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A Look Back at Avatar Day and What Lies Ahead for Fox

by Alex Billington
August 23, 2009
Source: Jeffrey Wells, indieWIRE

So the entire world is now excited for James Cameron's Avatar to open on December 18th, right? Wait, they're not? Avatar Day didn't put the movie on a path to become another $1.6 billion success like Titanic? I'm still grappling with the outcome of Avatar Day last Friday and everything that happened that evening, both good and bad. I think it's a bit hasty to call it a global success but I also think it's a bit ignorant to call it a failure. But what exactly it is, though, I don't know. One thing is for sure - a lot of people watched the trailer for Avatar. But not a lot of people went to Avatar Day. Is Fox to blame? Or was it a lack of interest?

After Avatar failed to come out of Comic-Con with the most buzz (although it was still quite successful), I wrote an article titled What's Next for James Cameron's Avatar - More Good Buzz?. I wrote it because I was worried that the buzz would continue to get worse or Fox would make some big marketing mistakes. One of the best introductions that puts this into perspective comes from Jeffrey Wells' Hollywood Elsewhere:

"Yesterday morning before the online trailer hit, James Cameron's upcoming film was (a) the most keenly awaited scifi/fantasy of the year, and (b) about to have its profile bumped up big-time with a nationwide IMAX 3D quickie preview that would surely whet the public's appetite for the full-length version..."

"But in the wake of yesterday's trashing of the trailer by the elite cineaste/fanboy community and the negative ripple effect this has surely created to some extent, tonight's IMAX 3D showings have gone from being seen as a bold genius marketing move to a do-or-die, prove-it-or-lose-it attempt to quell the bad buzz..."

It's actually quite perplexing to consider how quickly Avatar went from being the most highly anticipated movie this year to being something that people are now on the edge about (is it worth seeing in theaters or not?). Obviously all this is debatable, considering the completely polar opposite opinions we're seeing, but Fox still has a very long way to go if they want to make this to be as big as Titanic or even Transformers 2.

In regards to Fox and their marketing, another great article on Avatar Day comes from Anne Thompson at indieWIRE. First off, she notes that "James Cameron himself wasn't happy that the Avatar online trailer preceded the Avatar Day IMAX 3-D screenings on Friday." That was an enormous mistake that has become increasingly apparent as everyone starts to look back at "what went wrong" and/or how they could've better leveraged that anticipation that Wells' noted existed before the trailer hit. However, where Thompson takes her piece from there is actually back into the positive side of things, which I think is the right direction.

"People are getting hung up on whether or not this is animation. What does it matter, if you are pulled into the story? Spielberg and Peter Jackson's upcoming TinTin is using the same exact process—without mixing in a live action story as well."

"I'm not worried about Avatar pulling audiences (it's real final cost will determine its ultimate success), because if the relatively primitive Polar Express and Beowulf succeeded—on the merits of being utterly new and different—on December 18 Avatar will deliver far more. Curiosity is key."

IMDb just did a daily poll today focusing on the Avatar trailer asking readers to grade the trailer. At the time of writing this, 36.5% of the polled users gave it a "C for I probably won't see this movie," with a fairly impressive 40.9% giving it either "A for amazing!" or "B for best trailer of the year" (which seem like the same choice to me). Not the best sign for Fox, but this is just a small poll that I don't really think is truly representative of the general opinion. However, it is an indication that, as I said, Fox has a lot of work to do to convince audiences with an improved second trailer that Avatar actually is worth seeing (in 3D).

Lastly, regarding the reports that most of the Avatar Day showings were half full (like the two showings I attended), I think Fox is to blame, not the movie itself. Not only was releasing the trailer early a mistake, but the ticket system crash on Monday (and subsequent re-registration) killed off a lot of hype for the preview. A Fox rep at my Avatar Day showing admitted that it was their mistake that they should've been ready. It also wasn't even marketed by Fox, meaning only hardcore Cameron fans and those who read websites like this one, went to Comic-Con, or saw the LA Times article, knew about it. But was that their strategy for this?

I'm not calling Avatar Day a failure nor am I call it a huge success. But, a bit like what Anne Thompson said, I think it has at least put Avatar on the right track for success and gained a few new supporters. Now it just depends on what Fox does moving forward and if their marketing can really kick ass. Let's just hope they don't make any more big mistakes, because I, for one, still want Avatar to be a huge success this December.

