theflicker

I'd hope for a similar movie cash offer with the first movie.

DirkBelig

Wake me when the real version of Avatar is released. The one with all the stuff that makes it a proper home release and not a quick cash grab tie-in with Dirty Hippie Gaea Worshiping Day.

The Lizard King

What exactly is "worshiping"?

Take your political diatribe to another site.

HTH. HAND.

TLK

doctorthodt

If you're going to be that obnoxious, I think I'll just let you keep sleeping.

Blu-ray-collect

I think that is the only thing "Avatar" can say when it comes to "#1 Movie", if the blu's fly off the shelves. I hate the ads that say it is the "#1 movie ever". Currently, it is ranked 14th on the all time list, according to the Box Office Mojo site. "Gone With the Wind" is #1.

mifuneral

Isn't that the 3D release?

doctorthodt

Except adjusting for inflation is pretty pointless, so it really is the #1 movie ever at face value, which is all that really matters.

Breakfast with Girls

Brilliant.

doctorthodt

Speaking of pointless, so is this post.

Really, think about it. Unless you can somehow account for numerous factors - such as the number of theatrical re-releases, the lack of home video sales up until a certain point in time, the absence of network television broadcasting, and so on and so forth - then, again, adjusting for inflation is pointless.

PopcornTreeCt

It's not pointless. Every year Hollywood says "This is the highest grossing year of all-time" because of ticket prices. Especially, now with 3D where theatres can somehow justify charging $5 more than before because the movie is in 3D. We will continually see a rise in box office receipts every year going forward.

doctorthodt

That's irrelevant. If it makes the most money, then it makes the most money, regardless of ticket prices or anything else. I'm just talking raw numbers here. And I'd hardly say it happens "every year" considering Avatar only took the record by unseating a 13 year-old film (by almost a billion dollars now). Think about that - the margin between the first and second place record holders is nearly as much as the gross of the third place film.

doctorthodt

I like how immediately after using the phrase "ridiculous logic" you envision a scenario where you're charge $2 billion for a movie ticket in order to try to prove a point.

Nice try.

Trevor

There are too many variables to ever really settle the matter for sure, but, imo...

A million people paying to see a movie today is a heck of a lot 'better' than a million people seeing a film back in any of the 19xxs, before home video and television and the internet. Theaters were one of the only options back then.

And Avatar getting any kind of good numbers proves that the intelligence of humanity is shrinking rapidly.

Trevor

Weekly comparison tables complete.

camwar

It always comes down to the dollar but, how many actual tickets were sold will tell you which movies should be rated in the all time greatest list.

WMAangel

This thread has veered WAY off topic now, but I've got to throw my two cents in on this debate now:
There was no such thing as TV, home video, and the internet back in 1939 as Trevor already pointed out....so there can never be a true comparison as ticket sales does not take these things into account! When the only way you could see a film was at an actual theater, then of course more tickets will relatively be sold....nowadays, many people need only wait a few months and can rent a disc for a few dollars and watch it at home, or stream it to their computer monitor/iPod....
Do I think Avatar is the "best" movie ever? No, but for it to do the business it did in this day and age is still quite impressive and far beyond what anyone actually expected....

Manzana

Not to go off topic too much further, but I have to give a thumbs up on Trevor's comment. After seeing it (I was dragged to the theater by family) I thought "yeah, it's entertaining and worth watching with very nice effects, but I liked ALL of James Cameron's other movies better" (I don't consider Piranha II: The Spawning which I've never seen as a "James Cameron" movie). I think maybe Avatar was a little too predictable for me. So when it broke all-time box office records I was very puzzled and concluded that it must be the 3D, the special effects and that kids like the blue creatures. I know the theater I went to was full of kids. I think James Cameron is a great director and always makes good movies, but Avatar was just GOOD... not GREAT, yet the box office numbers say it's the greatest movie ever made. To quote John Wayne "not hardly".

Trevor

Anti-Avatar tirade spoilered.

Back on topic, did anyone find the Iron Man 2 Soundtrack? It was supposed to come out today.

GuessWho

Bingo.
It's how other industries do it.


Do we count revenue for books? No, we count number sold.

Do we count how much a band made off their last CD? No, but we count the number of copies sold and even have rankings like Gold and Platinum.

Likewise, movies should be tracked by number of tickets sold.

b2net

or discs, downloads, etc... just sayin

Kory

On a Monday? That's an odd release date. Every if that is correct though, most stores are stupid and unless it's a big release and it's widely-publicized to not be released on a Tuesday, they'll still only put them out on Tuesdays.

Trevor

No, it was definitely correct. Even in the ad pictured in this thread. Some stores had to be asked, but it was available. Moot point now of course.

There are many instances of this throughout the year, with films, CDs, or books being released on a Saturday or Monday. Happened just a couple weeks ago with Twilight.

Kory

I know it happens, it's just usually for big releases. I figured the soundtrack of a movie would be released on the normal Tuesday. Oh well.