Chapter 374: Golden Globe Massacre

"Hollywood Report — North American weekend box office figures for December 18–20, 2009 are in!"

"The sci-fi romantic epic 'Avatar,' long rumored to have cost $500 million and hailed as a landmark of its era at a screening held twenty days earlier, has taken the crown as expected."

"However, its opening weekend of $65 million is not as high as anticipated across the board."

"Fox had originally bragged that 'Avatar' would surpass 'Spider-Man 2' and 'Titanic' to claim the top spot on the global box office chart."

"Now it seems whether this Cameron-produced blockbuster can break the $1 billion mark remains a considerable question mark."

……

"The 'Los Santos Daily' reports that 'Avatar' dropped into over 3,400 North American theaters this weekend, defeating 'The Princess and the Frog' by $20 million to claim this week's box office crown."

"Originally, 'Avatar's' biggest rival was Xu Can's long-gestating 'The Avengers,' and the two sides had declared war on each other in the media before opening."

"Unfortunately, 'Avatar,' which moved up a week, failed to generate enough momentum. An opening of $65 million is hard to threaten a Xu Can film that routinely pulls in over $100 million."

"But Cameron films have one characteristic — they tend to dip in the second week, then reverse course, with box office surpassing the opening week and attendance rising to varying degrees." "Back then 'Titanic' saw a box-office eruption miracle in its second week of release, and Fox is full of confidence that 'Avatar' can replicate that miracle…"

"The Christmas showdown still holds some suspense."

……

"The 'New York Daily' has the latest — 'Avatar's' premiere was middling, and its box office performance fell short of expectations."