The Force Awakens Box-Office: Star Wars Episode VII vs Avatar 2

[psylockolussus]

I'm going with Star Wars VII simply because its been a long time since Revenge of the Sith and I think there will be more hype for the movie than Avatar 2 and Avengers 2. Star Wars is massive!

 

[Doc Ock]

From my encounters, people just like the Star Wars series as a whole. What I've gotten a lot though, is that people like the new ones but prefer the originals including younger people.

Yeah, it helps to have seen the OT first. I'm 21 and love the OT more than the PT however I do like the series, the franchise even as a whole. I'm making sure my (future...eventually) kids watch the Original Trilogy first! Kids love Darth Vader...

 

[ThePowerCosmic]

I want to agree with you, but I just don't think it's realistic. Cameron writes FX movies first, love stories second and good drama/narrative third. SW isn't about that (I know some people will say the PT was exactly that), so it will always come second.

I don't think the writing process for movies matter to the GA. All that matters in the end is they get a fantastic sci-fi epic with a great story and memorable characters. The story for Avatar wasn't anything special, and the "mystery" surrounding the movie has worn off(When there shouldn't have been much to begin with since the story wasn't that original). The special effects and CGI will be what mainly draws people in to the sequel, unless Cameron proves me wrong and delivers a better story this time. Star Wars, on the other hand, has always been well received by the GA(long before Avatar) and is huge with children and adults... heck, it's huge with pretty much anyone. Even if you're not a Star Wars person, you know the characters and some concepts of the world, like Jedi and the Force. On recognition alone, I think Episode 7 will pull in more cash than Avatar. News of an Episode 7? That's huge, and it's way bigger of a deal than news of Avatar 2. People are genuinely excited.

And with these new movies there's even more of a chance to bring in people who weren't fans of Star Wars before.

 

[LegendAssemble]

Most of the GA seemed to like the prequels. It's really only the fanboys that complain about them.

And critics and pretty much everyone. The only one that wasn't horrible was Episode III but I and II were not very well received.

EDIT: Most of my friends my age, do not understand why I like Star Wars, they always tell me "i only saw the first one and it was stupid" and when I ask if the one they saw had the guy with the double bladed lightsaber they always say yes. Then all the ones see say Episode IV say they understand now that not all of them are like that.

The fact is the prequels DID hurt some of Stars hype.

 

[Iceman]

IF both reach their full potential in terms of quality, I think Star Wars still has the bigger pull domestically. Internationally it will be a lot closer but we don't know Star Wars' potential as we haven't had a top film since the international box office audience went through such expansion.

 

[Iceman]

And critics and pretty much everyone. The only one that wasn't horrible was Episode III but I and II were not very well received.

EDIT: Most of my friends my age, do not understand why I like Star Wars, they always tell me "i only saw the first one and it was stupid" and when I ask if the one they saw had the guy with the double bladed lightsaber they always say yes. Then all the ones see say Episode IV say they understand now that not all of them are like that.

The fact is the prequels DID hurt some of Stars hype.

I've never heard any adult say their favourite film is TPM or AOTC (& I don't personally mind AOTC). Know plenty who have each of the original trilogy films as their favourite though. One thing I will say is that it is physically impossible to make a great film in which Jar Jar Binks is a major character. The Godfather & Citizen Kane couldn't have survived that blow!

 

[Mace Dolex]

Most of the GA seemed to like the prequels. It's really only the fanboys that complain about them.

Yeah but the general audience don't know any better, to them especially younger kids anything slapped with the Star Wars brand will be acceptable regardless if it's garbage.

I don't like the prequels not because the hype didn't deliver but the movies themselves are not good compared to the original trilogy.

 

[LegendAssemble]

I've never heard any adult say their favourite film is TPM or AOTC (& I don't personally mind AOTC). Know plenty who have each of the original trilogy films as their favourite though. One thing I will say is that it is physically impossible to make a great film in which Jar Jar Binks is a major character. The Godfather & Citizen Kane couldn't have survived that blow!

Pretty much. Revenge of the Sith was an okay movie, however it was pretty much just lightsaber fight after lightsaber fight so thats pretty hard to screw up. Some people need to realize there is such a thing as a bad movie or story even if they love the series as a whole.

 

[Octoberist]

Pretty much. Revenge of the Sith was an okay movie, however it was pretty much just lightsaber fight after lightsaber fight so thats pretty hard to screw up. Some people need to realize there is such a thing as a bad movie or story even if they love the series as a whole.

There's a preference but I do believe in the 'geek denial' argument. It's like No Doubt's latest album was kinda bad. Should I like it just to be a fan? No.

It applies to many a things. If a restaurant that you love changed their recipes and they suck, then they suck. The list goes on. Of course you wanna be more objective about it, lol.

 

[Iceman]

Pretty much. Revenge of the Sith was an okay movie, however it was pretty much just lightsaber fight after lightsaber fight so thats pretty hard to screw up. Some people need to realize there is such a thing as a bad movie or story even if they love the series as a whole.

