rsedmak

First Movie To Gross $3 Billion?

Like many of you, I went to see Avatar during its opening weekend. I thought it was fantastic, and I predict it could be the first movie to ever gross $3 billion worldwide – surpassing the previous record holder, Titanic, by over $1 billion. But beyond box office receipts, Avatar represents the culmination of a 30+ year vision of director James Cameron.

Being The Best And Being Obsessed

Love him or hate him, Cameron is probably one of the best in the world at what he does – making engaging blockbusters that entertain the masses. And undoubtedly, Avatar is Cameron at his best.  Why?

Cameron didn’t have to compromise on anything. He made the exact movie he wanted to make. When the studio pushed back because of cost or logistics, Cameron wouldn’t compromise. He was obsessed with making the movie exactly how he envisioned it.  This resulted in the most expensive non-series movie of all time, but also the most commercially successful movie of all time.  Cameron earned it.  He was finally able to put onto film the dream he had since the 1970′s. But it took him 30+ years to achieve it – not just because the technology had yet to be invented, but also because he needed to build the right kind of credibility (commercial success) with the right people (studios, investors).

Even though Avatar is just a movie, the world is a better place when people can do what they do best, in an environment with people who support their vision. What Cameron was able to create was beautiful, and will not only be the biggest commercial movie success, but from a film making perspective, will stand as one of the best films ever made.  But it probably couldn’t have happened any other way – the Terminator series grossing $1.4 billion, Titanic grossing $1.6 billion, 3-d movies becoming successful enough for theaters to install 3-d projectors (Cameron co-invented the technology and gave it away to other directors to help proliferate it) – all of these were the fruits of Cameron’s hard work, and got him to the position where he could make Avatar exactly how he wanted it.

Make Your Avatar

The world will be a better place when you make your Avatar. Start dreaming. And consider, how will you build the right kind of credibility (with the right people) to create an environment that supports your vision?

“The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore, all progress depends on the unreasonable man.” -George Bernard Shaw