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eric estrada

I just think that the web crash was there biggest failure. I had to wait like an hour and a half to actually get my tickets. which i found ridiculous. after than wait i woke up early to watch the trailer just to wait another 45 minutes to watch it in HD. And the trailer was disappointing. but the screening was impressive. so i will still see it if im not in prison by then
Zega

I too want it to be a success. I'll give it a chance.
Movie mike

This is the problem. This movie was SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO over hyped and so pumped full of hyperbole that when they release with very good but not unbelievable trailer people are disappointed. Avatar Day was a failure because A. Nobody knew about it, and B. The Trailer deflated any excitement to see the footage. (I didn't go) I'm sure that the footage was great, but NOBODY CARED. I'm still very hopeful for this movie but I think it will be a critical and box office disappointment.
Nemo

Too be honest, I think releasing the trailer so close to District 9's premiere was a mistake. With District 9's photo-realistic aliens and beautiful mothership still fresh in people's minds, how can Jon Osterman's furry kids compare?
thebubblegirl

Avatar trailer wasn't impressive. I was hyped to see this movie BEFORE seeing the trailer.. But now after seeing it.. I wont even bother visiting the cinema to view.
Nemo

Pardon me, I meant "to".
TTEX

I think the reason people don't think it's photoreal - comes down to a lot of production design choices James went with. It appears he took it upon himself to imagine an alien world that was nothing like earth. And now that we've seen a glimpse of that alien world - it doesn't entirely fit right with out own perception. There's bright colors, luminescent forests and blue-skinned aliens. There's no denying, it looks amazing, but when you think of photoreal, you think of something more earth-bound. That mothership in D-9 for instance. Designed and animated by WETA - same guys who're doing Avatar, yet you can see a totally different approach in production design. It's not 23rd century shiny and new, it's a rusted heap of sh!t. So I can totally see why people are thrown off by the look of Avatar. However - the people who have seen the preview in its intended format - pretty much across the board agree - it's very realistic. Stylized realism is what one person called it. I for one - am very excited. This film is still going to be HUGE!
http://thatpj.tumblr.com pj

Very fair article. I agree for the most part the releasing the trailer before the 3D showings did put a damper on the parade but I don't think that parade is going to stop just because of it. It's more like a minor obstacle that most films go through in their growing stages. It is going to be Fox's response to this hiccup that will determine it's final path. This is quite a difficult task to market as it is essentially trying to sell a 3D film in a 2D world.
http://prettypeoplepictures.com Jimmy

Theaters around the world played 12 minutes of AVATAR for free! All you had to do was go to the website and sign up! How many TV commercials advertised this? Zero... That was a big problem. Many people still don't know what AVATAR is let alone whether or not they could see it for free.
demorgan

I think the biggest failure is the movie itself. We wait for 12 years( give or take) for JC to return to the big screen and this is what we get, not impressed.
Ben

I'm sick of hearing about Avatar the last fortnight has been Avatar this, Avatar that... it is turning me off the movie. You know how it is, you have something forced down your throat so much that just can't be bothered paying attention to it any more. I feel this way with Avatar and more and more each day I have less enthusiasm to see it. They have done the trailer, the poster, the screens... take a break for a few months, push the trailer in cinemas and let the thing pan out. Fox are throwing too much money at this.
Sho

THIS MOVIE IS GONNA FUCKIN KICK ASS!!! FUCK YA CANT WAIT!!
http://willschiff.com Will Schiffelbein

It's easy for those of us who religiously follow film news and reviews to remove ourselves from our bubble. We represent a very small portion of the movie-going population. I'd wager that the percentage of movie goers who have went online to watch a trailer is only in the high 50% range, consisting mostly of teen-late 20'ers. The amount of people who check film/movie news on a weekly basis drops somewhere to around 5-10% in my opinion. There just aren't that many of us. The hype around AVATAR is strong in the film industry, but the vast majority of movie-goers don't have a clue what AVATAR is. If anything, they think it's the LAST AIRBENDER film that the guy who directed THE SIXTH SENSE is doing.
http://digaphobia.com Mark

