Is apparently all Avatar all the time.
"Avatar's" overseas cume of $906.2 million significantly outpaces comparable domestic action, more than double its $429 million domestic take in the U.S. and Canada ...
But I guess when you make huge amounts of money in four weeks and become the second highest grossing film in the history of movies, every other feature kind of fades to invisibility.
The thoughts and observations of the leaders of The Animation Guild (TAG), Local 839 IATSE. Jason MacLeod is the Business Representative, KC Johnson is the President. Mike Sauer is Assistant to the Business Representative.
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27 comments:
O.K.
I've GOT to say this based on those numbers.
People seem to be spending money like CRAZY out there.
That doesn't sound like a global economy problem to me.
Of course, I'm no expert.
BUT....people DO spend,spend,spend when it comes to the movies...whether there's "economy" problems or not.
You've got to realize that these people aren't spending money like crazy.
The value of the dollar has fallen greatly during this decade, while the euro is ascending.
Not that politics are ever discussed on this site.
Try and buy a cheeseburger in London and you'll realize how little a dollar is worth.
Since these box-office numbers are in dollars, you're seeing oversees box office numbers that are huge.
Avatar deserves it. I know the nay-sayers have their snark all lined up to respond to this, but Avatar was a pretty damn cool movie.
I'm curious how the premium vs standard ticket sales ratio is internationally. Does anyone know what the 3-D penetration is overseas?
AVATAR is best experienced in the IMAX theater. James Cameron is quite astute. Waiting for the dvd or watching a pirated copy of it, only represents a minimun part of the experience. And I think that's what's driving the public into the theaters. They have to find out what all the fuzz is about. This reminds me of when "Star Wars" came out in '77.
Was the AVATAR production a TAG signatory for the animation work done?
wow people sure love to spend double to see this thing. i guess thats why they are called consumers and cameron is a producer whether you like the guy or not.
Its worth it to see it in 3D. Other movies might not be, but this is.
What, you think people are spending double because they're told to? No, the 3d adds value.
This isn't much different than hordes of people flocking to see Snow White during the Depression.
If you give the public something truly different, exciting, and game-changing, they will buy it. People are still more than willing to pay $20 each to see something that truly thrills them.
Another reason movies are doing well:
They're a mini-vacation. You can drop fifteen or twenty bucks and get away from it all in Three Dee. Most folks can afford that.
What they can't afford is a Disney World or French Riviera vacation.
...aaaaaand one more time. Was the AVATAR production a TAG signatory for the animation work done?
I won't speak for Steve, but as far as I know, no TAG studio worked on Avatar.
LightStorm did the previz, and Weta Digital, ILM and eight million other VFX shops created the VFX. The VFX credits list on this film is insane.
Check out the VFX credits here:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0499549/fullcredits
I do not know if any of these VFX shops have union benefits.
So much for being called the 'animation' guild. Cameron pretty much blew that title clear out of the water. Shall we change our name again? 'The Guild That Does All That Other Moving 3D Stuff. For Kids.'
A lot of character animation work happened in VFX-heavy films before Avatar. Spider-Man, Gollum, Dobby, Yoda, Scooby-Doo, and Garfield come to mind.
But Avatar is a watershed moment. If there were ever writing on the wall, this would be it.
"Writing on the wall" for what?
well, let's see - probably the most massively successful blockbuster animated movie of recent memory that isn't part of the collective bargaining agreement of 'the animation guild.' how large a font do we need?
I still don't understand what you're trying to say, here. Successful non-union productions do not threaten the union.
What makes the success of Avatar different from that of The Incredibles or Ice Age 3?
>>What makes the success of Avatar different from that of The Incredibles or Ice Age 3?
Nothing.
Actually, the only difference between all three you mention is the two significant franchises are Murdochs big fat pies. But all three are not covered by animation labor contracts. Animators are apparently locked out of blockbuster heaven. Are we on the wrong side of history or what?
But the good news for Rupert is that he has one less pain-in-the-ass collective bargaining agreement to include on the balance sheet for the Avatar revenue stream of the next fifty years. Just like Blue Sky. He's batting a thousand, a regular Mark Mcgwire!
Animator? What's an animator?
Animators are apparently locked out of blockbuster heaven. Are we on the wrong side of history or what?
Huh? Dreamworks' Kung-Fu Panda and Disney's The Lion King both made lots of money. I expect nothing but good things for How to Train Your Dragon, too.
I must admit, an astonishing attitude on a labor blog. Kudos. Good luck organizing your 3D future with that one. Oh, wait, this is TAG. I forgot.
And in other news, the vatican didnt like AVATAR.
HA!
http://movies.yahoo.com/news/movies.ap.org/vatican-says-avatar-no-masterpiece-ap
If their goal was to be even MORE irrelevant and antiquated, then they succeeded successfully with success.
I must admit, an astonishing attitude on a labor blog. Kudos. Good luck organizing your 3D future with that one. Oh, wait, this is TAG. I forgot.
Actually, I'm a VFX artist working non-union gigs. I merely dream of working at organized shops.
Anon Jan 13, 1:42PM?
Meet Anon Jan 12, 4:33PM, 7:17PM, and 11:08PM.
Get to it.
Anon Jan 13, 1:42PM?
Meet Anon Jan 12, 4:33PM, 7:17PM, and 11:08PM.
Get to it.
Right. I am the same person who wrote all of those posts. Me, the VFX artist who dreams of working union gigs.
VFX may generate a ton of $$$ at the box office, but few VFX artists benefit from those profits. I've seen too many VFX greats who worked on blockbusters like Titanic who struggle financially today. They have no pensions and no health insurance. They used up their savings between jobs.
For most artists, there's no real future in a VFX career.
I apologize. You miss the point. 4:33 PM, 7:17PM, and 11:08PM claim there is nothing threatening with the unfortunate fact that 3D animators on blockbuster films are NOT protected by a collective bargaining agreement. I am merely pointing out that this attitude is unhelpful to good folks like yourself, and that the two factions need to sit down and have a conversation about what can be done to change this. AVATAR puts the writing on the wall bigger than ever. Now we all need to just understand what it means. Finally.
I apologize. You miss the point. 4:33 PM, 7:17PM, and 11:08PM claim there is nothing threatening with the unfortunate fact that 3D animators on blockbuster films are NOT protected by a collective bargaining agreement.
Ah, gotcha. Yeah, more than a few of my VFX co-workers would like to unionize. I don't know if it's reached critical mass yet, though.
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