Avatar Movie: 2010

'Avatar' Director James Cameron Calls 3-D 'A Whole New Way To Paint, A Whole New Set Of Colors'

ב- 12:52

Many labels have been applied to James Cameron's 2009 smash "Avatar" since even before it hit theaters, but few have been more ubiquitous than "game-changer." The sci-fi epic is notable for being conceived and written from the ground up to play as a 3-D release. Many in the industry believed that the release of "Avatar" would herald a newfound focus on the tech, something that had already been picking up steam in the months leading to the December 18 release.

When Cameron stopped by earlier this week to chat with MTV's Josh Horowitz on a variety of topics, it was inevitable that 3-D would come up, and it's perceived game-changing influence on the business of Hollywood.

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"Yeah... yeah, blame me for that," he said with a grin. Josh went on to list a number of examples, including the coming "Clash of the Titans" conversion, the Grammys-- and Cameron stopped him there.

"The Grammys did it wrong," he said, "with the [need for] red and blue [glasses]. Everybody took the glasses off and said 'This isn't like the Avatar 3-D!'" To him, it's a sign that moviegoers in general are developing a more refined palate for tech advancements such as this.

"There is an evolution, people are now starting to not accept inferior forms, which is good. But it's typical of Hollywood getting it wrong," Cameron explained. "It's like, we do a film that's natively authored in 3-D, shot in 3-D. So they assume from the success of that that they can just turn movies into 3-D in eight weeks, and... that's going to work somehow."

There's an unspoken reference in that statement to "Clash," which was only recently confirmed for a 3-D conversion, even after director Louis Leterrier told us the opposite was true, that there wasn't enough time for such a conversion. Cameron's not about to badmouth his pals, however.

"Look, it's ['Avatar' star] Sam [Worthington] starring in the film, so I wish them all the success in the world, but [conversion is] just not the way to do it." A diplomatic response if ever there was one. "If you want to make a movie in 3-D, make the movie in 3-D. It should be a filmmaker-driven process, not a studio-driven process. I've been telling filmmakers for the last five years, there's this a whole new way to paint, a whole new set of colors, and they've all kind of hung back. Now it's getting crammed down from above and people are getting told to make movies in 3-D, and it should've been the other way around. They should've been banging on the doors of the studios saying 'I want to make a movie in 3-D! Let me do it!' And it didn't happen."

What's your stance on 3-D? Is it best used as a flourish, an added bonus to enhance your enjoyment of a movie? Or is it more valuable as an author's tool, as yet another agent for telling stories in an interesting way?

See full article at MTV Movies Blog »

'Avatar' Sequel Stumbling Block? Director James Cameron Reveals Negotiation 'Hurdles'

ב- 12:50

MTV's Josh Horowitz got a treat yesterday. "Avatar" director James Cameron stopped into the MTV Newsroom for a chat. And, as Josh expected, he was all set to run through exactly what his plans are for the "Avatar" sequel.

"Dream on. And then you woke up," Cameron said, laughing.

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Okay, so maybe he's not ready to reveal what's happening with the future of "Avatar." But he did speak generally to where his head is right now, and what steps must unfold before a return trip to Pandora can be booked.

"It's a bit of a maelstrom," he said of the current state of things. "I'm sort of reacquainting with a number of other projects that are non-theatrical film projects, like space stuff and ocean stuff." Cameron of course has done undersea documentary work, his "Titanic" follow-ups "Ghosts of the Abyss" and "Aliens of the Deep." He also spoke to MTV pretty extensively about his past and future plans to shoot something in outer space.

"Avatar" though? Yeah, that's on the agenda as well. "I'm thinking about what the next feature will be. Another 'Avatar' film is a strong possibility. I've got some deal hurdles I've got to get over with the studio before I want to emotionally embrace that."

Cameron wouldn't explain exactly what part of the process is being held up as far as his agreements with Fox goes, but speaking generally he said "It's never really been properly worked out."

"Everyone is highly motivated," he continued, "because Rupert Murdoch told us we were doing it, so now they have to make a deal." The only thing he'll say for sure is what he's previously said, that we'll be off on another adventure with the same, familiar characters. "It would be a continuation of their story," he said, adding after a brief pause, "and I expect those nasty humans didn't go away forever."

Do I even need to ask if you want more "Avatar"? Should Cameron direct again, or should he hand it off to someone else?

See full article at MTV Movies Blog »

'Avatar' DVD Could Feature An Extended Cut Of The Movie, Plus '15 Minutes Or So' Of Unfinished Scenes

ב- 12:47

There's no way around it. "Avatar" is going to get multiple home video releases. It's just a fact. Big movies typically get a barebones release followed by a special edition and sometimes even another special edition, especially if there's a director's cut or some holiday to peg it to. "Avatar" adds a new wrinkle thanks to the 3-D angle and the still-new 3-D home display technologies. So get used to the idea now: if you're an "Avatar" junkie, you're going to be buying it more than once and probably more than twice.

We've already heard from News Corp. top dog Rupert Murdoch that an "Avatar" DVD -- barebones, of course -- will hopefully arrive in stores before June 30, with a special edition and/or 3-D release to follow sometime after that. When MTV's Josh Horowitz spoke with director James Cameron yesterday, the first question he had was "When?"

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"It exists! It's coming!" he said of the for-home 3-D technology, explaining that we'll start to see them as soon as next month, with more coming before the end of 2010. "By third and fourth quarter of this year, you can get a 3-D set if you want to."

Cameron then went on to talk specific release plans. "We're going to put 'Avatar' out probably in November on 3-D -- barebones, just the movie -- and then we'll follow up with some kind of special edition 3-D [release] later down the line."

While he did not specify exactly what qualifies as "barebones," he did admit that there's a ton of bonus material. Josh has even seen some of it, "Way more than you ever wanted to see, I'm sure," Cameron said with a smile. More than behind-the-scenes footage too; there's material that just never made it into the movie, some of it abandoned so early in the process that it was never completed. Don't expect to see any of that material integrated into a director's cut... but expect to see it somehow.

"The unfinished scenes look like a cheesy video game," Cameron explained. "There are the performances; you can really see what the scene would have been, but it doesn't have that magical realism of the finished film. So to put those scenes in without finishing them... will be for fans. For real fans who want to know more about the characters and so on."

What does that mean for an extended edition sort of release? "It's not going to be a casual viewing experience of a longer film," Cameron said. "We can probably put in maybe another five or six minutes that was finished, final finished. And we can put in 15 minutes or so of those other scenes that were never finished, that were taken out relatively early in the life cycle of the cut. So we'll look at programmable branching technology to see what experiences we can give people on the DVD."

How many "Avatar" home video releases do you think we'll see when all is said and done?