Avatar Day was not a good idea, pure and simple. I didn't see much of anything about Avatar or this ridiculous stunt in the mainstream media. I just don't know how anyone who isn't already keyed into the movie would have known much about it or bothered to go to an IMAX simply to see a promo. Not to mention that they released the trailer at the same time as this super special sneak peek BS... On the fucking internet! No matter how amazing the film looks on its intended screen, it looks run-of-the-mill on a computer. Silly Fox, you can't attract people to something amazing by first showing them something normal and boring. That said, I have never understood why people are so ape shit about Avatar, especially before any footage had been screened. James Cameron is great and has given us a lot of things to ooh and aah about. But no one deserves _that_ level of attention for what, until a few days ago, was essentially vapor. Especially since, when all was revealed, it wasn't THAT great. No matter who is making it or how many industry giants say it is revolutionary, Fox totally blew their Avatar wad. It would have been better for them to play it cool, do the normal promotion routine and then let the thing sell tickets and astound audiences on its actual merits. Don't get me wrong, I want to see Avatar do well. But I don't really give a shit about it after seeing that trailer. And I'd be willing to bet that's how most people feel after watching it.
Alfredo

Truth be told I completely forgot about Avatar Day. I was looking forward to it, and then it completely disappeared from my radar. Why? Because no one I know has any idea this movie even exists. So who the hell's gonna remind my forgetful mind?
Chris Szaraz

This movie will not do well. The trailer revealed nothing about the plot, it left me high and dry. Had this been on TV I would have changed the channel. No one "outside" the industry cares about what it takes to create a film, audiences just want a great product. What I've seen thus far from an entertainment standpoint is weak at best.
Janny

marketing for this movie has been terrible... its the first movie james cameron has directed in like 10 years! now sure titanic made a boatload of cash (pun intended) but its the man that brought you terminater and T2, any sci fi movie that lists him as the director and I will go see it. But the first thing shown of the movie is the teaser on aug20th and there was a teaser teaser infront of district 9 that i saw, this being 4 months before release somehow I think that if avatar was being released by another studio, like Warner Brothers, there would be a lot more people excited about this movie and by december the momentum might be on the level with the dark knight... fox is one of (if not) the biggest studios of hollywood how they have gone awry makes no sense... but i guess if i was making that much money for shit all i'd accept it too
tito

Is 'Avatar' a 'Delgo' Remake? look http://tinyurl.com/mjk4lt
tito

Avatar and Delgo look the same!
DukePhoenix

I held myself back from the trailer so that I could experience the Avatar Day properly....and I'm glad I did. The trailer footage is washed out and nothing like the same experience as I had actually watching it in IMAX 3D. The effects are STUNNING. Not sure about the cat people, but over the course of the film I'm sure it won't be a problem. The press will turn on this film, especially when the journalists start putting in their preview screening reports of the full film etc before the release.
Marty Martin

It's not perplexing. They made larger claims than they could back. When you are so immersed in something for so long, you can lose perspective on what looks right or not. I have to imagine James Cameron is backpedaling now, trying to figure out how to make his film better. This long preview felt like a desperate attempt to get feedback ahead of time. He could have waited it out and just shown it for what it was in a year, and made WAY more money off of the film.
rowdy

i didnt go to the screening because it was on a work day it should have been on saturday not friday and unlike titanic, terminator 2, and alians avatar is something completely unfamilier to audiences i mean every time i bring up avatar to friends they always think im talking about the "avatar:last air bender" all they need to do is show the trailer in front of a popular film or something i mean really introduce it to people cuz most the people who have been giveing negitive feedback to the trailer are hardcore movie fans and no offense but we can be such friggen critics who can suck the fun out of anything
stein

I wouldn't count it out. Didn't the Apple trailer have ~4million views on its first day, over twice the amount of the previous record holder? While it's much easier to become wary or pessimistic, I don't think you can quell that kind of interest.
stein

to add to my comment in #23, the previous record holder was "star trek" at 1.7million.
kiran

I had to look delgo up because I had never heard of it but after watching the trailer the characters and creatures do seam to share some common elements perhaps Avatar is delgo meets dances with wolves dances with delgo?
Smiley

Personally I'm not into seeing 15 minutes of it before it comes out. I'd rather watch it in its entirity. The trailer was enough to get me interested
steve

