star Wars at all. I am building up Avatar because everyone tries to make Avatar's record out to be some kind of random fluke but it's not -- 3 Billion is no fluke. And, remember Titanic still holds second place.

Well, just got back from a free pre-screening of the movie (one that was not in any way paid for by the studio, so probably a far better indication of public opinion).

Unfortunately - better than Star Wars and Avatar it was not.

The theatre actually boo'd after the credits. Granted it was do to the lack of tag. But yes, boo's. It's not Fantastic Four terrible, it's certainly watchable, but I do question whether Snyder will be allowed to direct Justice League.

Wow, you baller! You had a VIP screening and didn't invite me? LOL.

Anyway, BvS was awful, it was way too dark and scary and slow. I saw it in IMAX -- the theater was sold out, people were being turned away. There were so many kids in the theater, and I felt so bad for them. This movie is way too dark, honestly, it's terrifying.

With that said, Wonder Woman was just amazing! And, she did steal the show. OMG, she was so *stylish* in every single scene. Marvel makes better movies but their portrayal of black widow is so underwhelming. Wonder Woman truly shined in this dark and depressing movie! I like her accent, too.

Wonder Woman has plenty of potential. It looks great.

I hope it's not too much like Xena or Vikings.

Also, a possible new fashion trend has been spotted.

Kyle Buchanan Senior Editor at New York Magazine -dubbed this as "Dawn of the Vests." LOL.

 

[DisneyJayL]

BvS was just a bad film. Batfleck was good. Only reason WW was good was because everything else was bad.

 

[Siren]

Okay so, I just saw The Jungle Book and I couldn't help but think about AK. Like, the whole time! LOL.

So, here is my idea for "The Jungle Book" at AK.

Kali River Rapids is one of the most epic boring water rides I have ever experienced in my life. With that said, I still like it though because anything with *water* in super hot AK is good no matter what. And, the queue is quite spectacular looking, too.

An *extensive* overlay of The Jungle Book is exactly what Kali River Rapids needs. The "river scene" featured in The Jungle Book movie reminds me a lot of Kali River Rapids!

So, just imagine State-of-the-art animatronics like the giant snake, elephants, wildebeests, those wolves and of course, the main characters featured in various wildlife depictions and sets from the movie. Plus, the music, too. It would be so awesome and a major improvement over what currently exists.

Anyway, back to the movie!

The Jungle Book in 3D IMAX is serious business and totally worth it. This is by far the best 3D IMAX experience I have ever had. I actually screeched out load during this film, like I never knew I could hit notes that high and I have never jumped out of my seat so much! There were fire sparks and tree limbs coming at me left and right. Not to mention, all of the water and rain and so much more. I was literally scared to open my eyes all the way, lol.

The animal fight scenes were so intense but nowhere near as graphic as what is shown on PBS Nature or Discovery.

Then, somehow they all burst out into song! And, it totally works. The Jungle Book was such a wild ride and I loved every second of it.

I must also commend the actor who played "Mowgli". Disney hit casting jackpot gold with this kid. I mean he *is* Mowgli and he deserves an Oscar for his stellar performance.

The Jungle Book has the best CGI I have ever seen -- all of the animals look so real. It's very convincing.

Finally, I have to give Disney and the director some credit. The Jungle Book has *no* cursing! None. It is completely void of any forced potty humor and/or awkward romance scenes or tacky double entendre jokes.

The Jungle Book is a totally clean and flawless film for everyone and is proof that you can make an amazing potent film without any needless potty humor and suggestive material or innuendo. So, major Kudos to Disney.

Overall, I think The Jungle Book is underrated, so hopefully word of mouth will help to catapult this film to its rightful place.

Also, Captain America reviews are *exceptionally* strong. So, if Captain America under performs at the box office -- the blame goes directly to marketing and of course, Black Widow's disappointing fashion failures.



Seriously, when I went to see The Jungle Book, there was a massive colorful display for Finding Dory and an equally giant life size display for the new X-Men movie. I also overhead a lot of interest in X-men and there was a line of people waiting to take pictures with the display.

I saw *no* Captain America anything anywhere. So, we'll see.

Now on to Pete's Dragon -- this is the first concept.