See full article at MTV Movies Blog »

Thank-You Cam Be Damned: 'Avatar' Producer Plans to Top His Infamous Oscar Speech

ב- 12:45

As you may have heard, Oscar is planning a new technique this year to streamline the annual awards show: stars are encouraged to give the TV cameras their excitement and “You like me! You really like me!” A-list material, but are supposed to save their name-dropping thank-you’s for a behind-the-scenes webcam. Well, one of this year’s sure-to-be-big-winners is “Avatar,” and when producer Jon Landau stopped by our studio recently, he couldn’t help but get a laugh out of the fact that he was one of those bad apples who had created the need for a “thank-you cam.” (Editor's note: It should be mentioned that our Landau interview came before the change in procedure was announced.)

America, meet the man responsible for this year’s lack of thank-you’s.

“I got criticized for my thing, I guess I thanked like 53 people in my thank-you speech,” said Landau, who speed-read a huge list of names after winning best picture for “Titanic” -– and whose likelihood of speaking again on behalf of “Avatar” may have single-handedly driven the “thank you cam” pre-emptive strike. “All the people in the press criticized me.”

At the time, Landau’s lengthy speech was considered such a disaster that the Oscars even used it as a teaching tool. “The Academy said to me, ‘Jon, we do a luncheon the following year and we want to use your Academy speech [as a ‘What Not to Do’ clip],” he recalled. “We’ll cover up your face so people won’t know it’s you’, but of course they’d know it was me!”

“[The Academy said] we’ll say this is a good speech [and show someone], and then we’ll go this was a fair speech [and show someone], and then we’ll say: this is what not to do [and show you],” he revealed. “They said ‘Would you mind doing that?’”

Meanwhile, Landau’s director and friend -- James Cameron -- was busy declaring himself “The King of the World” and giving the Academy exactly the kind of soundbite that could be used for decades to come. Although some people did view it as a wee bit cocky.

“He quoted his movie,” Landau was quick to point out. “Let’s just make that clear….”

With “Avatar” leading the pack this year in nominations, the odds seem pretty good that we’ll once again hear from Cameron and Landau. So, what are their plans?

“I don’t think Jim looks back on [his Oscar speech as a bad thing]; he looks back on that and meant to say ‘I’m feeling the way Jack Dawson felt, that moment on the bow of the ship,’” Landau explained, fighting off any notion that Cameron’s declaration was arrogant. “I think that if Jim found some moment to say what Jake Sully feels or Neytiri feels, then he might do that.”

And what about Landau? With a film as technologically advanced as “Avatar,” one would think that he could read names from now until the sequel is in theaters. So does he have any plans to save all those thank you’s for a backstage webcam?

“[I told the Academy in ‘98], honestly I don’t mind them doing that at all,” he said of his inclusion as the Oscar’s “Don’t Do This” video. There was one condition though: “As long as you tell people that if I am ever lucky enough to be up there again, I’m going to do the exact same thing.”

“We have a lot more than 53 people that contributed to ‘Avatar,’ I’ll tell you that,” Landau said, flashing a mischievous grin. “We’ll see what happens.”

What do you think? Should Landau save his thank-you’s for the backstage camera? Or should he whip out his note-card again on Oscar night and let ‘er rip?

See full article at MTV Movies Blog »

#1 'Avatar' Rides Past $2 Billion Worldwide And Reigns For 7th Straight Weekend; 'Edge Of Darkness' No Bright Spot For Mel; 'When In Rome' Gets Lost A

ב- 14:00

SATURDAY PM/SUNDAY AM: Now that 20th Century Fox's Avatar is the highest grossing movie of all time (not adjusted for inflation or higher 3D ticket prices), it passed the $2 billion mark in worldwide grosses and remained No. 1 at the weekend box office for the 7th straight week. Today, after just 45 days of release, James Cameron's sci-fi epic reached $2.039 billion. The pic's runaway success has answered all its critics, so there's not much more to say except, Wow! It made $7.5M Friday from 3,074 plays and $14M Saturday for another $30M weekend -- an amazing -14% hold despite a declining theater count. That's a new $594.2M domestic cume. The pic should pass Titanic's record of $600.8M this week.

Here's the run-down of IMAX's 5th weekend of Avatar. The giant screen juggernaut generated another $6.0 mil domestically this weekend (-10%) on 179 screens; this represents approx 21% of the pictures overall domestic take. Hollywood.com reports IMAX's domestic cume for Avatar stands at $97M and will pass $100M this week. Overseas, IMAX generated $4.3M (-3%) on 83 screens. As of Sunday night, the IMAX international cume will be $56M. This puts the global total as of tonight at $153M. The only remaining questions are: Will Avatar make it 8 weeks in a row as #1? And will it win the Best Picture Oscar? Stay tuned.

See full article at Deadline Hollywood »

'Avatar' Wins Its Seventh Weekend In A Row In The Sunday Box Office Report

ב- 13:58

1. "Avatar" ($30 million)
2. "Edge of Darkness" ($17.1 million)
3. "When in Rome" ($12.1 million)
4. "Tooth Fairy" ($10 million)
5. "The Book of Eli" ($8.8 million)

To the surprise of absolutely nobody, "Avatar" once again topped the box office charts this past weekend for its seventh straight weekend victory. Following the $30 million haul, James Cameron's latest film sits atop a domestic money pile worth $594.5 million and is well within days of eclipsing "Titanic's" current record of $600.8 million.

Beating "Titanic" at the domestic box office is more or less the last meaningful record that "Avatar" has to break. Early last week, the science fiction epic secured its place as the highest grossing film of all time, having brought its worldwide tally up to $2.04 billion. Despite the victory, many are quick to point out that "Avatar's" current record isn't adjusted for inflation or the significantly higher cost for 3-D ticket purchases. But even with those exceptions in mind, there's absolutely no denying the unprecedented success this movie has enjoyed in only seven weeks in theaters.

In the world of non-"Avatar" news, Mel Gibson's return to the spotlight in "Edge of Darkness" wasn't able to slow down the 3-D epic's momentum, taking home a $17.1 million second place medal. Newcomer "When in Rome" and holdover "Tooth Fairy" took the third and fourth place slots while Denzel Washington's "The Book of Eli" earned a fifth place finish worth $8.8 million.

Although it didn't crack the top five, "Crazy Heart" nonetheless left the weekend with a solid $2.3 million over just 239 theaters, translating to a $9,414 per screen average. On the opposite end of the spectrum was "Extraordinary Measures," the Harrison Ford and Brendan Fraser film that earned only $2.6 million from Friday to Sunday, a 57% drop from its debut last weekend.