My opinion is that so far Avatar hasn't really been marketed towards the general public ie families, older audiences and younger audience. "Avatar day" wasn't really talked about or known by really anyone besides the fans and mainly online users. Probably the same market that has watched the trailer online and actually knows something about it. In Australia, you had to win tickets from the cinema's website or register your interest through the imax website. Nobody would've known about this at all, besides those who knew about Avatar and are interested. The preview screening for Avatar was on in the late afternoon, so those people who work couldn't really make a 4.30 screening, and the audience was mainly 18-30 year olds in the cinema I was in. I think we just need to wait until the movie has been advertised before other screenings, on TV and other media for the general public to see. It's not just fanboys and internet users who go to the movies and think their opinions are the ones that matters. Think about families and younger kids and the 40 and over audience. They don't even know what Avatar is at this stage. I think Avatar days was for the fans. Wait till a proper advertising campaign kicks in and ultimately, when the movie comes out and creates a lot of buzz. I'm sure then we will see it be a success.
Han

Overhyped it, thats all.
Sleepykid

@27: You hit the nail on the head. Also. considering the budget, this film is going to have to have a very wide global BO take, and for that the ball hasn't really started rolling yet. It's worth remembering that these days films can make far more outside the US than its domestic take*, and I imagine that's what Fox & co are looking at. *e.g. Ice Age 3 - $500m+.
http://www.andreascliment.com Andreas Climent

Here in Sweden I didn't even know that they were going to screen the footage. Hadn't heard a thing. But since I knew it would screen in the US I figured I should take a look at the Swedish Cinema website, and to my surprise I found a small banner announcing free screenings of the Avatar footage. The theater was only half-full and when the footage started playing, the sound went out of sync after 5 minutes and no one fixed it. I think they wasted a lot of possible hype by not promoting Avatar Day more. Wouldn't have been hard to hand out free tickets in shopping malls or something like that. Anyways, I did see the footage and am very excited to see the entire movie!
Miles Trahan

The people who fill out pointless IMDB polls aren't going to make this a success, if they even leave the house to go see it. The cold hard truth is a) this needs to reach a broad audience (especially if they hope to even break even after the insane cash they've blown on this thing) and b) if only the suped-up IMAX 3-D presentation is at all enjoyable then they're losing the majority audience (who sees it in normal theaters, likewise probably in 2D). The real problem is right now this is way too niche to be the massive success everyone hopes, and the trailer only helped to put off a lot of the "normal" audience they were hoping to reel in. And Avatar Day? That generated maybe 10% of the WoM Fox was hoping for, if that. I don't think it's out of line to call this a failure at all. It was judged poorly, marketed poorly and is now crashing and burning. They have four months to try to put out the flames.
http://www.paynebyname.com Payne by name

I think I'm going to wait and just see the film. I know rough details about the plot but don't want to know a great deal more. I didn’t bother investigating the Avatar day in the UK as I didn’t want to see 15 mins of footage and possibly dampen the experience in December. Likewise when part of the films appeal is it's revolutionary 3D, seeing the trailer in 2D on a PC isn't going to be it's best showing. I'm happy to put my faith in Cameron and try to walk into the cinema on the 19th December as uninitiated as possible.
Europe

"So the entire world is now excited for James Cameron's Avatar" Yeah,...You Wish! in Your Dreams!
Erica

I think that the big studios are focusing too much on viral campaigns and blogs such as this, forgetting that only a small niche audience is actually active and interested. The majority of the movie goers, the ones that made the Titanic a 1 billion plus success, won't even know it was Avatar Day. That said, I was disappointed with the Avatar footage I saw so far, and with the plot. It's a bit "been there done that". And the Avatars look plain silly... I will however see the movie, but will definitely not be in the front row and see the reviews...
John