After I expressed my disappointment and concerns about the first dragon -- Disney totally took my advice and headed right back to the drawing board and have now created this gorgeous masterpiece of a dragon. He is unlike any dragon I have ever seen.

Like, I don't even like dragons but I totally want to hug of this one. He is just so darn cute and adorable.

Disney, I *totally* approve. Like, I already love him

Now onto Avatar 5, this is becoming so obnoxious. I am *not* impressed with yet another announcement from James Cameron.

At this point, I just want *one* decent sequel. One. Then we can talk about Avatar three, four, and five. It's obvious that Cameron feels tremendous pressure to outperform his previous works.

Anyway, I'm looking forward to the Avatar sequel. Avatar is centered more around the fascinating planets and its habitats. Whereas, Star Wars is geared more toward the inhabitants and their lifestyles. It's a nice balance and win win for Disney!!! So there is no reason for the futile 'Avatar versus Star Wars' argument(s).

And finally, yes -- Avatar still holds the record for the highest grossing box office film of all time!

But, Star Wars: The Force Awakens now holds the record for the highest selling DVD and Blu-Ray of all time!

BvS was just a bad film. Batfleck was good. Only reason WW was good was because everything else was bad.

LOL. I have to agree with you. After getting burned by BvS, I will now refrain from recommending certain movies before watching them.

BvS began with a funeral and it concluded with yet another funeral and there was absolutely no sunlight to had in this movie. Like, I was so sad, and then I was terrified, especially because of Batman's Alien-esque daydreams. I totally jumped out of my seat as I was not expecting anything like that. I was mostly sad and terrified throughout this whole 2.5 hour film.

There were so many little kids present and they did *not* flinch. I don't know if that's a good thing. LOL.

I did love Ben Affleck as Batman, he was very good -- as was the new Alfred guy. I loved Superman, too. It's not the actors fault that the movie was just too dark and way too long with very little action.

Wonder Woman's stylish garb (excluding the costume) that was the only thing that gave me hope to withstand the remainder of this abysmal film.

Speaking of Wonder Woman, I was talking to my grandfather about the movie. He went to see it and he said he was most impressed with ISIS. I'm thinking he's talking about the war scene in the desert, so I explained to him that Batman was not fighting ISIS.

Then, I got this really long lecture and scolding because he was talking about *this* Isis.

Like, I have *never* heard of her before until now. Unreal. Anyway, Papa was totally shocked when I told him this was not Isis but the new Wonder Woman. LOL.

Initially, I thought the new Wonder Woman was similar to Xena. But, after this revelation it's clear that the new Wonder Woman is now a hybrid of both Isis and the original Wonder Woman. Ugh.

Also, it's been confirmed that the new Wonder Woman will be dark just like BvS and void of any natural sunlight, as well. Ugh.

I'm so torn because unlike The Avenger's "Black Widow" -- when even dressed up to go out, looks like she works at a truck stop diner.

Wonder Woman is just so *stylish* and glamorous from head to toe! This is very important to me. So, I am not quite ready to throw in the towel, yet. We'll see.

Black Widow is so gorgeous but she deserves clothes and an image upgrade to match her natural looks.

Dear Disney,

*Please* provide our long suffering, beleaguered looking "Black Widow" with an exceptional arsenal of glamorous and stylish clothes so she can slay like Wonder Woman! Including, shoes, makeup & hair, too.

 

[Marlins1]

I love your Jungle Book idea for Kali. The ride is bad because the slow part has become completely boring and of course the good part is too short. If you make the first half interesting (your idea is a great fit for that) you have a much better ride, probably a must do.
I look forward to seeing the movie.

 

[RSoxNo1]

I don't hate @Siren's idea for the Jungle Book overlay on Kali, but I really dislike that type of thinking in general. If it included a flume extension and the references were subtle (i.e. didn't try to retell the story, you'd just see the representations of the characters in animatronic form) I think I'd be on board.

 

[Figment2005]

I don't hate @Siren's idea for the Jungle Book overlay on Kali, but I really dislike that type of thinking in general. If it included a flume extension and the references were subtle (i.e. didn't try to retell the story, you'd just see the representations of the characters in animatronic form) I think I'd be on board.

