Fueled by a Golden Globe nomination for best drama, near-universal critical praise, and positive buzz, Avatar is picking up steam in advance of its Dec. 18 opening. Hundreds of theaters have scheduled midnight screenings for Thursday night, and more than 400 weekend shows have already sold out. Though that doesn’t approach the breathless anticipation that swept The Twilight Sage: New Moon to a record opening, healthy online pre-sales bode well for director James Cameron’s pricy 3D sci-fi epic.
At MovieTickets.com, Avatar ticket orders have accelerated in recent days, and “people are definitely looking to see it in 3D,” says CEO Joel Cohen. Approximately 90 percent of MovieTickets’ pre-sale tix have been purchased for 3D and IMAX showings.”This could really be a pivotal movie for the entire industry,” says Cohen. “This is the first real big blockbuster movie than many people can see in 3D. [The technology] wasn’t an afterthought.”
Fandango.com is witnessing a similar surge, driven by male buyers making approximately 70 percent of the pre-sale orders. But a Fandango survey of 2,493 Avatar ticketholders indicates that the film’s love story could broaden its appeal: Two times as many men intend to bring a female companion to the movie compared to those who are planning to see the film with three or more male friends. ”This seems to imply that it could be a date-movie — and not just for the Watchmen crowd,” says Fandango rep Harry Medved. “I also think part of the anticipation is due to the fact that Cameron is presenting an original piece of storytelling that’s not based on a TV show, book or previous movie. Moviegoers are hungry for fresh fare — just look at District 9 and The Hangover.”
Meanwhile an AMC Entertainment spokesman tells EW: “Right now, Avatar is selling well, and is on about the same pace as we saw with Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. New Moon and Harry Potter were selling approx. five times higher than Avatar is currently, but in comparing it to Transformers, that film also made $400M. As far as 2D/3D comparison, we’ve seen approx. 75-80 percent of our sales on the 3D IMAX side so far, indicating guests are definitely looking forward to experiencing this state-of-the-art film in the largest, realistic format possible. Certainly as the film draws near, we expect advance sales to increase, culminating in day-of sales for our opening midnight showings.”
Photo Credit: Fox
This sounds like a sub-plot on an episode of “Bones”…
Nice. That part of the episode bothered me, though the rest was good.
My theater has 3 different screenings: Avatar, Avatar 3D, Avatar IMAX 3D. It was a nightmare trying to get my less sophisticated friends to buy the right tickets so we’re all in the same theater. And gawd help me, if anyone shows up late, they are dead to me.
I think Avatar IMAX 3D would be completely terrifying.
I can hardly handle these thumbnails of the creeeeepy blue trolls.
“Avatar” in IMAX 3D is absolutely superb. I’ve seen it! This is the way it’s meant to be seen. The Na’Vi are not creepy and at 8-9ft. tall, they are hardly trolls!!!
my friends love me because i am smarter than they are.
And so humble too…
I saw AVATAR in 3D and it was incredible. I’ve never seen a 3D film before and loved it. Think it’s the BEST way to see this gorgeous spectacle of a movie. I’m definitely going to see it again. Maybe a 3rd time. It was just wonderful. Amazing movie.
Yes, EW. Compare the pre-order appeal of an original movie with no preexisting fan base to a sequel from a popular book franchise. Shove twilight down our throats by all means.
Ugh I know. Must Twilight be mentioned in every article?
actually yes it does. twilight and adam lambert must be mentioned in every article posted on ew.com or else people might just forget about them… and god help us all if that happens.
every time something is posted on EW without twilight or adam lambert, a kitten dies. personally, i’m willing to take that risk.
Jane, Dave, mikeman, jordan…get a grip. They are merely comparing its pre-sales to other blockbusters that also generated large pre-sale numbers. It has nothing to do with cramming Twilight down our throats. And guess what? Adam Lambert has been on pretty much every show you can name in the last few weeks (and deservedly so I might add), so EW is obviously going to report on it. Stop complaining just for the sake of seeing your own keystrokes.
wowwwww twilight cant be named in this first class movie’s blogs cuz its third classtrash.if new moon mooned us this avatar deserves to triple new moon’s moon and moon us a pandora sized full moon because that planet is the most beautiful character ever put to screen dont believe the trailers this movie whether you can admit and understand it is a must see classic in visual wonder!!!!