See full article at MTV Movies Blog »

'Avatar' Continues Its Winning Streak In The Saturday Box Office Report

ב- 13:56

1. "Avatar" ($7.5 million)
2. "Edge of Darkness" ($5.7 million)
3. "When in Rome" ($4.4 million)
4. "The Book of Eli" ($2.5 million)
5. "Tooth Fairy" ($2.3 million)

After seven straight weeks in theaters, you didn't really think that "Avatar" would fall from the top of the charts, did you? James Cameron's science fiction epic continued to barrel ahead of the competition on Friday with a $7.5 million intake, bringing the record-smashing film's cumulative domestic tally up to $572 million.

Already, "Avatar" has taken the all-time worldwide record away from "Titanic," Cameron's previous record holder, though the 1997 Oscar winner remains the film to beat when it comes to the domestic box office with a $600.8 million total. Given the success that "Avatar" continues to have, however, it's a sure bet that the Na'vi of Pandora will claim that record from "Titanic" as well.

But "Avatar" wasn't the only noteworthy film at the box office on Friday, as Mel Gibson made his return to acting in "Edge of Darkness," director Martin Campbell's adaptation of his BBC television series from the 1980s. The thriller earned a second place finish worth $5.7 million, certainly an admirable effort but not quite the result that Gibson was used to seeing in his prime.

Third place went to "When in Rome," the romantic comedy starring Kristen Bell and Josh Duhamel. Denzel Washington's "The Book of Eli" continued to impress with a respectable fourth place finish, bringing the movie's domestic total up to $68.1 million thus far. "Tooth Fairy," the Dwayne Johnson family comedy now entering its second week in theaters, took the top five's final spot with $2.3 million.

See full article at MTV Movies Blog »

'Avatar' Star Joel David Moore 'Will Be A Part' Of The Planned Sequel

ב- 11:41

Even as "Avatar" continues to overtake every Hollywood box office record that's ever been set, fans are already wondering when we'll see more. And while Pandora fans don't have a hard timeframe to pin their hopes to yet, we'll still ask anyone who was involved with the movie about sequel possibilities whenever there's an opportunity. Such was the case yesterday, when star Joel David Moore -- who played human scientist Norm Spellman -- stopped by the MTV Newsroom for a chat.

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"There are a lot of places for it to go and all of those decisions lie in one man's brain," he said, referring to "Avatar" director James Cameron. What Moore does know is that he hasn't seen the last of the Na'vi people. "Yes, I will be a part of whatever they want me to do. How can you not? I would love to go back to that world."

The problem for Moore's Spellman is that (*SPOILER ALERT*) his avatar dies towards the end of the movie. There are a whole host of story-pegged issues related to bringing that vessel back, starting with the difficulty of simply creating another one.

"Understand that these things are grown from DNA from the Na'vi and us," he said. In the movie we learn that the process of creating one is measured in years, and that it is a complex genetics procedure requiring valuable high tech equipment. That said, the now-vacant RDA base on Pandora is certainly kitted out with the best equipment. Who knows what those wily human scientists will cook up?

For the time being, Moore is busy mourning his avatar's absence. "I miss my avatar now," he said. "I wish he was here, with us. Maybe he is, in spirit." Oooooookay. Getting serious again, Moore clearly remains hopeful for the future of his avatar. "A lot of things can happen," he said. "Anything can happen in a sequel and anything can happen on another planet."

Would you like to see Norm Spellman's avatar return? Do you enjoy these little updates from the cast, or would you rather that everyone just keep quiet until there's actually something new to report?

See full article at MTV Movies Blog »

Avatar Versus Edge Of Darkness

ב- 11:39

This weekend sees the worldwide release of Mel Gibson’s return to the acting foray after eight years of getting pissed, falling off the wagon, getting back on the wagon, falling off it again, directing one brilliant film (Apocalyto), partying like it’s 1999, getting arrested and ranting about Jews and calling a female police officer “sugar tits”. That last episode saw humiliation doled out on a global scale.

Edge of Darkness, a thriller designed to remind the world why we all loved the actor in the first place despite his dodgy views, is hoping knock Avatar off its bloody perch. James Cameron sci-fi actioner is officially the best film of all time, but will Gibbo stop its global dominance by putting it down to Number 2 on the box office charts? Place ya bets!

The film is no doubt designed for the older audience, especially those with fond memories of the Mad Max movies and the Lethal Weapon series. In the film, Gibson plays a Boston detective investigating his daughter’s death and taking revenge on the bastards that did it. It is based on a BBC drama series from the 1980s and directed by Casino Royale’s Martin Campbell (who also directed the tv series). All eyes will be on the opening figures this weekend to see how well Mel does. Oh, and did we mention Avatar is the biggest grossing film of all time?

See full article at FilmShaft.com »

'Avatar' beats 'Titanic' worldwide record

ב- 17:20

James Cameron's sci-fi epic Avatar has surpassed his 1997 film Titanic to become the highest-grossing worldwide film release of all time.

Avatar earned $1.843bn (£1.14bn) in only 39 days, topping Titanic's $1.858bn (£1.15bn) gross, according to MTV.

A sizeable portion of Avatar's massive box office revenue came from 3D and IMAX screenings. Part of that is also due to increased ticket costs.

The film remains poised to keep earning for months, reports say. Avatar is expected to claim the US domestic record within the next two or three weeks.

"Audiences still are going in record numbers around the world to experience this remarkable film," said Fox senior vice president of domestic distribution Chris Aronson.

See full article at digitalspy »

Is James Cameron, Like, the Best Director Ever?

ב- 17:16

Now that Avatar has topped Titanic as the world's biggest-grossing movie, can we finally agree that James Cameron is the greatest director of all time?
—Frank, via the Answer B!tch inbox

Dear Person Possibly Masquerading as James Cameron:

Yeah, no.

Even if we're measuring success strictly via numbers, Cameron is still way eclipsed when it comes to box office success. In fact, another very big director still has a claim over Cameron in the ticket-sales department—for a very different kind of alien flick...

...and that's Steven Spielberg.

But first some basic numbers.

Yes, on Monday, Avatar eclipsed Titanic to become the worldwide highest-grossing movie ever. Per Fox, the worldwide total for Dancing With Smurfs now stands at $1.859 billion, compared to Titanic's $1.843 billion.

But when you start to look at the numbers more closely, Cameron is still far from king of the wooorrrrllld.

Much of Avatar's domestic box office take—at least 85 percent—is thought to come from 3-D theaters, Exhibitor Relations analyst Jeff Bock says. That's important, because tickets to 3-D movies cost more. Fox, which released Avatar, has yet to break out the exact number of 3-D tickets versus traditional theater tickets, Bock says, but if it ever does, the statistics will likely to reveal that Titanic actually is still a more popular box office hit.

