'Avatar' Ongoings: 'Titanic' Toppled, Sequel Beginnings, and No 3D on DVD
Filed under: Action, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Box Office, Fandom, 20th Century Fox, Home Entertainment
I think it's safe to say that Avatar has had a prettttty good run so far, but yesterday...yesterday was kismet. It's been breaking records (and hearts) left and right for weeks now, but on February 2nd it toppled its last big obstacle: Titanic's all-time domestic box office record. As of this morning, Avatar has made about $300,000 more than the decade-plus record holder, which is to say it's sitting on approximately $601.2mil at the US box office. What's so amazing about that, aside from the obvious, is that Avatar took the crown on the very same day that it was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Picture. And those are two things that many, many people thought would never happen. I don't know about you, but my hat is off to Cameron.
It's too early to tell if Pandoran lightning will strike twice for the director, but in a recent conference call for Fox's parent company News Corp, CEO Rupert Murdoch told shareholders that the studio had indeed entered into early talks with Cameron about Avatar 2. There are no details or commitments at this point beyond Cameron having ideas and the studio having the desire to see them realized.
And in final news, the same earnings report revealed that Avatar will be arriving on DVD and Blu-ray before the end of News Corp's fiscal year. That means fans can expect to take a trip to Pandora from the comfort of their couches at some point before June 30th. However, and this is kind of a surprise, but the initial retail release will not be available in 3D. Fellow News Corp honcho Chase Carey doesn't believe that home theater tech is ready to do Avatar justice (something I'm inclined to agree with), so they'll be holding off on the extra dimension until TVs catch up.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
2-03-2010 @ 2:33PM
doa766 said...
"However, and this is kind of a surprise, but the initial retail release will not be available in 3D. "
surprise really? because James Cameron said that on an interview over a month ago and it was reported on several sites, also gave further details
-around may there will be 2D edition both on blu ray and DVD
-around june/july the first real 3D ready TVs will hit the market
-around september there will be a firmware update for the PS3 and most blu ray players to make them 3D compatible, and a new 3D ready HDMI cable will be released
-on novermber there will be a 3D blu ray edition
-obviously there won't be any 3D on DVD
Reply
2-03-2010 @ 2:34PM
Peter Hall said...
Obviously I missed that, but thanks for the shunning/info.
2-03-2010 @ 4:04PM
jorge said...
actually, i just checked, and its still about a few million short of breaking titanic's domestic record...but for sure after tonight it will definitly cross the line...
Reply
2-03-2010 @ 4:10PM
Peter Hall said...
According to Box Office Mojo, it crossed it yesterday: http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?page=daily&id=avatar.htm
2-03-2010 @ 4:44PM
jorge said...
yes indeed it did! thanks dude.
Reply
2-03-2010 @ 5:18PM
jim said...
The day they start adjusting for inflation, maybe it will actually mean something.
Reply
2-03-2010 @ 7:52PM
PLR said...
exactly...Imagine if Avatar came out in 1997, 1993 (Jurassic Park), 1982 (ET), or when any of the original star wars films were released ('77, '80, '83). It would not have been bigger than those films. So to say Avatar is the biggest movie ever is just ludicrous.
2-03-2010 @ 7:41PM
moviesrocks! said...
I'm most annoyed that the movie won't be released in 3D. That's the best way & the only way to see this movie. I can't even imagine how it'd look in 2D. There have been other 3D movies released on DVD in 3D, why again is it that Avatar won't be? Really sucks.
Reply
2-03-2010 @ 11:58PM
doa766 said...
because it's a different kind of 3D, very different from the red blue glasses kind, it requires a lot of data
2-07-2010 @ 12:32AM
bob said...
the reason avatar will not be shown in dvd 3d is because our tvs cant support the 3d tech, and the tech shown on the big screen was designed mainly to show avatar..james cameron has had the script ready for 10 years but had to wait till the tech was invented. so thats why it wont be in 3d dvd right away but it should be ready in the next 1 or 2 years so just be patient k
2-04-2010 @ 4:39PM
Ronster said...
Avatar is a special movie. It is a shame the 3D effect so brilliantly displayed in the theatre can not be replicated on Hi-Def screens. I am sure the Motion Picture industry already have some plans to bridge this gap. I look forward to that time. BRAVO Avatar!!!
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