Why Twilight and Adam Lambert are mentioned in almost every recent EW article? They both suck!
Aw, come on…give me some slack, it’s just a play on words,okay? Seriously, lighten up….
Wouldn’t it be cool if this outgrossed New Moon for opening weekend?
It’s a long shot, but you never know.
Pffft! Keep dreaming!
EW didn’t overhype this one into the ground enough like they did with that horrible Twilight series.
Not to worry Avatar will out gross New Moon in the long run even if it can’t match it’s opening weekend.
I highly doubt that.
I don’t doubt it at all. New Moon’s problem was that it shot its wad within about two weeks. It had no legs. If Avatar is as mind-blowing and good as the reviews are saying (by and large), it could get a lot of repeat viewing and good word-of-mouth.
We’ll see.
Avatar will definitely out gross New Moon. New Moon is basically done with high ticket sales. Avatar will have the whole Xmas season to sell tickets and is receiving good critical buzz. This will be in theaters for a while and I think will easily pass New Moon fairly quickly.
Yeah Ambient. This is all but a given. Don’t know if you’ve heard of James Cameron, but he has a pretty good track record
AVATAR was amazing. Saw it today in 3D. I loved it. It’s wonderful in every way and of course, extraordinary to look at. But I loved the story too. Lots of heart, Spirit, action. Sort of like a Dances With Wolves on planet Pandora. James Cameron is battin’ a thousand with me: The Abyss, Aliens, T2, Titanic and now this. WOW WOW WOW.
I wish it would. I honestly don’t want to see this movie, but I might just go watch it because nothing else is coming out and I kind of want to see what all the fuss is about. It’s going to suck for James Cameron if this movie doesn’t earn back the 300+ million dollar spent to make Avatar.
um duhhhhhhh are you stupid? you probably love the gayness of twilight new moon and have low standards or somethin like is avatar tooo amazing for you? cuz thats just ridiculous see this movie for the all out fantasy extravaganza that new moon failed miserably at
Celia, okay, I realize that Avatar isn’t a chick flick like The Notebook or the Twilight movies, but as far as I can tell there are some strong female roles so just enjoy it for that reason.
Besides, Cameron won’t have trouble making back the 300 plus million because world-wide sales will double that easily. Then there are the DVD/Blu-Ray, mechandising, and franchise fee profits. This just might be one of those films that spurs Blu-Ray sales, not to forget big screen TV, 3D TV and HD projector sales. A Billion or so dollars profits isn’t hard to conceive with a project of this magnitude. But, of course, if the movie actually sucks royally then it can be killed in a weekend by word of mouth. My guess, gleened from all the positive preview chatter, is that this will be a major blockbuster. People will pay to see it multiple times.
Wouldn’t it be cool if something as shitty as Avatar went away. I am completely against any film that “revolutionizes film-making”! I can’t be the minority that doesn’t get off watching CGI prance around on screen (unless it is a kids movie!). I will stick to my independent movies and let all the geeks and fanboys buy my ticket! I hope Avatar does not make enough money to pay back the studio’s investment, but I am sure it will. Oh well, Up in the Air will get my money!
Up in the Air is distributed by Paramount Pictures, you retard.
“i will protest this studio by seeing another movie by the same studio. that’ll show them.”
Don’t call people retard. It makes you look insensitive and ignorant. >.<
And you getting bent out of shape for the use of the word “retard” makes you look like a dildo. Pull it out already, Maureen.
gawd, i am like the smartest person on ew’s message boards. you peons better know what’s up.
Maybe you should see a movie before you come to conclusions about it.
first off Up in the Air is distributed by a mainstream company. you might want to do your research before posting your indie film snob crap. i like independent movies as much as the next guy, but there are good mainstream movies as well. second, what’s wrong with revolutionizing filmmaking? is it that much of an issue for you that someone can be creative and bring something new to the table? i bet if you lived in the 1930′s you would probably oppose sound being introduced in film because that just might be too “revolutionary” for you.
reading your comment made me wish i was retarded
I lol’ed. You win.