"It's going to be difficult to compare it as apples to apples," Bock says, "but if you really look in terms of ticket sales, it's nowhere close. Once we sort for inflation and divide by actual prices, Avatar is going to fall off substantially."

So what about Titanic, then? Can we still say Cameron is king of the world when it comes to that movie? To be honest, it's simply too hard to say. The industry has been following ticket sales domestically for a very long time, but not international sales, Bock says. So any honest historical comparison of worldwide film hits would be next to impossible.

However, if Cameron wants to throw his hat in the ring as king of the domestic box office, he'd better be prepared to settle for...sixth place.

"Gone with the Wind is still on top when it comes to physical ticket sales domestically," Bock tells me. "More people went to see Gone with the Wind than Titanic in terms of tickets."

(In case you're wondering who directed that, it's a guy named Victor Fleming.)

Then comes Star Wars, followed by The Sound of Music, Spielberg's gentle alien flick ET, and then Titanic.

Of course, we haven't even begun to discuss the merits of any of these films or directors beyond money.

See full article at E! Online »

IT'S OFFICIAL! 'AVATAR' SINKS 'TITANIC'

ב- 17:14

The official numbers are in. So Twentieth Century Fox reports that AVATAR has earned $1.859 billion in worldwide revenue in just 39 days. It took place on Monday when James Cameron's big budget 3D technopic passed the long-standing worldwide revenue record held by his other epic film Titanic of $1.843 billion set in 1998. No one thought that record could be broken, but Avatar's higher 3D ticket prices not adjusted for inflation did it. And News Corp insiders think Avatar's worldwide revenue will reach $2 billion -- especially with after next week's Oscar nominations and the March 7 Acadamy Awards -- and add $400 million to News Corp's bottom line. The North American figure for Avatar now stands at $555 million and should surpass Titanic’s record $600.8 million either through next weekend or next midweek, according to Hollywood.com:

TOP 2 WORLDWIDE GROSSING FILMS THROUGH 01/25/10
1. AVATAR (Fox) $1,859 billion
2. TITANIC (Fox/Paramount) $1.843 billion

AVATAR through January 25th, 2010
DOMESTIC GROSS (U.S. and Canada): $554,981,691
INTERNATIONAL GROSS: $1,303,885,198
WORLDWIDE GROSS: $1,858,866,889

See full article at Deadline Hollywood »

For 'Avatar' Super-Fans, Calling Their Fervor 'Worship' Is Still 'A Long Way Off'

ב- 17:13

FROM MTV.COM: Box-office bean counters haven't had much time to sleep in the six weeks since the release of James Cameron's epic "Avatar." The potent combination of effusive word of mouth and critical praise helped the film glide right past "The Dark Knight" this past weekend to capture the #2 spot — behind Cameron's "Titanic" — on the list of all-time top-grossing domestic releases.

So who's driving these intergalactic numbers? While casual moviegoers certainly play a huge role, "Avatar" junkies make "Titanic" devotees look like a regional fan club. And these are by no means closet cases: Coaxing Pandoraholics to dish about the movie's merits requires as much prodding as asking Lady Gaga fans why they love her.

See full article at MTV Movies Blog »

'Avatar' Tops 'The Dark Knight' In All-Time Domestic Grosses, Closes In On 'Titanic'

ב- 17:10

FROM MTV.COM: As of Monday morning (January 25), James Cameron's "Avatar" is now the top-grossing international release of all time. Following the weekend's ticket sales, the sprawling sci-fi epic slipped past Cameron's 1997 hit "Titanic" in overseas earnings (not including North America), with $1.288 billion compared to the doomed cruise ship's $1.242 billion, Reuters reported.

For six weeks now, ever since it was released in theaters on December 18, "Avatar" has ruled the box office. Described in pre-release propaganda as a "game-changer" for Hollywood, the spectacle-driven 3-D adventure is certainly living up to expectations. It picked up Golden Globes for Best Picture/Drama and Best Director, and it has now officially begun the process of sinking Cameron's 1997 hit, "Titanic."

See full article at MTV Movies Blog »

'Avatar' Is Right Behind 'Titanic's' Worldwide Record In The Sunday Box Office Report

ב- 11:45

1. "Avatar" ($36 million)
2. "Legion" ($18.2 million)
3. "The Book of Eli" ($17 million)
4. "Tooth Fairy" ($14.5 million)
5. "The Lovely Bones" ($8.8 million)

James Cameron's "Avatar" easily won its sixth straight weekend at the box office, but the film's victory over its current theatrical competitors is hardly the greatest cause for celebration — that distinction belongs to the Na'vi people's victory over Gotham City's personal superhero, as "Avatar" has officially surpassed Christopher Nolan's "The Dark Knight" as the second highest grossing film of all time at the domestic box office.

With Batman out of the way, it's now a matter of Cameron versus Cameron both on the domestic and worldwide battle fronts. "Avatar" is currently second behind "Titanic" in both markets, but that won't last for long — "Avatar's" weekend haul of $36 million, only a 15.9 percent drop from last weekend's $54.4 million, leaves little doubt that "Titanic's" domestic record of $600.8 million will crumble.

More importantly, "Avatar's" worldwide total is now $1.836 billion to "Titanic's" current $1.842 billion record, according to Box Office Mojo. At this point, it's all but guaranteed that Cameron's latest will be the new king of the worldwide box office — it's just a matter of when and by how much.

See full article at MTV Movies Blog »

'Avatar' Closes In On 'The Dark Knight's' Record In The Saturday Box Office Report

ב- 14:15

1. "Avatar" ($9.1 million)
2. "Legion" ($6.7 million)
3. "The Book of Eli" ($4.9 million)
4. "Tooth Fairy" ($3.5 million)
5. "The Lovely Bones" ($2.6 million)

With six Friday performances under its belt, James Cameron's "Avatar" remains the top dog at the box office, once again pulling out a first place finish worth $9.1 million — and just like the late musician Wesley Willis, "Avatar" is now poised to whoop Batman's you know what.

After six weeks, "Avatar" has earned a cumulative domestic total of $525.9 million, just a few short strides away from the $533.3 million held by "The Dark Knight." It's a virtual certainty that after this weekend's haul, "Avatar" will surpass the Christopher Nolan-directed comic book flick to become the second highest grossing film of all time at the domestic box office.

Of course, "Titanic" is the ship to sink should "Avatar" stand a chance at claiming the all-time top spot. Currently, the science fiction epic is just $74.9 million short of "Titanic's" $600.8 million domestic tally. Additionally, a Fox executive told The Hollywood Reporter that "Avatar" will surpass "Titanic's" overseas total of $1.242 billion by the weekend's conclusion. With each passing day, it's looking likelier and likelier that Cameron will ultimately top himself.

