Okay, can someone please explain to me WHY these movies are so popular? I won’t go so far as to call them “bad”, but there’s are easily dozens if not hundreds of movies out there that do everything Avatar does well only better and they often go by unnoticed. Or at least, make significantly less money
They’re visually impressive fun and simple stories.
Plus they get a huge marketing budget.
Plus Cameron has a history of solid films, Terminator, Terminator 2, Titanic, and now two going on three Avatar films.
Also if you travel to Disney World Animal Kingdom there is a whole section dedicated to Avatar. In fact there is a ride in that park where the wait time is as long as these films. Is that ride worth it? Honestly, yeah, kinda.
Like you said, they’re not bad. Popularity is a different thing. Star Wars, Star Trek, Marvel, DC, etc these are the popular things. Avatar? I could give you a rough idea of the plot of the last film, but I don’t really remember it. But it wasn’t bad. I’m not dying to see the upcoming film. But if it’s released and I’ve got a free evening, sure, I’ll give it a go. I know it’ll be entertaining.
the tech side of the production is impressive af (see water sims and virtualized production techniques, huge parts of the production taking place in water, etc.,) but honestly, it seems… like Cameron got to a place where he’d be funded if he made anything, so he just went with the low hanging fruit.
I think that it is definitely more than one reason. Here’s how I break it down.
Avatar is one of the few major franchises that don’t require homework
This is a big one for me, and why I feel like a lot of people enjoy Avatar. It is extremely accessible. Look at our major franchises–Marvel, DC, Jurassic Park, Fast and Furious, Harry Potter, etc. These franchises have been coming out for literal decades and require so much homework and hours of content to watch the newest release. Marvel has made it worse by creating Disney+ shows. If you miss out on a couple Marvel releases, you will be set back from watching the newest release. Avatar is not like that. If you watch the first one, you are good. Simple.
Avatar is something new in a crowded market
This point is connected to the first one. In a space where we get the same blockbusters again and again, Avatar is something different to look at.
3. It is not too complicated
People rag on Avatar’s simple story, but the simpleness of Avatar is paramount to its success. It is very easy to follow. It doesn’t demand too much of the audience. The characters are black and white. There is clear good and evil. You root for the relatable family just trying to survive, and root against the evil military baddies. Themes of family, safety, persecution, love, and nature are universal and not beholden to one region.
4. Avatar is four quadrant.
Avatar is the definition of a four quadrant franchise. There is something appealing about it to every demographic, especially after the children characters were introduced. The films do a great job of displaying diversity in ages, without dumbing down the characters either. Everyone can see themselves in at least one character. The characters being blue aliens also help people project themselves onto the characters without the barriers of real world race and politics.
5. It looks pretty, and incentives premium screens
The Avatar films are gorgeous. The Way of Water has the best CGI I have ever seen. Movies are visual mediums, and if a movie looks pretty, then that will be remarked on. People want to see it on premium screens, which costs more. People are also willing to wait for a better screening and sits, which contributes to the low drops it receives week by week.
There may be some other points missing but to me, this is the key five reasons why Avatar did well. All of these points can be attributed to Top Gun: Maverick as well.
Edit: One final thing. Let’s make it a New Years Resolution to ignore fanbases. Fanbases don’t mean anything in the grand scheme of things. Rabid fans have never truly impacted the box office. The true money has always lied in the GENERAL AUDIENCE. Avatar and Top Gun ate big for older people and everyday people who just wanna be entertained during the holidays. It doesn’t matter that you don’t see people cosplaying Na’vi at Comic Con. Fanbases and memes don’t equal box office success. If it did, Morbius would be a success, Henry Cavill would still be Superman, and Blade Runner 2049 would have had a sequel by now.
Rabid fans have never truly impacted the box office.
lol what?
Fanbases and memes don’t equal box office success. If it did, Morbius would be a success, Henry Cavill would still be Superman, and Blade Runner 2049 would have had a sequel by now.
I agree with a lot of what you’re opining, especially the 4 quadrant ‘easiness’ of the avatar films. but cherry picking some of the worst products to come out of fandom, and ignoring the literal mutibillions made by marvel and lucasfilm etc., this is just facile. people lined up for weeks to watch and rewatch star wars when it was in the theaters, then again decades later when the prequels came. by the time Endgame came along, people were spending billions.
fanbases and memes may not always equal box office success but they sure as fuck don’t hurt. and get the fuck out of here with that morbius shit, it wasn’t a fan service product it was sony’s desperate squeezing of the IPs they controlled attempting to draft off of actual marvel productions. same re: madam webb. it’s all garbage to retain their hold on the option. see: the terrible FF movies made for the same purpose.
These stinkers do not negate the huge successes fandom from LOTR to Marvel to Lucasfilm to even DC lol.
Okay, can someone please explain to me WHY these movies are so popular? I won’t go so far as to call them “bad”, but there’s are easily dozens if not hundreds of movies out there that do everything Avatar does well only better and they often go by unnoticed. Or at least, make significantly less money
There is no mystery man.
They are popular because audiences love them and I am one that does.
The Avatar movies are great.
They’re visually impressive fun and simple stories.
Plus they get a huge marketing budget.
Plus Cameron has a history of solid films, Terminator, Terminator 2, Titanic, and now two going on three Avatar films.
Also if you travel to Disney World Animal Kingdom there is a whole section dedicated to Avatar. In fact there is a ride in that park where the wait time is as long as these films. Is that ride worth it? Honestly, yeah, kinda.
Like you said, they’re not bad. Popularity is a different thing. Star Wars, Star Trek, Marvel, DC, etc these are the popular things. Avatar? I could give you a rough idea of the plot of the last film, but I don’t really remember it. But it wasn’t bad. I’m not dying to see the upcoming film. But if it’s released and I’ve got a free evening, sure, I’ll give it a go. I know it’ll be entertaining.
mediocre films for mediocre audiences.
the tech side of the production is impressive af (see water sims and virtualized production techniques, huge parts of the production taking place in water, etc.,) but honestly, it seems… like Cameron got to a place where he’d be funded if he made anything, so he just went with the low hanging fruit.
Copy-pasting from this Reddit comment:
lol what?
I agree with a lot of what you’re opining, especially the 4 quadrant ‘easiness’ of the avatar films. but cherry picking some of the worst products to come out of fandom, and ignoring the literal mutibillions made by marvel and lucasfilm etc., this is just facile. people lined up for weeks to watch and rewatch star wars when it was in the theaters, then again decades later when the prequels came. by the time Endgame came along, people were spending billions.
fanbases and memes may not always equal box office success but they sure as fuck don’t hurt. and get the fuck out of here with that morbius shit, it wasn’t a fan service product it was sony’s desperate squeezing of the IPs they controlled attempting to draft off of actual marvel productions. same re: madam webb. it’s all garbage to retain their hold on the option. see: the terrible FF movies made for the same purpose.
These stinkers do not negate the huge successes fandom from LOTR to Marvel to Lucasfilm to even DC lol.