Celebrate The Massive 1-2 Punch With Us: AVATAR Passes TITANIC For Top Movie Of All Time!!

Jim here. What more can be said? AVATAR is now the top grossing movie of all time (AVATAR's Monday gross was $3.2 million domestic and an est. $16.9 million foreign, which put it at $1.859 billion, compared to TITANIC's $1.843 billion - BoxOfficeMojo). It really has earned it too. Only someone like a James Cameron could even get a project like this off of the ground let alone pull it off. Cameron knows that the second one of his movies does not make money, the wheels fall off.

I could go on and on about how AVATAR got to this point but really it has been talked about ad nauseum already on this site and others. But what I will talk about quickly is this new box office record we have here.

AVATAR will pass $2 billion. Think about that for a moment. That is almost DOUBLE the nearest non-Cameron movie (LOTR: THE RETURN OF THE KING). Double. Everyone else is relegated to $600m to $1b in the top 50.

There is no point in the naysayers trying to cast doubt on the record as you just cannot compare movies from different decades. Too many variables come into play and no, it is not just the difference in the price of a ticket. When STAR WARS was playing for example it was very common to have theatrical runs of months - indeed George Lucas' epic played for over a year straight. Imagine the results if AVATAR were in a position to do that? There simply wasn't the number of movies made back then as there are today and to compare them is ludicrous.

Even if you take a modern comparison with say THE DARK KNIGHT, it is a stretch to compare the two. TDK played in 4,366 theaters - many with multiple screens. AVATAR in contrast played in a maximum of 3,461 theaters - some with only one 3D screen.

Yes, AVATAR is enjoying a 3D premium for screenings and so they should. It is fundamental marketing. If the demand is there, fill it.

The people out there that blasted S3D and/or AVATAR before during and now after its release are being proven wrong without a shadow of doubt. Movies are entertainment and nothing has ever delivered like AVATAR or stereoscopic 3D before.

There is no doubt now as to the viability of S3D. It is time for the whiners and complainers to pack up their flyer mileage and go somewhere remote. The number one movie of ALL TIME is now stereoscopic. 3D has arrived, will stay and has forever changed Hollywood. To those still frothing at the mouth at our success? Get over it. :-)

Now comes the fun part! Watching all the other genres of movies come over to S3D!! We now firmly have horror, animation and science fiction I believe. Don't forget that AVATAR won Best Picture at the Golden Globes for DRAMA - it will be a very interesting evening come Oscar night this year.

We have come a long way guys. I remember back in March of 2007 conjecturing on why AVATAR is important. I called the movie a catalyst for 3D and a game changer as far as ramifications for the industry is concerned - even more than STAR WARS and THE MATRIX. I essentially based this whole site on this movie. Seriously. I heard about the movie and thought - that's it! That is what I want to do. I want to ensure the world knows about this movie now and can watch it develop from infancy to whatever future it holds.

But the top grossing movie of all time?? I had my moments dreaming about that happening. But I was realistic too at the same time - TITANIC had truly pulled off a miracle run and to repeat it would be almost impossible. Had I downplayed the effect that 3D had on people and at the box office? Perhaps. But we did not have a firm grasp on just how many screens would be up at the time of AVATAR's release either - or just how much of a total audience would see it in 3D. I think it is running about about 80% right now.

Think about how many cinema owners have made the call to convert to 3D during the run of AVATAR - many of whom may have been on the fence pragmatically. Not anymore. People want to be entertained and S3D delivers time and time again.

I feel quite nostalgic right now! How about taking a little ride in a time machine...

Let's take a look at MarketSaw's AVATAR scoops over the years:

- The FIRST look at the outdoor green screens being used in Wellington, New Zealand (here, here, here, here and here).
- The FIRST look at the AVATAR lots in Los Angeles.
- Production Details of the ships, mess hall, buildings, avatars, animals and plants of Pandora.
- Lighting of AVATAR.
- AVATAR T-Shirts!! (here, here, here and here) Second one has a look at the first silhouette of the BANSHEE and the third a look at a Navi silhouette holding a bow.
- Exclusive FIRST LOOK at the AVATAR Motion Capture Suits! (here and here)
- Exclusive Set Signs.
- Exclusive outdoor set shot of a plant from Pandora? Hard to say if this was actually in the movie though in retrospect - may have been a positional tool for mocap. It WAS used for AVATAR though.
- Exclusive: Horner Using Navi Language in AVATAR soundtrack!
- Exclusive HI Resolution Image of the AVATAR performance capture VOLUME!
- Exclusive Interview with AVATAR artist Mark Goerner!
- Jim Cameron Talks To Michael!
- Exclusive disclosure of the set location (security command area) in official photo.
- Exclusive FIRST LOOK at AVATAR's hand held weaponry!
- Exclusive FIRST LOOK at the BANSHEE's homeland (fairly certain this is what is in the photo)
- THE GRAND-DADDY of all the exclusives! THE FIRST LOOK AT A NAVI!
- Exclusive Interview with AVATAR Concept/Production Designer James Clyne!
- EXCLUSIVE FIRST LOOK at AVATAR's AMP SUIT!!
- Exclusive Open Letter From AVATAR Crew Person!
- Exclusive After Party Photos From CineExpo Amsterdam! Including Full AMP Suit!
- Exclusive Colonel Quaritch Photo!!
- Exclusive Trudy Chacon Photo!!
- Exclusive: AVATAR 2 will NOT take place on Pandora!
- Exclusive: Second AVATAR trailer (the good one) release window!
- Exclusive: Interview with professor Debra Fischer of Yale on the astronomy of AVATAR!
- Exclusive Interview with Pascal Blanche, art director of AVATAR: The Game!
- Exclusive: AVATAR wraps up production!
- Jon Landau gives MarketSaw a shout out!!
- EXCLUSIVE interview with JIM CAMERON!

...and that was just our AVATAR scoops! We had much more additional material from other sources and websites to augment our coverage. And of course all of our industry leading coverage of other 3D movies, 3D gaming and home entertainment!

I actually held back what would have been the biggest scoop of them all - the video clip of AVATAR being shown at Comic Con 2009. Its quality was not the best and far off to one side and it was in 3D so quite blurry at times. I decided to hold it back from the public for the sake of the movie and I am glad I did. Sorry to put you through that guys! I think we set a record for comments on that post too at over 300.

So yeah, we had some other sites upset at how good our coverage was and now everyone can see exactly WHY we did all of this work: AVATAR was worth it! It IS the best movie of all time and the box office backs it up. Do you see why Michael and I are so excited and have been for years? I am so glad you came along for the ride with us!

Here's the good news! It is NOT over. We will be here as the top source of AVATAR 2 and 3 too. Anything from Mr. Cameron will be covered here with the same intensity. Why? Because Michael and I love movies and nobody delivers better than James Cameron. Stay tuned - it's going to be a ride!!