See full article at MTV Movies Blog »

'Avatar' Producer Says Sequel Could Be James Cameron's Next Project

ב- 6:20

In early December, James Cameron hinted that he might pursue a smaller project following the release of "Avatar," a film the director had been working on in one form or another since the mid-'90s. Then his CGI behemoth actually hit theaters, reeling in $77 million during opening weekend, on its way to $1.6 billion in worldwide box-office receipts and counting.

With the #1 all-time box-office spot now in sight, will Cameron skip that smaller film — possibly "The Dive," the true and tragic story of two free divers who fall in love — in favor of kick-starting work on an "Avatar" sequel? His longtime producing partner Jon Landau hinted to MTV News that a speedy return to the blockbuster franchise is likely.

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"I think it's going to be hard to walk away from this," he explained when asked if a sequel would be Cameron's next project. "I think that might be a good bet."

He hastened to add a note of caution, however, saying, "In Hollywood, anything can happen."

To which we might add that when a movie stays in the top box-office slot for five straight weeks, what happens in Hollywood is the directive to pump out more, more, more of that movie as quickly as possible. So how soon can a sequel happen? Landau said Cameron does have strong ideas of where to take the story.

"I think Jim definitely had a couple of different storylines, and it's just honing in on which one he wants to focus in on," he said. "He knows the cast he wants to bring back, he knows how to address it. I'm very excited about it."

Now all Cameron has to do is start writing. "I have a trilogy-scaled arc of story right now, but I haven't really put any serious work into writing a script," he told us last year.

See full article at MTV Movies Blog »

Zoe Saldana Looking Forward To 'Skinemax Version' Of 'Avatar'

ב- 6:13

James Cameron has already told us that the deleted sex scene in "Avatar"—with its promise of intertwining tendrils and ripples of alien-induced ecstasy—is rather less tantalizing than we might have been led to believe. "I think it's one of those cases where the fantasy vastly exceeds the reality," the director told us last week at the Critics' Choice Movie Awards.

So while the big blue alien bang session between Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) and Neytiri (Zoe Saldana) may only be five or ten seconds long, Saldana is still eager for the viewing public to check it out.

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"It's worth it," she said at Critics' Choice, "especially now we're living in a time where there's not enough affection and sexuality in movies. I miss the '80s!"

Me and you both. Expect the scene to be restored for the upcoming DVD as part of what Cameron described to us as "more of a fan version than a director version." Count Saldana as one of those fans. Not that she thinks "Avatar" should have waded more fully into adult territory. At least, not for a while.

"Maybe 'Avatar 4,'" she said with a laugh. "The raunchy Skin-amax version."

Was "Avatar" lacking in sex appeal? What are you most looking forward to seeing in the home video release?

See full article at MTV Movies Blog »

'Avatar' 2-D Screenings To Stop In China

ב- 6:11

FROM MTV.COM: With more than $1.6 billion in worldwide box-office gross so far, "Avatar" is the biggest movie on the planet right now. But if they haven't already seen James Cameron's latest Hollywood spectacle, the people of China are going to have a much harder time finding the movie in theaters in the coming weekend. The communist nation's state-run movie distributor, China Film Group, intends to pull the sprawling sci-fi epic from 1,628 2-D screens this weekend, according to a report in the Los Angeles Times.

The Chow Yun-Fat-starring "Confucius," a biopic about the ancient Chinese philosopher, will take the place of "Avatar" in those theaters. Paul Hanneman, who heads up international distribution for 20th Century Fox, confirmed the news for the Times. The 900 3-D screens that "Avatar" is currently running on in China will not suffer the same fate however.

See full article at MTV Movies Blog »

'Avatar' Leads the Way at Visual Effects Society Nominations

ב- 10:35

James Cameron's "Avatar" received 11 nominations for the eighth annual VES Awards, presented by the Visual Effects Society to recognize outstanding visual effects artistry.

Cameron had been previously announced as the recipient of this year's VES Lifetime Achievement Award. Pixar's Ed Catmull will receive the Georges Melies Award for pioneering.

Nominees in 23 categories of film, animation, TV, commercials and videogames were chosen by blue-ribbon panels of VES members. The awards will be handed out Feb. 28 at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza Hotel.

“It’s important to keep in mind that it wasn’t machines that created these images but incredibly talented artists," said VES chairman Jeffrey Okun in a statement. "We congratulate them all and look forward to seeing who is chosen as the best of the best at the awards show in February.”

See full article at The Wrap »

Double win at Golden Globes for Avatar, is it now headed for Oscar glory?

ב- 10:28

WITH its momentum still undiminished, sci-fi spectacle Avatar has scooped a double victory - including best film drama - at the Golden Globes, paving the way for Oscar triumph.

James Cameron won the director gong for the movie at the US ceremony, in an echo of his success 12 years ago, when Titanic received best drama and the directing prize before sweeping the board with 11 Oscars at the Academy Awards.

As the 55-year-old Canadian filmmaker accepted his prizes - he is pictured above (on right) with producer Jon Landau - figures showed Avatar had remained top of the US, UK and Australian box offices for a fifth consecutive week.

Worldwide takings for the film now stand at $1.6billion (£979m), setting it on course to top Titanic's $1.8 bn (£1.1bn) haul this week - which would make it the top-grossing film of all time.

As he accepted the directing Globe, Cameron praised his ex-wife Kathryn Bigelow, who was also nominated as best director for bomb disposal team drama The Hurt Locker.

"Frankly, I thought Kathryn was going to get this. She richly deserves it," Cameron said.

See full article at The Geek Files »

Avatar's Golden—and Getting Closer to Batman, Titanic

ב- 14:43

Dark Knight, you're next.

Per studio estimates, Avatar will gross $11.8 million today, bring its four-day, Martin Luther King Jr. Day weekend take to $54.6 million, push its domestic haul past $500 million, and continue its romp through the history books.

And you thought James Cameron would be satisified with last night's Golden Globes…

Here's a look at where Avatar ranks all-time, plus holiday-weekend updates on the rest of the Top 10:

• Domestically, Avatar is now one week—tops—from passing The Dark Knight as the second-biggest movie in Hollywood history. For those keeping score at home, Avatar stands at $505.1 million as of today's estimates; The Dark Knight grossed $533.3 million.

• Cameron's own Titanic, The Dark Knight and, as of today, Avatar are the only three movies to ever gross at least $500 million domestically.

• Worldwide, Avatar is at about $1.6 billion and holding in second place all-time behind Titanic. Make that close behind Titanic. As Exhibitor Relations' Jeff Bock said Sunday: "Titanic's record of $1.8 billion will surely sink—very soon."

• When its ticket sales are adjusted for inflation, Avatar ranks 34th (and climbing) per Box Office Mojo, an impressive ranking in its own right. For all the blockbusters of the last decade, only two releases from the 2000s rank higher on that list than Avatar.