I'm definitely looking foraward to Avatar, and I'll absolutely be seeing it in the London IMAX. I didn't watch the trailer or even try to get tickets for the free teaser, I'm going to try and avoid seeing anything until the movie actually comes out. It's James Cameron, it's sci-fi, so it'll be worth seeing for any fan of Aliens or The Abyss, that's pretty much all I need to know Obviously Avatar doesn't have the feelgood romantic nostalgia vibe, handsome lead actors or irritating theme tune of Titanic, so it's not going to be a hit of those proportions, but it does represent one of the first major 3D feature films, and that's got to be worth a repeat viewing. So I don't see why it won't be a success, and also why it won't prove to have a very long tail on home DVD/BluRay, especially with the ususal Cameron 'Special Edition' version a couple of years after the initial release. I kind of miss the days before the internet, when we could just discover and enjoy a movie like Terminator without having all this flame war nonsense!
Kenco

I'm gonna go because all this positive/negative hype makes me wanna see what all the fuss is about and I do like Cameron! However, the design for the aliens is absolutely retarded, end of.
MrG

It´s JarJar meets Pocahontas, thats what I watched. Come on!!! 4 years into plotting the script, and all we get is Pocahontas saving John Smith. It is clearly that Smith is the Avatar, Pocahontas is the female alien, the love story instead of interacial is interspecies, and the British are the earthlings. Boooring, We are the bad guys, the technobureucrats ready to bring oblivion to xanadu. Welcome to Aflolol.
http://swampandreviews.tumblr.com ariel

Yes. But YOU KNOW PEOPLE WILL SEE IT ANYWAYS.
http://img222.imageshack.us/img222/2408/blackbabyjesus.gif Crapola

This is Second needless article you've written since the trailer came out, Cameron will be happy. I will still see this in the cinema, having had some friends a film in 3d recently and say how good it was, I won't get too down on the trailer. Even if Avatar is cheeseball environmental action romance, I think visually it ill be a feast. I don't buy how it's a different planet, so people can be rendered like a cartoon and that's okay though. Also I am just adding to the hype by filling in a post on an article that didn't really need to exist. A film like District 9 is a success because it didn't cost a lot and opened up doors for it's director, Avatar will make money, but whether the story holds up, who knows.
go2quazar

I think the biggest mistake of the trailer was the fact that there was not dialog, only weak music. I think to connect with what the movie will bring it needed to have some great dialog that would be remembered.
Craig

I'd say just look at Cameron's films, more or less all good to great films. So I'm looking forward to it, even though the trailer was just ok. Remember to doom mongers before Titanic? There is not a chance it will be that successful (let's get a grip on reality - no film is!!!) but it will still make serious bucks.
muggins

glad to see jar jar binks went from a comedy role to more serious drama in this one
WB EXEC

If it does fail, which it may not. James Cameron could always make Aquaman. HAHA
http://www.juno.com Jamdolin

Is there a history of any huge December openings for films? This late launch will hurt the overall box office for Avatar. I could see it doing much better as a summer tentpole release. This movie will not gross more than Transformers 2, and in that regard it will be considered a failure. In the end it's all about $$$. JC and Fox spent a Titanic load of green to get this story to the screen - too bad.
http://www.twitter.com/dt4storms Dusty

Sorry.. maybe I am in a grumpy mood this morning.... but ya'all are pissing me off with all the negative comments about not including plot and blah blah in the trailer.... THIS EVENT WAS FOR YOU >> NOT THE GENERAL PUBLIC. ALL OF THIS WAS JUST AN EXTENDED FRICKIN TEASER TRAILER.... not supposed to give you the story... supposed to just appease those that have been buggin Cameron to release SOMETHING.... This is a trailer NOT meant for the general public... those are released within 60 days of film release and are the trailers we see flooding the mainstream media, not just sites like Alex's. This trailer is just for the cinephiles and fans. This was an event and trailer solely meant for people that frequent sites and materials like this, WE are the marketing effort for many films, and they felt that we MAY appreciate that Cameron is NOT giving us the full story, because that is what he wants us to learn in WATCHING the movie and talking our friends into going with us. Cameron said (when talking about the story and fans), "Nobody read the novel, nobody read the graphic novel, we’re not going to be playing against expectation. They aren’t going to be viewing us as a disappointment or letdown before the movie even starts. This is a doorway and they don’t know what’s on the other side. We’re going to open it for them." Regarding the imagery and whether it looks photo-realistic.... again(I believe I saw someone else talk about this as well)... If you are telling me that we should believe that an IMAGINARY PLANET were real for the sake of YOUR argument and that is completely what your argument on, and the characters should be photo-realistic to Earth characteristics, Sorry... but I am not in agreement and see an IMMEDIATE fallacy of your argument. It is NOT Earth, SO UNLESS YOU HAVE BEEN TO PANDORA, and NOT been in MY envisioning of what Pandora is ... unless you can tell me that the light and environment there does NOT cause the skin to have a shiny, rubbery look... unless you can tell me that luminescent plants are not common .. and that the world is not filled with unknown surfaces.... unless you have been to this imaginary place and can tell me that that does not exist, HUSH IT. CAUSE IT IS IMAGINARY and EVERYONE will have a different envisioning of that environment. I compare much of these arguments for appearance to those of deep marine animals... they have a pasty, slimy look, yet you can't see the water that they are in, just them interacting with that environment. Pandora(in MY imagination) creates an environment where the light interacts with surfaces differently and the skin of the alien creatures is much more 'slimy' as they are in a very moist atmosphere. I can see many of your points, but remember that many of us also may see that world differently. Here is some interesting footage of luminescent marine animals.... just cause I was bored.. and if you are a Cameron fan, you know that he likes his Marine animals and Luminescent animals. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wnStTpupI2s
wolfmanwasbetter

