Well, turns out that when you apply inflation to the equation, Avatar is a measly number 21 on the list of all-time money-making movies. And why not apply inflation? Seems fair enough to me and it also puts the movie-watching population, along with old-fashioned movies, in a whole new light, at least in my mind.
Think of the really popular movies that you used to go see. If you're around my age, Star Wars might come to mind, along with Jaws and The Sound of Music. If you're a bit younger, you might remember Forrest Gump or even The Godfather. Now go look at Armchair Commentary's list of top box office hits list, adjusted for inflation, and you'll find all of these movies listed, with Gone With the Wind topping the list.
I have nothing against 3D sci-fi movies, and Avatar apparently is an exceptionally good one even though it doesn't appeal to me, but the adjusted list makes this baby boomer feel not so out of touch with what makes a movie a really good movie. Apparently it really is more than just the price of the ticket.
P.S. None of my top five favorite movies made the list, but there are a few on the list that definitely could be in my personal top 10!
I didn't see Avatar but the rest of my family did and they were not overly impressed. One son said it is the Disney Pocahontas story...in space.
ReplyDeleteInteresting comparison!
ReplyDeleteMy youngest son and grandson saw it. They weren't impressed either. Different strokes for different strokes, I guess. Can argue with the box office receipts. Either some people really, really loved it or the movie makers did a phenomenal job of promotion, huh? It didn't win any of the major Oscars either--which was a bit surprising based on all the hype.
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