ROTS would have been much better if the prior films had been at the same level. Hayden Christensen was much improved outside of romantic scenes. The impact of some of those good scenes is lost though when you think of Jake Lloyd's Darth Vader ruining the (already completely terrible) line 'yiipppppeeeeeeee!!' A lot of the potential 12 time watchers were lost at that moment. I remember how hard it was to admit that I didn't love everything about TPM though. I know crazy Star Wars guys who saw it 3 times retaining their excitement before starting to hate it ever since. t:

Box office wise all 3 would have exploded rather than have been simply very successful. Star Wars VII will be a box office success also no matter how bad it is, but with a truly new relaunch in good hands (if) there is the real possibility of it catching fire. If it hits the right balance of pleasing old, new & in between I wouldn't even rule out no.1 US all time. If it's as bad as it can possibly be it can still do $300m+.

 

[LegendAssemble]

ROTS would have been much better if the prior films had been at the same level. Hayden Christensen was much improved outside of romantic scenes. The impact of some of those good scenes is lost though when you think of Jake Lloyd's Darth Vader ruining the (already completely terrible) line 'yiipppppeeeeeeee!!' A lot of the potential 12 time watchers were lost at that moment. I remember how hard it was to admit that I didn't love everything about TPM though. I know crazy Star Wars guys who saw it 3 times retaining their excitement before starting to hate it ever since. t:

Box office wise all 3 would have exploded rather than have been simply very successful. Star Wars VII will be a box office success also no matter how bad it is, but with a truly new relaunch in good hands (if) there is the real possibility of it catching fire. If it hits the right balance of pleasing old, new & in between I wouldn't even rule out no.1 US all time. If it's as bad as it can possibly be it can still do $300m+.

Honestly Haden wasn't that bad and neither was Jake Lloyd, they just both had horrible dialogue. The difference between the prequels and the originals is souly George Lucas, his bad experiences bleed into the movie like blood to a bandage.

For one thing he wrote them in a vacuum, no one to edit or review his work or challenge his ideas. Most movies have several writers that have a collaborative effort. George Lucas is a creative genius no doubt but his work is far too strange on its own, it needs to be refined and he needs to take others into consideration.

Also the fact he was a father made them less of films. If you're gonna be a half way decent parent you have to kind of see the world through the eyes of your kid, and he did that. The Phantom Menace was my favorite movie when I was 6, I didn't understand much but I got the jist and the fights were awesome. If he'd had an editor someone could have made it good for adults too.

The biggest problem is his ruined views on Love. It's clear the guy was heart broken from the loss of Maria and he blames love for his greatest pain. He feels like Darth Vader in that suit and he tried to convey that to us. The problem was that love is not a bad thing and that it can hurt but ultimately it's great, George didn't do a good job conveying that. Also they love dialogue was horrible and forced so we didn't feel any attachment to Anakin and Padme. We should have been moved when Vader thought he killed her instead it was comical.

Anyway I don't know. The worst part about the prequels is that they're great ideas that just became missed opportunities.

 

[hYPE]

The Wars hands down! I'll never get peoples fascination with Avatar.

 

[LegendAssemble]

The Wars hands down! I'll never get peoples fascination with Avatar.

It's the most boringest cookie cutter story i've ever seen. im pretty sure most people could call half the things that happened in that movie.

 

[Gianakin_]

I don't think the writing process for movies matter to the GA. All that matters in the end is they get a fantastic sci-fi epic with a great story and memorable characters. The story for Avatar wasn't anything special, and the "mystery" surrounding the movie has worn off(When there shouldn't have been much to begin with since the story wasn't that original). The special effects and CGI will be what mainly draws people in to the sequel, unless Cameron proves me wrong and delivers a better story this time. Star Wars, on the other hand, has always been well received by the GA(long before Avatar) and is huge with children and adults... heck, it's huge with pretty much anyone. Even if you're not a Star Wars person, you know the characters and some concepts of the world, like Jedi and the Force. On recognition alone, I think Episode 7 will pull in more cash than Avatar. News of an Episode 7? That's huge, and it's way bigger of a deal than news of Avatar 2. People are genuinely excited.

And with these new movies there's even more of a chance to bring in people who weren't fans of Star Wars before.

Still, you never saw a SW movie cross a billion, did you? Let alone 2 billions.

And, no matter how much I love the PT, it did hurt some of the SW hype. Avatar, on the other hand, was insanely successful. Even Titanic before it. I'm pretty sure Avatar 2 won't do as well as its predecessor, but that's like saying it'll do Avengers numbers, which I'm not sure Ep7 will achieve.

Look at me. SW is the best thing in cinema to me and I'm arguing against it!

 

[ThePowerCosmic]

Still, you never saw a SW movie cross a billion, did you? Let alone 2 billions.

And, no matter how much I love the PT, it did hurt some of the SW hype. Avatar, on the other hand, was insanely successful. Even Titanic before it. I'm pretty sure Avatar 2 won't do as well as its predecessor, but that's like saying it'll do Avengers numbers, which I'm not sure Ep7 will achieve.