Personally I thought The Wolf Man trailer released on the same day was a much better trailer than Avatar. I'm not impressed with the animation of the Avatars, they don't seem very original.
harrison

it certainly looks good, but it is way overhyped and its been in production so long that technology flew by it making their cgi look mediocre at times, im still looking forward to it because that doesnt bother me, my only dislike is the blue aliens that are just tall humanoids with wierd faces, best they could come up with? whatever ill still be there to see it
http://www.chelariu.de Paul

Ich glaube das wird der Film des Jahres. Die Grafik ist ja der Hammer.
Greedo

I've been underwhelmed long before I saw the footage, when I started hearing about the storyline. The first time I saw Worthington as a Na'vi, it was too cartoonish and obviously CGI. Yeah, I'll see it, but I can wait for DVD. 3D isn't really my thing anyway.
http://www.paynebyname.com Payne by name

#44 The history of huge December openings started with Titanic and was then also adopted by the LOTR franchise, which I believe was also pretty successful.
Jehosophat

I will admit that I was one of the most active detractors to that trailer when it was released on Friday. None of my venting of frustration changes my desire to see this film succeed, and I think many vocal detractors will agree - we'd rather see this film succeed than fail. So maybe Cameron & Fox can make lemonade out of lemons here. First of all - that lady's right. Change the expectations. Market it as an ANIMATED FILM. It does look like one remarkable ANIMATED film. They've got a good amount of time to shift gears and focus on the positive. Do AVATAR DAY II on Thanksgiving weekend, w/ upgraded footage & market it on Nickelodeon, newspapers & general family-oriented outlets. The potential cursing etc. sure didn't stop families from flocking to T2, so I don't think that'll be a barrier.
http://www.juno.com Jamdolin

Good point #50. How could I forget LOTR?! On that note, I can guarantee that the Hobbit Part I [to be released in Dec 2011], will outperform Avatar.
Citizent K

I´ll watch the flick in 3D no matter what, but this are my letdown pointers: -Navii share the same goofiness as Jar Jar Binks. -Aliens are too humanoid, nothing special I must say. -Animations are´nt very polished, specially the alien horses. -It´s Pocahontas mixed with Dancing with wolves. -FXs remind me of Matrix Revolutions, Revenge of the Sith and Eragorn. Nice but not ground breaking. -Plot Holes. Humankind knows hot to travel to a new galaxy, how to genetically build an alien species, how to mind control it, but can´t still cure paralisis. What will save this movie would be a twist in the Pocahontas story. We trick the alien Pocahontas and deceive her into thinking that the Avatar is in love with her fake blue skin, an then we send all the Navii to the Alpha Centauri Guantanamo base, where we make them understand that no one confronts the human race. We then cut to the grand opening of the new Walt Disney´s Pandora Theme Park. And we find some Navii working as low wage workers inside the park. Then our hero burns his Avatar and strolls down the park in his wheelchair with a big smile drawn in his triumphant face. The END
Delgatar

Regarding the "YOUVE NEVER SEEN AN ALIEN OR BEEN TO ANOTHER PLANET, YOU DONT KNOW WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE" argument. The laws of physics dont change no matter what planet youre standing on. Period.
Branden

