Two Theories on Avatar

Avatar made $1 billion and everyone’s got an opinion on why (or at least Salon.com and AdAge do). The first comes from Salon:

That doesn’t just make James “Titanic” Cameron the first man to direct two billion-dollar movies. It also sends a clear message to all those industries getting remade from top to bottom by the pressures exerted by the Internet and associated computer technologies: Keep innovating, and you will keep finding customers.

And here’s what AdAge has to say:

“Avatar” was a costly gamble for Fox — its production budget was once confirmed by the studio to be $237 million but believed to have climbed as high as $300 million with an additional estimated $150 million global marketing outlay (a global figure on par with Warner Bros.’ “The Dark Knight,” the second-highest grossing film of all time). So the studio had to manage its own expectations along with that of moviegoers.

I’m much more inclined to go with the second theory.

January 5, 2010