Director James Cameron’s long-awaited sci-fi magnum opus Avatar pulled in $3.5 million in grosses from last night’s midnight screenings, according to 20th Century Fox. The haul for Avatar, which is estimated to have cost in the neighborhood of $300 million to produce, lagged far behind such franchise films with rabid built-in audiences as Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince and The Twilight Saga: New Moon, which earned $22.2 million and $26.3 million from midnight screenings, respectively. Still, Internet ticket sales figures suggest Avatar will debut strongly with domestic opening weekend grosses in the $80-85 million range, helped by higher ticket prices for 3-D showings.
Dec 18
2009
05:38 PM ET
'Avatar' earns $3.5 million from midnight showings
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dont forget to add the international showings too …. im from germany and im gonna watch it in 3d on sunday!
AVATAR was my first 3D movie and it was INCREDIBLE. OMG, I think you will love it John. I can’t get the images out of my mind. I have to see it again. It’s a wonderful, wonderful movie and I hope it makes a barrel of dough. Thank you, Mr. Cameron, for this gorgeous film. So exciting.
ouch
i think this moving is getting way over hyped. i don’t see it taking in more than 60 mil at best.
The movie was amazing. I saw it this morning, first showing, and honestly, even though i loved slumdog millionaire, the hang over and precious, i have to say that avatar is the best movie i have ever freaking seen PERIOD. Not the best movie i have ever seen this year or last year, I’m talking about in my 27 years of life. By the way, don’t be idiots and judge a movie you havent even seen based on your biases. A lot of people are all like “oh it looks like some harry potter, lord or the rings thing and i’m not into those movies but the movie is nothing like those. It’s basically a movie based on social commentary about Americas hunger for power specially based on what they did to the indians, its not about magic powders and rings. Anyway, I’m actually going to go see it again tonight in 3-D and in my entire life i have only watched 3 movies more than once. Also, I’m a guy and i never cry at movies and I for sure cried twice. So before you guys open your traps talking nonsense either go see it and form a smart opinion or don’t talk about something you have no knowledge of. That’s like going to your friend Tammy’s house to get a medical check-up and then letting her perform surgery on you with her glue gun. To have any real judgement you should probably get educated first or at least go to someone who is. Don’t just say, oh blue people, eww, they are like so aliens and like the story is like probably stupid and junk and yay ponies. Grow up.
you dont know anything, mr. box office.
agreed. it’s going to top 120 million in 10 days or my name is not crispy.
120 milli-whaaaat???
If they didn’t hype it is much as they did, it would’ve pulled in slightly more than District 9. If the measure of a movie, however, if how much money it pulls in, then New Moon is the oscar front runner! Oh wait. I saw it on an imax 3D, and it was great. Just a good screenplay, a bit cliche and predictable, but a good story nonetheless. The 3D experience though makes it feel like you’re literally RIGHT THERE with them. It was amazing, and I would suggest anyone who just wants to have fun to go see this movie.
Hahaha, the same stupid thing they were saying about Titanic.
And guess what happened?????
Best movie ever and won how many Oscars? 11 right.
And how much money made in U.S and around the world?????
Near 2 $$$$ Billion $$$$$
How much is that in your little nonsense world????
Hahaha, the same stupid thing they were saying about Titanic.
And guess what happened?????
Best movie ever and won how many Oscars? 11 right.
And how much money made in U.S and around the world?????
Near 2 $$$$ Billion $$$$$
How much is that in your little nonsense world????
This movie was AMAZING!!!! It would be incredibly sad if it didn’t get blockbuster numbers this weekend.
Agree. It was AMAZING AMAZING AMAZING. I feel it will get BIG numbers at the BO. Fingers crossed for it.
Me too agree! just watch movie today. It’s was amazing. Definitely get big! will watch again tomorrow for 3D.
Just saw the movie and can say that it was definitely NOT over-hyped. It completely lives up to the hype. There was another movie that people hated-on called Titanic and it did just fine at the box office.
Deserves the hype, watched it earlier and definately watching it again!!
AVATAR
Me too! I saw it today and LOVED it. Thought it was amazing and am definitely going to see it again.
I’m going back tonight to watch it again in 3D.
Screw the economy, I want to watch it again.
Saw it earlier today in a sold-out IMAX showing. Considering that it’s not a franchise film and didn’t really get midnight showing consideration until later in the game, I’m not surprised that its midnight numbers are lower.
Word of mouth and the upcoming holiday week are going t be its biggest boosters.
And yes, it’s definitely worth the hype. Incredible.
That’s pretty impressive. I’m actually almost excited about seeing this film. ALMOST!
