It’s been over a month since Avatar was released and people are still buzzing about it. It’s a great movie; I personally enjoyed it and recommend it. Theaters are still selling out though so, if you’re like me and can’t stand crowds, I recommend you do what I did: see the first showing on a Tuesday morning.
Unlike most hits, I remember Jim Cameron’s previous mega-blockbuster flick, Titanic, building over weeks and weeks rather than a having a big opening weekend and trailing off afterwards. Avatar doesn’t seem to be building like Titanic did but it started strong and sure does have staying power.
Having said that, it’s no surprise Avatar just passed Titanic in gross sales. Hell, the 3-D tickets go for 15 bucks a pop or something – which brings up a good point: I’m not that old and I remember when movie tickets were half what they are today. That got me wondering how the mega-blockbusters of the past stand up to today’s when adjusted for inflation.
The chart above shows that adjusted for inflation Star Wars is still much bigger than Avatar. And I guess that’s the way it should be – George Lucas’ masterpiece will always hold a bigger place in my sci-fi nerd’s heart.