Despite its popularity, and as it currently stands, Avatar does seem to have been a [massive] one hit wonder. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. July 24, Views 4. But just why was Avatar so popular? This one: Why was Avatar so popular? Next one! Abrams should feel free to exhale now. And the second train: Really? How can that be true? Luckily, Box Office Mojo has an adjusted list of all-time winners.
The site divides each movie's revenue by the average ticket price of the day then multiplies the number of tickets by our current average ticket price. It's No. Meanwhile, it will have to bring in another billion dollars to get to the top spot, which is currently occupied by "Gone With the Wind. It's also worth noting that "Avatar" got an extra bump because so many people saw it in 3-D and IMAX 3-D, and those tickets are significantly pricier than your average entry fee.
Still, it makes you wonder how a movie that generated so much cash has basically fallen off the cultural map just six years on. What made "Avatar" so popular? And, then, what made it so forgettable? In fairness, it debuted at the same time a snowstorm was sweeping through the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast. But it opened below projections, which no doubt freaked out Fox, a studio that wasn't entirely keen to make Cameron's movie in the first place. No matter.
In its second weekend, "Avatar" had less than a 2 percent drop in revenue, which is basically unheard of. For comparison's sake, "The Force Awakens" made about 40 percent less during its second weekend than its opening one.
Movie-goers continued showing up in droves thanks to enthusiastic reviews - 83 percent positive, according to Rotten Tomatoes - plus glowing praise from other audience members, many of whom went to see the movie multiple times.
Some reviews did acknowledge that the story was a little weak. Avatar didn't immediately light up the box office upon release, but it hung around because of strong word of mouth and eventually marched into the history books. I always assumed that word of mouth was praising the film's technological and visual achievements, but perhaps that's an unfair assumption. Even though pretty much everyone acknowledges that the story was largely a riff on things we've seen before, like Dances With Wolves and Pocahontas , perhaps the simplicity of the narrative resonated with more people than I thought.
Now, a full decade later, the full, wondrous 3D impact of Avatar has been long forgotten, and along with it a sizable chunk of the appeal Cameron's biggest movie once held. The fading novelty of 3D explains why Avatar isn't as popular as it used to be, but that doesn't necessarily account for how Cameron's man vs.
Story seems to be the biggest sticking point among Avatar 's increasing number of detractors. Even in , it was widely acknowledged that Avatar 's plot was not especially complicated, but this didn't matter when there so much for the eyes to feast on. Film history clearly shows, however, that timeless classics are created not through stunning visuals and technological advancement, but through a compelling story, and as Avatar 's visual appeal has faded from a burning fascination to simmering interest, audiences soon found the flaws in Cameron's story stood out far more than they did in theaters.
Without the bells and whistles, Avatar 's plot is by-the-numbers Hollywood fare and the characters as cookie-cutter as they come.
Of course, shifting opinion wouldn't knock Avatar from its spot as the most financially successful movie in history, and there's perhaps a sense of resentment that a film so heavily reliant on visuals became an unmatched success, while arguably more deserving releases of the s passed by without celebration. Another key reason for Avatar 's divisiveness rests in its moral message. At its core, Avatar is a story of environmental preservation, and of nature triumphing against the greed of man.
While there's nothing inherently wrong with incorporating a green message into a blockbuster production, Avatar 's allegory is neither subtle nor nuanced. Even the most feverish eco-warrior might feel like they'd be subjected to a thorough preaching. Once again, this is a flaw that the amazement of 3D and the excitement of seeing the Na'vi for the first time sugar-coated on first watch, but without that mask, Avatar 's shallow dive into eco-friendly sentiments are exposed.
Avatar has also been accused of wheeling out tired and problematic Hollywood tropes, adding fuel to the idea that the film has aged poorly. In addition to the environmentalism, Cameron's story explores the topic of colonization and the slaughter of a native people by a violent invading force. It's a parallel that has been used in science fiction ad nauseam, but Avatar digs itself into a hypocritical hole by reverting to the "white savior" stereotype.
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