If they wanted to minimize the impact they could also go to toy story route with the extension. Build the new flume while the old ride operated, and when it was ready shut down Kali for a few months to make the connection. New, better ride with minimal downtime.

 

[DisneyJayL]

Civil War is coming and it's going to be a BEAST!!!!!!

 

[Siren]

I love your Jungle Book idea for Kali. The ride is bad because the slow part has become completely boring and of course the good part is too short. If you make the first half interesting (your idea is a great fit for that) you have a much better ride, probably a must do.
I look forward to seeing the movie.

Awww, thank you so much! Great minds & all that! And OMG, I can't believe the box office for this movie was $103.5 Million. Just wow.

I think the Jungle Book at Kali would definitely be a must do.

I totally hate the idea of an indoor Jungle Book dark boat ride. For me, it would feel way too artificial being indoors -- with the boats being on a track or between two metal rails -- not to mention, the dark artificial lighting.

When you combine these elements together, you just have Jungle Book version of Splash Mountain, Pirates and The Land. That's it. This is not an original concept or even an exciting concept for me, at all.

Of course, I could never be opposed to a new dark ride in AK, just not The Jungle Book, maybe The Lion King or something.

The Jungle Book totally belongs outdoors. Just imagine that the bear is a raft or boat or something, it would be so awesome.

For me, this feels way more authentic and I love the idea of floating down a river in a natural lush open environment with natural sunlight.

This is the original concept art of parts that were cut from Kali.

King Louie and the various monkey's can sit outside of one of the temples.

Here you can see that there is plenty of open space for Kali to be fleshed out with The Jungle Book.
The center could easily be Pride Rock.

This is the new ride in Shanghai that is, in part, inspired by Kali. Disney can easily add this rock work and swap the gator out with King Louie or Kaa, the giant snake!

In light of Disney's massive success with The Jungle Book. Warner Bros. has pushed back their version called Jungle Book Origins to October of 2018.

Also, other Disney live action remakes are being tossed out there like The Lion King and Dumbo.

I don't hate @Siren's idea for the Jungle Book overlay on Kali, but I really dislike that type of thinking in general. If it included a flume extension and the references were subtle (i.e. didn't try to retell the story, you'd just see the representations of the characters in animatronic form) I think I'd be on board.

The Jungle Book replacing Kali would be a substantial upgrade and enhancement to an otherwise underwhelming ride experience.

I dislike your line of thinking, too. Instead of embracing new ideas and innovative concepts to improve upon, you prefer that things remain untouched and the same, no matter how mediocre it is.

Civil War is coming and it's going to be a BEAST!!!!!!

Currently, Civil War is tracking at $175 Million for it's opening weekend and growing! So we'll see.

In unrelated Star Wars news -- we all can expect to see this guy a whole lot more.

His name is "Shadow Trooper" and Disney has prepared a major marketing blitz behind him. They are counting on "Shadow Trooper" to net them some serious merchandising profits. He is supposed to be this years BB-8.

Back on topic to *Avatar* - James Cameron is filming all four of the sequels at once, like in one whole shot. That is just amazing! He said, everything is done and they are working with 8 hours of story.

Also, James Cameron said he does not want to face off with Star Wars.

The director also revealed his release plans for the new sequels, specifically tailored to avoid competition with a certain other major franchise. "My original plan was to release them a year apart, but we’re opening that up," he stated. "If for no other reason than that I don’t want to land on the same date as one of the Star Wars sequels."

"That wouldn’t be fair to them. [Laughs] No, that’s just good business. I don’t want to go head-to-head with Star Wars. That would be stupid. And hopefully they won’t want to go head-to-head with us."

Ugh. Star Wars is on fire right now, so if Cameron is concerned about competing with this franchise maybe he should just wait until 2020 or 2023 until things calm down. It's clear now that he is walking on eggshells and tap dancing around Disney. I think it's wise.

 

[Cesar R M]

Avatar had a perfect storm of having people see the film multiple times and specifically seeing it in expensive/premium formats because the big selling point was the experience of seeing the film in theaters. This also had the impact on drawing people in to see who who might have otherwise "waited for the DVD".

It would be hard for any movie to replicate that because the uniqueness of why people were seeing Avatar in theaters. It was almost more akin to people riding POTC over and over to enjoy the details and participate in the "experience" than to a typical film.

how is that different from pushing the TFA movie into the 70mm digital imax and 3d formats?