Look at me. SW is the best thing in cinema to me and I'm arguing against it!

Like I said, Avatar made that much because of the "mystery" surrounding it and the fact that the 3D was great(let's not forget the 3D money boost as well hat contributed to the BO gross). Now that people have seen the lacking story and the 3D novelty isn't as big as it was, I honestly can't see Avatar 2 grossing as much as the first movie unless it has some kind of new thing going for it. Cameron might do something with fps, who knows?

Star Wars, on the other hand, is coming back after a 7 year absence and will actually continue the story after ROTJ. It will most likely have a different look than the prequels, and will possibly display action that we haven't exactly seen before in SW movies. SW also has a much larger fanbase than Avatar. I mean, seriously, when was the last time you heard someone talking about Avatar?

Personally, I think Episode 7 has a lot more going for it than Avatar 2.

 

[redhawk23]

It's the most boringest cookie cutter story i've ever seen. im pretty sure most people could call half the things that happened in that movie.

So is the "Hero's Journey." The success of A New Hope and Avatar in terms of story are similar. They are some of the most archetypal story lines available and appeal very widely across other cultural and national lines.

 

[redhawk23]

Like I said, Avatar made that much because of the "mystery" surrounding it and the fact that the 3D was great(let's not forget the 3D money boost as well hat contributed to the BO gross). Now that people have seen the lacking story and the 3D novelty isn't as big as it was, I honestly can't see Avatar 2 grossing as much as the first movie unless it has some kind of new thing going for it. Cameron might do something with fps, who knows?

Star Wars, on the other hand, is coming back after a 7 year absence and will actually continue the story after ROTJ. It will most likely have a different look than the prequels, and will possibly display action that we haven't exactly seen before in SW movies. SW also has a much larger fanbase than Avatar. I mean, seriously, when was the last time you heard someone talking about Avatar?

Personally, I think Episode 7 has a lot more going for it than Avatar 2.

Even if you subtract the cumulative average 3d surcharge, the film still made well over 2 billion dollars.



The story may have been "lacking" in originality, but that doesn't mean it lacked story. As simple and as overplayed as the story may have been, the conflict was easily identifiable, the motivations of the characters squarely in place. The story could be followed by everyone " 8 to 80" as was the filmmakers intent.

The simplicity of character and story is a major part of Avatar's widespread appeal and success.

As it was for Star Wars. In A New Hope, the conflict giant evil Empire and the underdog Rebellion is about as stock as they come.

 

[ThePowerCosmic]

Even if you subtract the cumulative average 3d surcharge, the film still made well over 2 billion dollars.

Even if it did, I'm just saying to keep the 3D bonus in mind.

 

[LegendAssemble]

Still, you never saw a SW movie cross a billion, did you? Let alone 2 billions.

And, no matter how much I love the PT, it did hurt some of the SW hype. Avatar, on the other hand, was insanely successful. Even Titanic before it. I'm pretty sure Avatar 2 won't do as well as its predecessor, but that's like saying it'll do Avengers numbers, which I'm not sure Ep7 will achieve.

Look at me. SW is the best thing in cinema to me and I'm arguing against it!

This is pretty much how I feel. Plus this is Star Wars VII, theres already people too stupid to understand IV, V, VI, I, II, III. The new set of films will increase the number of idiots who find it "too confusing".

 

[LegendAssemble]

Even if it did, I'm just saying to keep the 3D bonus in mind.

The Amazing Spider-Man had a 3D bonus too, it didn't top 2 billion dollars. 3D isn't the reason Avatar was huge. It was hailed as the new Star Wars, because of it's special effects. The sequel won't do as well but James Cameron has a huge fan base, it'll top a billion. The new Star Wars movie will be lucky to reach a billion.

 

[ThePowerCosmic]

The Amazing Spider-Man had a 3D bonus too, it didn't top 2 billion dollars. 3D isn't the reason Avatar was huge.

Avatar started the 3D trend again. TASM did not. There's a difference.

 

[redhawk23]

The Amazing Spider-Man had a 3D bonus too, it didn't top 2 billion dollars. 3D isn't the reason Avatar was huge. It was hailed as the new Star Wars, because of it's special effects. The sequel won't do as well but James Cameron has a huge fan base, it'll top a billion. The new Star Wars movie will be lucky to reach a billion.

I seriously doubt it will have that much difficulty, I mean hell Pirates 4 pulled it off.

 

[Project862006]

honestly after not 1 not 2 but 3 terrible star wars movies in a row do you honestly expect it to break records these days?

even spiderman which was a box office juggernaut had it's reboot do less than previous films with just 1 bad film

 

[ThePowerCosmic]

And who the hell said that Avatar was the new Star Wars? Never heard that one.

 

[Doc Ock]

I would take the prequels over Avatar anyday.

(Of course I like the prequels sooo.....)