I think this website went too bezerker about Avatar. Yes it's going to be cool, but chill out.
http://nerdfellowship.com Rob

Odd, the theater I went to was PACKED on Avatar Day. I don't get how it was not a success so far.
Will

This trailer seems to have divided the world between hugely anticipating it and asking wtf is this shit? I'm am one of those who thinks Avatar will go down in history as a huge blockbuster and the biggest evolution of cinema, period. The trailer has gotten the world extremely interested, without a doubt. The real question is whether or not Cameron will be able to reel ppl in and make this his masterpiece.
scruffmcgruff

anyone who says they arent going to see this movie in theaters is full of sh*t
Trey

Im gonna watch it in 3D
Tomi

This is my first writing on Avatar, so excuse me if I jump and touch on a few things. But I myself totally bought into the hype for this movie, I was soooo exited that this was going to be something mind numbing insanity and that I was going to crap my pants at the sight of anything Avatar. And so the trailer finally dropped and I was still so hyped and exited that I refused to believe that i was just really disappointed... now that the dust has settled, I can say "I am so bummed by the trailer I saw, so cheesy and bad." and i was so ready to celebrate this movie. I just cant stand when movie makers make this overly fluid CG where characters and monsters seems to move in space without any weight and all the surroundings are overly polished and clean. This trailer was full of it. I just cant believe movie directors dont see this, some do and then you have results like Lord of the Rings, and then some dont and you have... Transformers. And then this weekend I saw District 9, and this truly killed Avatar for me. Now there is a well made movie, life like CG, truly believable script and characters. No matter how crazy the whole alien thing was, they made it seem real. They truly got in the shoes of this event and documented how something like this could really play out. What really bugs me in fiction movies is that normal human events within a fictional even are made fictional, I mean characters and the story do not react to the events in a realistic way. Everything is elevated to a fictinal level thus anything that we could relate to, is gone. From what I gather in the Avatar trailer, this is the case. Everything is fantasy and un-real, even the elements that we are supposed to relate to. I dont know if my rant made any sense but... James Cameron has truly laid a pile of dung with this one. There better be something amazing still waiting up his sleeve for this to redeem itself.
Fisherr

I am one of the people wo are pretty excited about this movie and i really like the trailer a lot.It looked more than Epic.
mike

I hate how the marines look in avatar. How can you be in the future... and have cammies that look more low tech then the ones we have right now. The military is researching cammies that are all fiber optic that would look at the surroundings and create an image replicating the enviorment u are in at the time, and are researching ecto skeletons right now. why couldnt they have bigger imaginations for this movie? How are u gonna have a futuristic military thats more lowtec than todays? then they have stupid action sequences where u see a marine hanging off of the helicopter shooting with one arm... thats just dumb. and it uses the same dam "choose between this girl and her people or mine storyline." its all for action and looks, this movie wont provide any depth.
http://www.juno.com Jamdolin

Jake is paralyzed. Humans have created genetically-bred human-Na'vi [Avatars] that can be piloted through technology that links the drivers [human] mind to the Avatar body. "Your mind makes it real." If you are killed in the Matrix do you die here? "The body cannot live without the mind." This is quite the cure for paralysis is it not? Just send the brain to another body. Wait...humans have the ability to travel to distant moons and create biological beings, but Jake's paralysis remains? This is a monstrous script/story/plot hole. I mean, what was the C man thinking [or not thinking]? Would the story not be as effective if Jake could walk?
Freddy

Here in Mexico City the theaters were packed with people watching the trailer on Friday at least at the ones some of my friends were at and at the complex I was in and it was about 11 o'clock at night..This is not the US but i think its gonna make quite a buck worldwide. Here everyone is hyped now.
JimD

Most people I know have never even heard of this movie and they assumed by the name it was based on the cartoon series. If they've seen the trailer I assume most just view it as another interesting fantasy sci fi movie soon to be in theatres. I'm sure it will do well at the box office. Will it smash records at the box office? Probably not unless the actual story carries it there.
moif