 

[Cesar R M]

Can someone breakdown results based on 2009 dollar vs today's dollar in the world wide market. Currency deflation.
What would TFA do globally in 2009 before the increase in the American dollar?
The short of it...The US dollar has grown in strength, foreign currency less mighty in exchange rates.

Some have said it would be a 30% to 40% difference. That would put TFA around 2.5 billion worldwide. Still wouldnt catch Avatar but blows past Titanic.
TFA did amazing numbers in America, United Kingdom. As expected, it didn't gain traction in China. 125 million isn't terrible but furious 7 made 390 million in China.

Still, amazing global numbers for a 7th installment in a franchise.
Will be interesting to see how Rouge one does.
I'm expecting 700 to 1.2 billion globally.

Your thoughts?

Might be lower if the hype of TFA lowers.
Not everyone said it was the best thing since sliced bread.

 

[doctornick]

how is that different from pushing the TFA movie into the 70mm digital imax and 3d formats?

I'm not sure what you are saying. Avatar more than any movie I've ever seen had this word of mouth of "you need to see this in the theaters in 3D". The hype was all about the visuals and the need to appreciate them fully in theaters for the experience. People would see it repeatedly in the theaters because it was an experience you could not replicate in one's home.

The Force Awakens was nothing like that. Sure, there was the typical so and so scene looks awesome in 3D that you see with most every action movie, but the vast majority of hype was about the story and the characters.

 

[Cesar R M]

I'm not sure what you are saying. Avatar more than any movie I've ever seen had this word of mouth of "you need to see this in the theaters in 3D". The hype was all about the visuals and the need to appreciate them fully in theaters for the experience. People would see it repeatedly in the theaters because it was an experience you could not replicate in one's home.

The Force Awakens was nothing like that. Sure, there was the typical so and so scene looks awesome in 3D that you see with most every action movie, but the vast majority of hype was about the story and the characters.

Well, technically Avatar was about its amazing visuals and 3d.
But like I told you before, there are movies that were touted as well as "must see" in some certain format.
I still remember the ramblings of the 70mm format of the hateful eight.

 

[FigmentJedi]

Now on to Pete's Dragon -- this is the first concept.

After I expressed my disappointment and concerns about the first dragon -- Disney totally took my advice and headed right back to the drawing board and have now created this gorgeous masterpiece of a dragon. He is unlike any dragon I have ever seen.

Like, I don't even like dragons but I totally want to hug of this one. He is just so darn cute and adorable.

Disney, I *totally* approve. Like, I already love him

That's not a dragon, that's Clifford the Big Red Dog after taking a swim in a swamp. Terrible redesign.

 

[rle4lunch]

avatar was cool for the 3D, poo for the story/acting.

 

[misterID]

I finally watched The Force Awakens and man what an overhyped piece of crap. I never want to hear anyone bash Avatar, especially regarding originality, when it was nearly identical to the original, but with a more diverse cast, which they loved to pat themselves on the back about. It was lame, generic and boring. I enjoyed Avatar FAR more. That dialogue.... Ugh.

You know, it took Luke three films to become a Jedi master and to able to defeat a Sith. It took five minutes after she turned on a lightsaber to become Obi Wan.

 

[Daveeeeed]

I think that The Jungle Book is one of the few ips that actually could go in the park, but if you retheme Kali with The Jungle Book, you are stripping Asia's identity, and really the entire park. I really hope that that won't happen.

If The Jungle Book was to come to the park, it needs to have its own new ride, like Pandora, not rip away from a ride that keeps the park balanced and keeps it cohesively themed.

 

[Cesar R M]

I think that The Jungle Book is one of the few ips that actually could go in the park, but if you retheme Kali with The Jungle Book, you are stripping Asia's identity, and really the entire park. I really hope that that won't happen.

how so? Jungle book is themed to India. Kali is an indu godness.

 

[Daveeeeed]

how so? Jungle book is themed to India. Kali is an indu godness.

It could go in the East side of Asia, but where it is is a place of realism. You feel immersed in Asia, and the story works with Everest, but The Jungle Book would make no sense there. Again in the other side of Asia it could work where there is currently nothing, but not there.