• Denzel Washington's The Book of Eli actually beat Avatar—on Friday. But Avatar came back fast. And while Eli stayed within $10 million of Avatar through Sunday, by Monday it was no match for wonder of Pandora.

• If not for Avatar, The Book of Eli ($32.8 million Friday-Sunday; $38 million Friday-Monday) would have been the story of the holiday weekend. The $70 million apocalyptic tale is the second biggest opener of Washington's career.

Here's a revised rundown of the holiday weekend's top-grossing films, through Monday, per estimates compiled by Exhibitor Relations:

Avatar, $54.6 million
The Book of Eli, $38 million
The Lovely Bones, $20.5 million
Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel, $15 million
The Spy Next Door, $13 million
Sherlock Holmes, $11.7 million
It's Complicated, $9.6 million
Leap Year, $7.1 million
Up in the Air, $6.7 million
The Blind Side, $6.5 million

See full article at E! Online »

Golden Globes Upsets Galore as Avatar, Hangover, Glee Score

ב- 1:32

The Hollywood Foreign Press was happy to open Pandora's box.

Avatar, James Cameron's years-in-the-making vision of the possibility of performance-capture technology, was named Best Motion Picture, Drama, at the 67th Annual Golden Globes, triumphing over the seemingly unstoppable Hurt Locker.

"We have the best job in the world, we really do," the filmmaker said in accepting Sunday's top prize. "I just want you to give it up for yourself. What we do is, we make entertainment for a global audience, and that's what the Golden Globes mean. Give it up for yourselves," he encouraged his fellow Hollywood players.

Winners! Complete List From the 2010 Golden Globes

MOVIES

Motion Picture, Drama:
Avatar

Motion Picture, Comedy or Musical:
The Hangover

Director:
James Cameron, Avatar

Actress in a Motion Picture, Drama
Sandra Bullock, The Blind Side

Actor in a Motion Picture, Drama
Jeff Bridges, Crazy Heart

Actress in a Motion Picture, Comedy or Musical
Meryl Streep, Julie & Julia

Actor in a Motion Picture, Comedy or Musical
Robert Downey Jr., Sherlock Holmes

Actress in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture
Mo'Nique, Precious

Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture
Christoph Waltz, Inglourious Basterds

Screenplay
Jason Reitman and Sheldon Turner, Up in the Air

Foreign Language Film
The White Ribbon (Germany)

Animated Feature Film
Up

Original Score
Michael Giacchino, Up

Original Song
"The Weary Kind," Crazy Heart; music and lyrics by Ryan Bingham and T-Bone Burnett

TELEVISION

Television Series, Drama
Mad Men
Television Series, Comedy or Musical
Glee

Actress in a Television Series, Drama
Julianna Margulies, The Good Wife

Actor in a Television Series, Drama
Michael C. Hall, Dexter

Actress in a Television Series, Comedy or Musical
Toni Collette, United States of Tara

Actor in a Television Series, Comedy or Musical
Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock

Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series, Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television
Chloë Sevigny, Big Love

Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series, Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television
John Lithgow, Dexter

Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television
Grey Gardens

Actress in a Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television
Drew Barrymore, Grey Gardens

Actor in a Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television
Kevin Bacon, Taking Chance

See full article at E! Online »
See full article at E! Online »

Close, but No Cigar for Denzel vs. Avatar

ב- 10:55

If the question is, can anybody beat Avatar? The answer is: not yet.

James Cameron's titanic sci-fi tale notched its fifth straight weekend box-office win, with an estimated $41.3 million Friday-Sunday that pushed its domestic total to nearly $500 million—with business from Monday's Martin Luther King Jr. Day still to come.

Denzel Washington's apocalyptic The Book of Eli came the closest yet to matching Avatar's knack for ticket sales, which means it finished about $10 million behind, with a big $31.6 million.

Going for the Twilight crowd seemed to salvage a so-far disappointing run for Peter Jackson's The Lovely Bones (third place, $17.1 million), while going for The Rock crowd didn't pay off for Jackie Chan's The Spy Next Door (sixth place, $9.7 million).

Here's a look at where Avatar ranks all-time, plus the rest of the Top 10:

• Domestically, Avatar is now the third-biggest movie in Hollywood history, behind only The Dark Knight and Cameron's own Titanic. For those keeping score at home, Avatar stands at $491.8 million as of today's estimates.

• Worldwide, Avatar is holding in second place all-time, behind Titanic, with about $1.6 billion.

• When its ticket sales are adjusted for inflation, Avatar ranks 36th, per Box Office Mojo, an impressive ranking in its own right. For all the blockbusters of the last decade, only three releases from the 2000s rank higher on that list than Avatar.

• The Book of Eli actually did beat Avatar—on Friday. But Avatar came back on Saturday.

• The Book of Eli is the second biggest opener of Denzel Washington's career.

• After doing nothing in limited release, and next-to nothing in the pre-Oscar awards season, The Lovely Bones' wide-release debut was something. Still, the film, which has taken in about $23 million worldwide, is a long way away from matching its reputed $150 million production and marketing budget.

• In its second weekend, Daybreakers ($5 million; $24.2 million overall) took a plunge worthy of the Twilight franchise. The vampire flick was down 67 percent in ticket sales, and dropped like a rock out of the Top 10. (Yes, the Twilight movies do make a whole lot more money in their debuts.)

• The revolution is over for Michael Cera's Youth in Revolt ($2.8 million; $12 million overall), which lost substantial steam in its second weekend.

• Disney's The Princess and the Frog departed the Top 10 after a seven-weekend run and a $96.3 million domestic take that won't match its reported $105 million budget, much less encourage more hand-drawn cartoons that don't play in 3D theaters.

Here's a complete rundown of the holiday weekend's top-grossing films, through Sunday, per estimates compiled by Exhibitor Relations:

1. Avatar, $41.3 million
2. The Book of Eli, $31.6 million
3. The Lovely Bones, $17.1 million
4. Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel, $11.5 million
5. Sherlock Holmes, $9.8 million
6. The Spy Next Door, $9.7 million
7. It's Complicated, $7.7 million
8. Leap Year, $5.9 million
9. The Blind Side, $5.6 million
10. Up in the Air, $5.5 million

See full article at E! Online »

AVATAR" Box Office and Sequel Update

ב- 10:53

James Cameron's unstoppable "AVATAR" is entering its fifth weekend with more dominant ticket sales. Fandango tells us that 80% of its ticket sales for Avatar have been for the 3D and IMAX screenings and for the fifth weekend, 73% of its advanced ticket sales are for "AVATAR", followed by "THE BOOK OF ELI" with 7% and "THE LOVELY BONES" with 5%.