Garrett, as a film buff for nearly 60 years I’ve seen it all from the art house down the street to the IMAX uptown. Your opinion is noted. However, I think that you fully miss the point when you criticise revolutionary film making in such a demeaning tone. I doubt that you comprehend the full scope of what you said. If, by your advocation, film makers were to stop developing new technologies then that would harken the end of all film making because the audience is a fickle mistress and bores easily with the mundane. Nobody flocks to the theater to see the same old thing. It has to be new and entertaining. A good story helps too. Art house movies have limited appeal–they’re mostly dull and they don’t usually have happy endings. The French rule the artsy fartsy world for those reasons alone. I guess that’s okay if you’re a film student with a story idea, limited artistic skills and even a more limited budget to produce a film the audiences want to see. So, Independent film making means lots of exposition and long visual cues leading to bleak commentary about the ‘REAL’ world that nobody but the arthouse crowd remotely cares about. A scary movie might succeed though.
Early films were ‘watched’ in Penny Arcades and NOT on the big screen. Advances in film technology and the movie projector made possible modern cinema. Without the new technologies films never would have developed sound and color. Although a few films work well within the realm of black and white (noir films for instance) the majority do not. I’m sure some persons were disgruntled that the newfangled soundtrack replaced the piano man but that’s the price of progress. And when the Wizard of Oz hit the big screen people flocked to theaters to see hand-painted moving pictures. Technicolor was born. Whether or not Avatar’s CGI movie making techniques will revolutionize the film industry or not is for the viewing public to decide–NOT the lone wolf Independent film maven pining for pretentious dialog, unknown actors, and film student cinematography. The mentality that if it’s NOT Hollywood produced then it must be good is absurd and quite frankly, idiotic. BTW, the Independent film audience is a far geekier/fanboyish crowd than you want to admit. All so-called aficionados claim superiority within the ranks of their chosen interests. They too tread the fine line between obsession and fetish–the very definition of geek and fanboy….I applaud James Cameron for his vision that has taken 10 years to come to fruition. The dedication to detail alone is worth the price of admission. If only persons like yourself had even the slightest insight into Mr. Cameron’s gift for movie making then you would stand in awe rather than disparage him and his craft. Special effects do not a movie make but combine that with masterful storytelling and it may compell us all to see beyond our own limited horizons. Even the Independent film critic can fathom the artistry behind such a feat. And, finally, the screen size required to broaden our horizons requires a venue far beyond the scope of the local art house to do it. IMAX 3D is state-of-the-art-house!
Narrow minded limited intelligence. Poor you, everyone should see this movie.
The pre-release sales are awesome. Here in India, more than 60 shows are already sold out in major cities. Avatar is being released in a record number of 700 theatres locally, that is like a major bollywood movie
Golly, a movie this highly touted and over a decade in-the-making is on par with Bollywood?! Someone get me a new pair of depends and a big bowl of curry!
Obnoxious, ignorant response to a friendly message. In India Bollywood movies are huge. The curry comment is ugly also. What a jerk.
thanks, Tod
Otis, that was completely unnecessary. All Singh was saying that Avatar, an American film, is also selling tickets all the way in India
And what’s with the notion that all Bollywood films are crap? There have been some solid Hindi films in the last few years but I guess you wouldn’t care to see one for yourself.
And curry is delicious so I will bring you some.
I still think this thing will underperform despite the hype.
Trust me.
I had high expectations and was skeptical. I was blown away.
Can’t describe the experience.
Out of this world.
Mater-piece!
Nice try, EW. Hundreds of theaters? There are hundreds in the state of NY alone. That’s nothing. And of course ticket pre sales are up, the movie comes out in a few days. If there was true blockbuster interest in the film, such as for Dark Knight or yes, Twilight, tickets would have been sold out ages ago. Avatar will do ok but it will not be the blockbuster they’re hoping for.
It’s a harder sell than “The Dark Knight” or “New Moon” simply because it isn’t an established franchise. Of course it isn’t going to have an opening as large as those two, but with enough positive word of mouth and a good awards season, it will probably have legs long into the new year.
actually, there arn’t hundreds of theaters (normal movie theaters with a lot of screens) in NY alone. Most major cities have about 10 (I’m from San Antonio, 1.2 million people). And there arn’t THAT many cities with over a million people (around 15). NY might have 30-50. Trying using common sense.
Ella,
You obviously have never been to India, where movie megacenters put your NY theaters to shame. Take it from those who have been there – stick to what you know. And there are not as many theaters as you think. Screens, yes. Theaters, no.
It will make around 300 mil in the States, but will make another 4-500 mil around the globe. regardless of what the movie does here, it will turn a profit.
By the way, I’ll check it out next weekend. Not into it enough to deal with this weekend’s madness.