My roomie just saw it today and was very impressed with it, so she got me a little excited.
Celia, you’d love it!
It really is a visually incredible film.
I still think $3.5 million is impressive given how a lot of theaters JUST added midnight shows (mine didn’t announce theirs until like three days ago!). We’re just used to hearing about $15-$25 million midnight paydays. But those films are usually big franchise sequels that have had midnight showings on schedule for months. A lot of theaters didn’t even HAVE midnight showings of Avatar. That it made $3.5 million at with short-notice and limited midnight showings as a non-sequel is pretty sharp.
I loved Fern Gully as a kid and am excited to see how James Cameron does the live action version using today’s special effects, just sad no Tim Curry. Also I thought Crysta was a hotter as fairy than a Smurf.
This is NOT Fern Gully. Ignorance!
you’re obviously not a golfer.
I think its sad that people aren’t going to see it because of the hype. Hopefully it has legs like TITANIC. Once the word gets out that it’s AMAZING, the haters will
eventually see it and eat crow.
IT WAS SPECTACULAR!!!!!!!
Same. Hype is only bad if the film is overhyped and bad. But when hype brings people to good movies, it can be good.
I can’t help but think that a lot of the naysayers are just saying “It’s overhyped” and “I’m not seeing it” because they think it makes them look cool and anti-establishment.
News flash: It doesn’t. If your reason for seeing it has anything to do with its hype and popularity, that’s a pretty lame reasoning. If you don’t like the look of it or aren’t a sci-fi fan, fine. But acting like you’re a superior person for “resisting the hype” is pretty silly.
Absolutely. Anyone who disrespects something just because it’s popular is petty, and is most likely the jealous spiteful type
. You know, the girl who hates another girl just for being hot, even though she’s nice, “she’s such a slut, blah blah blah.”
@Hannah, exactly. Some people just want to be different. Some won’t even give it a chance because it is poplular. I don’t get those kinda people. It’s like people who hate a band once they get famous. Why?? THey’re still good popular or not.
well i’ve been trying to get excited over this film but so far meh, i will go watch, sadly where i live there’s no 3-D screen in the one lonesome theatre with 7screens…the thing is i dont know if my tepid reaction so far is due to the hateful things i’ve read here about new moon, which i loved very much, and over at boxofficemojo where it got dissed by lots of guys..anyways i will see it coz i love most of cameron’s films, love sigourney weaver,dont know about the na’vi ,but i would love to like zoe saldana in this film too coz then she’d have been in 2films i digged this yr star trek and this, what a great yr for her in her young career…
Why on earth are you trying to compare Avatar’s midnight showings to Harry Potter and Twilight? You know what the major midnight high-grossers all have in common these days? All of them are franchise films and/or sequels, and they all had well-publicized midnight showings on the books for months.
A lot of theaters didn’t even have Avatar playing at midnight, and if they did, it was in like one screen, not five or six like you saw with the HP films. You also didn’t have theaters trumpeting their midnight showings way in advance. I think my theater announced theirs a week or so ago, when a lot of people had already pre-purchased regular daytime tickets.
I dunno, I just think it’s dumb/unfair to try to make the film look like a failure because it “only” made $3.5 million at midnight. My theater had five IMAX shows today and every single one of them was sold out, and most of the other 3D ones were, too. People are definitely seeing this.
It just looks so laughably cheesy on TV. And I am a fan of good dialog and believable characters, which seem not to be on order here…
Don’t be so polarized. It’s NOT an oscar winner, but it’s no G.I. Joe. The characters, especially Zoe Saldana’s character, are great. Though not the unrealistic scripted characters we love, they’re more REAL, considering many of the characters are indigenous/primative natives, so they don’t have the 21st century buzz. The focus of this movie is on the aesthetic environment and raw emotion, with grand-in-scope themes. Its not a micro movie.
I have a feeling that this weekend’s BO might be a little lower because of that massive snowstorm that’s hitting the East Coast. BUT the film will still do pretty well and will have really good legs. I’ve heard nothing but good things about it and am seeing it tomorrow.
Yea the snow storm was affecting the crowds where i saw it. It is pretty funny though, on entourage a few years ago a heat wave caused a black out and all the characters were freaking out taht the ticket sales would drop on the west coast for James Camerons “aquaman” movie vinny starred in. The snow storm is like the east coast version of that story line. Art imitating life…or in this case is it life imitating art…
Haha I remember that!
Just to clarify: I don’t think the snow storm will entirely kill its BO, just that it MIGHT hurt a little opening weekend. But anyone who couldn’t see it this weekend will probably still see it when they can, so it’ll be a wash.