Worldwide, the film has earned $1.42 billion and has just passed up "SHREK 2"'s $441.2 million to climb to the fourth spot on the all-time domestic list with $445.7 million. It only trails "STAR WARS" ($460.9 million), "THE DARK KNIGHT" ($533.3 million) and "TITANIC" ($600.8 million) now.

In sequel news, James Cameron told Entertainment Weekly that he was even planning a sequel during production. "I've had a storyline in mind from the start - there are even scenes in 'Avatar' that I kept in because they lead to the sequel," Cameron said. "It just makes sense to think of it as a two or three film arc, in terms of the business plan. The CG plants and trees and creatures and the musculo-skeletal rigging of the main characters — that all takes an enormous amount of time to create. It'd be a waste not to use it again."

'Box office: 'Avatar' holds off 'Book of Eli

ב- 10:49

"Avatar" remained king of the box-office world for the fifth straight week, holding off "The Book of Eli" for top spot.

James Cameron's movie raked in an additional $41.3 million for the weekend of Jan. 15-17, based on studio estimates. Its total take is now above $490 million domestically, which ranks third all-time at the domestic box office, behind only "Titanic" and "The Dark Knight." (Adjusting for inflation, "Gone with the Wind" remains the all-time champ.)

"The Book of Eli," which led Friday's returns with $11.7 million, ended the weekend with $31.6 million. "The Lovely Bones" shot up to third as it expanded from three screens to more than 2,500, earning $17.06 million. "Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel" ($11.5 million) and "Sherlock Holmes" ($9.8 million) rounded out the top five. The weekend's other wide release, "The Spy Next Door," was sixth with $9.7 million.

See full article at Zap2It - From Inside the Box »

James Cameron Says 'Avatar' Will Beat 'Titanic' To Become Biggest Of All Time

ב- 7:12

It's one of the biggest questions in Hollywood. Can James Cameron's blockbuster sci-fi epic overtake the number one spot for highest-grossing film of all time, toppling the current champ, which is coincidentally another James Cameron film.

That's right, for thirteen years "Titanic" has remained king of the mountain, but with "Avatar" decimating the box office it seems only a matter of time until it dethrones Cameron's seafaring drama. We've all heard the experts speculating, but what does the man himself think? When we caught up with him at the Critics' Choice Awards, we asked him just that.

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Back in early December, Cameron was fully cautious on the matter. "I don't think it's realistic to try and topple 'Titanic' off its perch," he told us then. But now the legendary filmmaker is singing a different song.

"It's gonna happen. It's just a matter of time," Cameron remarked confidently. A powerful statement, but the numbers seem to be moving in his favor. "Titanic" grossed an eye-popping $1.8 billion worldwide, but "Avatar" is closing in fast at $1.3 billion after five weeks. Unless the momentum is unexpectedly halted, the top of the charts doesn't seem that unlikely a prize.

If "Avatar" does overtake "Titanic," how will he ever top his now-infamous "I'm the king of the world!" Oscar speech? Well, if he has something in mind he's playing it close to the chest. "Yeah, what do I say to make a bigger fool of myself than I did last time. Is that where you're going with this?" he joked. "Well, let me think about it."

Do you think it's realistic for "Avatar" to crush "Titanic"'s longstanding record? Or will the doomed ship manage to stay afloat even longer?

James Cameron Talks 'Avatar' Sequel, Deleted Sex Scenes

ב- 7:08

On Friday night (January 15), James Cameron slipped into a tuxedo and descended on the Critics' Choice Movie Awards, stepping into an unfamiliar world like "Avatar" hero Jake Sully arriving on Pandora. Much like the Sam Worthington character in one of the biggest blockbusters ever made, Cameron's mission would be a success — one that would grab him six awards. In other ways, however, it was more like a victory lap.

"Thanks to that MTV online event, you launched the picture!" he grinned when he saw the MTV News team on the red carpet, remembering our exclusive "Avatar" event in early December. "And look what happened!"

Some people would say that a billion-plus dollars at the box office would automatically green-light a sequel. "Yes, now we just have to come up with an idea," Cameron joked. "I have a 6,000-page outline. Now, if I could just reduce that to a shoot-able script."

Before he makes the sequel, however, Cameron said he might step away from Pandora for a while. "There's some possibility of doing another film in between," explained the filmmaker, who has been absent from the awards-season scene since he similarly blew through it in 1997 with "Titanic." "But we'll certainly get busy talking about what the strategy is [for an 'Avatar' sequel], whether it makes sense to do it and laying any technical groundwork that needs to be done. These are big projects."

As for recent speculation over the leaked "Avatar" script that supposedly revealed extended intimacy between the film's lead characters, Cameron said he was getting a kick out of the chatter. "We took a good 10 seconds out of that scene. So people shouldn't [get too worked up over it]," he grinned. "I think it's one of those cases where the fantasy vastly exceeds the reality."

Still, fans can look for that scene — and others — in an upcoming DVD that Cameron is compiling, but one that he stopped short of labeling with a phrase we hear all too often. "The 'director's cut' is what we release," Cameron said. "What we do is we do a special edition, where you could select a longer version of the film that has some scenes reinstated. But it's really more of a fan version than a director's version.

"[The fan version] will be 10 or 12 minutes longer," he revealed. "Something like that."

Finally, Cameron had some advice for those who suffer from the newly coined affliction "Avatar blues," supposedly resulting from exposure to a land far more beautiful than their own. "Take a walk in the woods," he said to sufferers. "Reacquaint with the nature we have right here."

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'Avatar' Heads Into Weekend Five With Strong Early Ticket Sales

ב- 6:29

There's a collective holding of breath right now amongst box office analysts and pundits everywhere as James Cameron's sprawling sci-fi flick "Avatar" trundles towards a record-breaking performance as the top-grossing movie of all time. There are still a few records to break on the domestic sales front for "Avatar" to hit #2, but there's really just one more mountain for the movie to climb to ensure it's place as the top-selling movie of all time.

"Titanic."

The attention the movie has attracted, that it continues to attract, means we've been watching the numbers very closely these past few weeks. Could it really surpass the $1.8 billion worldwide/$600 million domestic records held for more than a decade by Cameron's ill-fated love story? As we roll into weekend number five, the future is looking mighty bright for the blue Na'vi and their beautiful homeworld of Pandora.

Fandango reports that a staggering 73% of their ticket sales this week have been for "Avatar," and that 85% of the movie's overall ticket sales have been for 3-D screenings. "There's such a myriad of sophisticated CGI effects that fans feel they almost need to see it twice to catch all of the fantastical elements," Fandango spokesman Harry Medved said.