Avatar will beat New Moon’s opening weekend and it’s total. No doubt in my mind.
Again, I highly doubt that.
You know I’m a huge Avatard (yes, I’m trying to make Avatard happen), and even I don’t think it’s going to beat New Moon’s opening weekend. But who cares? Box office is not a sign of quality. That said, I do think it has a chance at beating New Moon’s total… I suspect Avatar is going to do extremely well internationally. I don’t feel strongly about it though because I know you’ll make me eat my words!
It won’t beat New Moon’s opening weekend, but I think it’ll break New Moon’s domestic total easily. People keep forgetting that the emphasis on IMAX and 3D showings means pricier tickets. It has a built-in revenue booster.
Avatard! heh
Aw crispy, you were so close to rational thought there, then I guess leaned over and started sipping on your endless supply of blue koolaid and slipped into the nonsense.
It will NOT beat NM’s opening weekend and it will NOT beat NM’s total.
The Twi-hard vs Avatard throwdown will be epic, no doubt – a sparkly, oozy, blue blood bath. Wait. Do any of them even have blood? I fold.
So I checked Wiki… New Moon’s domestic total is $267 million. No contest, Avatar will easily pass $300 domestically. Care to make this interesting?
It’s not going to beat New Moon’s opening weekend, I’ll give you that.
But it’s a James Cameron film, getting very strong reviews, and now it’s getting serious awards attention. Its word of mouth potential is huge.
Considering that New Moon looks like it’s going to peter out before it hits $300 million, I don’t think it’s that unlikely for Avatar to beat it. Do I think it WILL happen, no. But I think saying that it definitely won’t is extremely short-sighted.
I do…did you see New Moon in a theater with witnesses present yet?
I have not! And I’m willing to make that bet.
Excellent! And for my end of things, though I’ll probably have to see Avatar anyway, I’ll sweeten the pot by seeing it in the theater where I’d most likely run into someone I know and I’ll stand up and clap at the end.
Hah! Let’s commit to the “stand up and clap” part, and you have yourself a deal, my friend. So the actual wager is Avatar has to pass New Moon’s domestic take… what time frame are we talking here? New Moon won’t be in theaters for much longer… ya know, since it’s tanking so fast. End of January?
End of January might be pushing it – NOT that I could agree with “tanking” but hey, it’s been out for over a month, it will have to graciously step aside at some point. We’ll adjust time lines as necessary.
Oh, just imagining the look of sheer horror on your face if you had to clap that end of New Moon, they WAY it ends…that’s something I’ll treasure no matter what.
I think Crispy’s safe. The pedigree and the good reviews alone will carry this one. Yeah, New Moon has a rabid fanbase but they weren’t able to push it through and it is dropping off severely now. IF Avatar were to suck, then it would be a different story, but I think the reviews are basically saying that it doesn’t (even if the story isn’t that strong). Given this is the first “big” movie Cameron has made since Titanic, people will go at least once out of curiosity.
See it 1st, then let’s talk!!! “Avatar” WILL beat “New Moon”!
Are you a girl Ambient Lite? It MIGHT beat the opening weekend but even if it doesnt, Twilight had good front legs but after the fangirls see it opening night and a couple more times, no one wants Twilight anymore. The average movie goer wont see that movie and therefore it wont make as much as Avatar in the long run. Be prepared to see Avatar pass it in time. Again, this is coming from someone who has researched every aspect of this movie to death and the public’s reaction to it.
I have no idea why you would try to dispute the box office success of New Moon. I mean, I get it when people don’t like the content of the books or think the movies are cheesy, but you just can’t act like New Moon failed commercially.
I can’t think of a reason why EW chose to bring up New Moon in this Avatar article other than to incite hater rage and get comments churning.
I have nothing major against Avatar other than that I’m not looking forward to seeing it (though I will, to appease my partner) – it’s just not my thing.
I get that you love it and want it to be successful – but it will just not even come close to touching the numbers that New Moon ends up with.
Enjoy your smurfgasm.
How can you say it won’t come close? What is that based on? It is not like New Moon made Dark Knight or Transformers money. Of course it was a big hit. However, to say that the new film from the director of the highest grossing film of all time can’t beat it. A film that is getting a lot of hype, critical plaudits and awards buzz. That is preposterous.