I reserve judgement until I've seen the film, twice
pipo

Directors, the older they get, the duffer they step. Just look at the latest films of Lucas, Spielberg, Allen...and now Cameron and Emerich. They all have lost the young spirit of filmmaking! Please let the young people do that job now, and take a rest in some private island.
leiner

hahaha, in an island with some hidden cameras and some gladiator weapons, carefuly placed all over the place, also with a surround system with speakers in the trees, playing the Amok-time-theme. There would be some major kick-ass-ery... hahaha... ok... forget it. Avatar=Delgo... haha
ShineX

Hey there, Ok, There are reasons why Jake's paralysis wasn't cured or the Na'avis look the way they do We understand it's hard to have faith...but just try and wait till Dec 18th. We are loving seeing all the negativity coming from the net...And funnily enough, we are not worried at all We are fans like you and we are making this film...I would have reacted the same way after seeing the trailer or even the 15 mins teaser footage. It will all come together very soon. Regards, xxx
David Banner

"$1.6 billion success like Titanic" Wrong. Titanic has been a $3.1 BILLION success Theatrical Performance Total US Gross $600,788,188 International Gross $1,248,025,607 Worldwide Gross $1,848,813,795 Rentals US $324,425,000 US TV Rights (NBC/HBO): $55,000,000 Worldwide video and DVD sales and rentals: $1,200,000,000 ca sum is $3,103,813,795, not counting worldwide tv rights, and more merch. Some list Titanic in the $3.2 Billion spot. No movie will ever be on a path to Titanic, but I guess Avatar will make close to 1 billion within 5 years of release, inc home video, merch. Still a sweet sum for a CGI Sci-Fi fantasy
http://www.sinefx.com Gokhan

I have seen 12 minutes of Avatar. It was amazing and I think it will be one of the most sucessfull movie... you will see...
Mat

I just hope it's a good movie with a good story. A lot of people had problems with Final Fantasy because it wasn't realistic but I thought it was an interesting animated movie. I hope that as long as I go into Avatar with an open mind I'll be entertained. Unfortunately, like Watchmen, all the hype is killing it for me. (Though Watchmen is a crappy movie.) Cameron has made some good scifi but not without issues. T2 is his best but Aliens, though really good, could have been better without the cookie-cutter marines and a typical precocious little girl. Mostly. I walked out of Titanic - just not my thing and it's just so cornball. I'm worried Cameron will have the same stereotypical marines from Aliens mixed with the cheese of Titanic but even with that if he can pull me into his world with a good story I'll be happy. Because I want to like the story I will not watch this in 3-D - but if I like the movie I may have to pony up the dough for the 3-D experience. Please end the incessent "reporting" on all things Avatar. Tell you what, can you just add an Avatar link at the top of the page so that the fanboys can click on to get all the latest juicy news and gossip on Avatar and leave the rest of us out of the loop until December? Please oh please oh please. Mostly.
Martin

To everyone who couldn´t see the footage at Avatar day. You need to see this movie in 3d. First. Not on second viewing. I can almost guarantee that every nitpick you would have had with the cgi or other technical aspects become non exixtent in 3d. This sounds like more hyperbole, the last thing the movie needs, but i was very let down by the trailer and the next day i was blown away by the 15 minutes footage. I saw it twice and i still remember all the details. The avatars, the creatures, the forests and the action set pieces with the thanator hunting jake through a bamboo-like forest was awesome.
John

Its James Cameron.. I will be very surprised if it is not good...and as far as the trailer, i thought it looked very good
John

@35, i was gonna post a comment and then it said that there was a duplicate post already on this site hahaha..i typed nearly exactley what u said.. TOTALLY AGREE
link1983

My problem with this 'Avatar Day' is that I live in the UK my nearest IMAX is in Birmingham which is at least 3 hours north of where I live. I adored the trailer. I thought the setting was inspiring.
http://www.firstshowing.net Glen

Everyone - well almost everyone - was disappointed when seeing the trailer because of the hype and anticipation for the film, which does look amazing, and I only saw this after watching it for the 4th time. People expected this film basically to be THE film to change all films, but deep down everyone must have known that that is never going to happen. I'm sure this film will be incredibly influential when released to the world and a great many more 3D films will emerge. I believe the film will gross over a billion and there will be much more buzz to come when the second trailer is released. I'm sure James Cameron has something else hidden up his sleeve; he always does.