Elsewhere in the world of online ticket retailers, MovieTickets.com reports that "Avatar" accounts for 76% of tickets sold this week. “The fact that Avatar accounts for 76 percent of tickets sold this week more than a month after its release is incredible,” MovieTickets.com Executive VP Walt Borchers said.

"Avatar" currently sits in the #2 spot for worldwide ticket sales, $400 million short of besting the "Titanic" numbers. It's a bit lower down on the domestic charts, at #4 behind "Star Wars," "The Dark Knight" and "Titanic" with $445 million. There's no question that "Avatar" will best "Star Wars"' $460 million this weekend. If the excitement continues into the following week -- very likely, considering the lack of blockbuster competition -- it could also slip past the Batman movie's $533 million.

In the end, 3-D could make the difference. February is host to some sizable releases, including "Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief," "The Wolfman" and "Shutter Island." None of them are 3-D however; if audiences continue to be taken with Cameron's slick use of the technology, then "Avatar" will have an easy ride into March, when 3-D showings of "Alice in Wonderland" supplant it from many of those screens. By then, "Avatar" will have had ample time to surpass both of those all-time records and secure its place at #1. Even if it doesn't hit that milestone, I believe with 100% certainty that it will at least climb past "The Dark Knight," leaving Cameron movies the #1 and #2 top-grossing movies of all time.

What do you think the chances are of "Avatar" achieving #1 success on both charts?

See full article at MTV Movies Blog »

The Record-Breaking Pace Of 'Avatar' Continues... So We Look Ahead To What Could Top It

ב- 11:29

After 12 years, "Titanic"'s status as the top-grossing film of all time is being threatened by director James Cameron's follow-up, "Avatar." Even if the movie's box office earnings fall short of the "Titanic" numbers -- two records, $600 million domestic and $1.8 billion worldwide -- there is little doubt at this point that "Avatar" will at least settle in at number two on both of those lists, effectively making Cameron king of Hollywood, if not the world.

Considering the length of time "Titanic" held its top spots, it seems unlikely that another movie could come along in the near-term to unseat either of Cameron's record-breaking films. Still, it doesn't hurt to consider what it would take to accomplish such a feat and which upcoming releases might have a shot at doing so. Emphasis on might here; personally, I think it's going to be a good long while before we see anything even approaching the performance of either of those films.

A number of factors need to align -- a "perfect storm of events," as Exhibitor Relations box office analyst Jeff Bock described it -- for a movie to experience the sort of success that "Avatar" and "Titanic" did. He believes that it all starts with the release date, "a prime release date where you don't have a lot of competition."

Looking at past record holders, there's also a pretty clear trend in terms of content. Many of them are franchise blockbusters, sure, but at base these are old-fashioned stories of good vs. evil. They're also almost exclusively built within worlds that seem to exist unto themselves. Even with a more realistic tale like "The Dark Knight," (currently) #2 and #5 on the domestic and worldwide charts, respectively, is possessed of a certain personality; it feels grounded in reality, yes, but it clearly exists in its own world.

So with all that in mind, let's consider what's hitting theaters in years to come to see if there's anything that might give James Cameron's record-holders a run for their money.

"Avatar 2"

Might Cameron pull off a three-peat with the "Avatar" sequel? Could the king of the world further secure his reign by own the top three spots on the all-time box office chart? Who knows? I can't wait to find out though!

See full article at MTV Movies Blog »

'Avatar' Wins Fourth Weekend In A Row In The Sunday Box Office Report

ב- 11:54

1. "Avatar" ($48.5 million)

2. "Sherlock Holmes" ($16.6 million)

3. "Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel" ($16.3 million)

4. "Daybreakers" ($15 million)

5. "It's Complicated" ($11 million)

The streak stays alive as James Cameron's "Avatar" won its fourth straight weekend victory at the box office, taking a commanding first place lead worth $48.5 million. Since its opening weekend, "Avatar" has grossed a domestic cumulative total of $429 million to become the seventh biggest movie of all time in North America. The weekend's foreign gross of $143 million puts the worldwide total at $1.34 billion, inching ever closer to the $1.84 billion record held by "Titanic."

"Avatar" is also the first movie to win first place for four straight weeks, a result not seen since 2008's "The Dark Knight." But can the science fiction epic catch up to the aforementioned comic book film's domestic ranking? "Avatar" experienced a 29.2% drop-off from last weekend's performance — its biggest dip in numbers yet — so Cameron's latest can't sink much lower if it hopes to stand a chance at dethroning "The Dark Knight" for the second place American record. The likelihood of besting "Titanic," at least on a domestic level, is decreasing as well

Avatar' continues to dominate the box office with $13.3 mil on Friday'

ב- 1:33

A trio of new releases failed to topple James Cameron’s Avatar, which claimed the top spot at the box office for the fourth weekend in a row. The 3-D epic earned $13.3 million on Friday, bringing its domestic total to a staggering $393.8 million, according to early estimates. By the end of Saturday, Avatar should pass Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, which grossed $402.1 million, to become the highest grossing film released in 2009. Additionally, Avatar is likely to soar by Spider-Man on Saturday to become the eighth-highest grossing film of all time domestically.

James Cameron Confirms Avatar Sequel

ב- 6:14

Considering the fact that “Avatar” is a printing press for money and is now the most successful Sci-Fi movie
in history, a sequel is likely a good bet. But James Cameron is a man that marches to his own beat so you can never be really, really sure…until he confirms it himself and he did last night at the Arclight theatre in L.A. in yet another screening for “Avatar”. There was a Q&A after the film with James and a couple of effects guys. James Cameron officially gives us notice with the quote:

Yes, there’ll be another.

The next movie will be much easier to make of course. There won’t be a need to invent new tech and all the amazing art assets for the visuals will be already on someones hard drive. Maybe with the extra time they’ll have they can come up with a slightly better story to go with all the industrial light and magic. Thanks AintItCool for the word.

Avatar Becomes Second-Highest Grossing Movie Ever

ב- 6:12

Peter Jackson's The Return Of The King may have been blessed with magical powers but it's the Na'vi who've had the last laugh as James Cameron's sci-fi film Avatar surpasses the box office takings of the final installment in the The Lord of the Rings trilogy to become the second-highest grossing film of all time, one place behind Cameron's Titanic.

Avatar has blazed a golden trail ? in less than three weeks it has become the twelfth highest grossing movie domestically and the second highest worldwide. By grossing $374.4 million in the United States and a humungous $760.9 million internationally, the film has reached a total of $1.14 billion, beating the Return Of The King's $1.1 billion return.

If it hopes to catch Titanic, Avatar (only) has another $700 million to earn but looking at the rapid success of the film, nothing can be ruled out. Avatar's ticket prices are higher than the usual 2-D fare and it's unlikely to face tough competition this weekend at the cinemas - the movie could yet sink Titanic.