I just think Avatar is more of a geek niche movie than a big blockbuster – and I’m sure the geeks will turn out for it, but not like the Twi-hards did. We’ll just have to check back with each other on this. It will all be sorted out soon enough.
I just think Avatar is more of a geek niche movie than a big blockbuster
————
I considered that, too, until I say that a lot of people are seeing it as part of a date night. I think it’s disingenuous to assume that it’ll only be geekboys in the theater for it, just as I’m sure you’d be offended if I suggested that the Twilight audience is solely made up of teenage girls and bored housewives.
Oh James, I’m sorry – I meant both male AND female geeks. But yes, all geeks.
I wouldn’t sneer down my nose at geeks’ buying power. Just saying. Especially for someone who gets so easily offended when people sneer down their noses at Twilight.
James, I love geeks. I married one. I feel like that gives me a free pass to poke fun at them and the things they enjoy.
And I don’t really care if people make fun of me for liking Twilighty things. I accept it for what it is.
Yep, you don’t care. That’s why you militantly freak out and get overly defensive whenever anyone criticizes Twilight. Right. You don’t care. If you didn’t care you wouldn’t be on here defending Twilight every single place it’s mentioned.
Talk’s cheap, it’s actions count.
I do NOT “militantly freak out”. I do like the Twilight series and defend it (again, for what it is), but let’s not be silly about this. Why are you after me all the time? I think you have a crush on me. Sigh.
Bitch, please.
Yes you do freak out whenever someone says anything derogatory about Twilight. Isn’t that why you are here, whining about how Avatar isn’t going to make the same amount of money that New Moon did?
“Bitch, please” heh
I like you, Samantha.
Yes, I’m here (again, please try to notice that I’m NOT in any way freaking out) because I agree with the French piece that wrote this article that Avatar will not break New Moon’s box office sales records.
Go fix yourself a drink and calm down. You and James are far more fired up than I am.
Full disclosure: I don’t think Avatar will make what New Moon did in its first weekend.
But I think you’re deluding yourself if you think New Moon’s $290-ish million (which is probably where it’ll end up) is out of reach for Avatar if it keeps up the good reviews, gets a best picture nomination and people like it.
Avatar could easily have what New Moon had none of: legs.
Not sure why Twilight series is even in this thread, other than revenue projection comparisons.
Twilight series (esp NM) = female porn.
Avatar = scifi revolution. And it’s quite a revolutionary movie. Recommend it in 3D as it was meant to be viewed. The floating mountains in 3D are as cool as the chars in the movie perceive them…
Ambient, you are WAY TOO defensive! You are clearly provoking a few peeps on this board. Be nice. Treat people the way you wanna be treated!!;)
true, new moon was just an overrated cheesy romance that probably wouldn’t have earned any money if it weren’t advertised so much
i hope cameron saves the movie industry. right now its a complete, COMPLETE joke. and only he can save it.
It might not have too stellar an opening weekend (by Transformer, Twilight, Harry Potter and Dark Knight standards), but the fact that most people are springing for IMAX and 3D should be a big hint that it’s going to make a ton of money.
The difference between a regular ticket and a 3D and/or IMAX ticket at a theater could vary pretty widely. My theater, for example, doubles the ticket price ($5 for a pre-noon film, $11 for IMAX shows). So even if Avatar has smaller actual attendance, it has a built-in box office cushion just by virtue of so many people paying for premium tickets.
The early-sales numbers might not be as impressive as those of a big franchise film or sequel, but that’s what DOES make it impressive. It’s an untested story and brand, and people are still going bonkers about it.
And, to read the reviews, unlike two successful franchise films this year (Transformers and New Moon), it’s actually a good film.
My IMAX tickets were $13.75 each!
I’m glad I live in the midwest where movie tickets aren’t through the roof.
Mine are 17, but I got reserved seating
.
yes, but your asshattery is priceless.
My movie theatre is $11 for a regular show!
i usually don’t comment but there are an abnormal number of negative comments about avatar on this site. why hate it? come on, just sit back and enjoy the ride. additionally, with the price of movie tickets it is more economically smart to see a big blockbuster movie. youre paying $10 to see a movie that took a fortune to make.
I just saw a screening last night. It is phenomenal, and far exceeded my expectations. Very rarely would I want to sit through a movie of that length twice, but I will absolutely be seeing it again. Congratulations to everyone involved.
Agree.
Going again this weekend for another 178 minutes of pure masterpiece.