Twelve years after directing his last feature film Titanic, the self-proclaimed ‘King of the World’ James Cameron [JCAME] is back to reclaim his throne with the sci-fi adventure Avatar [AVATR]. Using state-of-the-art 3D and performance capture technology, Cameron has created a world that seamlessly merged live-action with CG animation. Although the trailers were initially met with skepticism, the finished film has garnered overwhelming positive, glowing reviews. The film that set out to be an industry “game changer” has actually met the lofty expectation. Fox marketing has been in overdrive positioning the $400 million movie as a must-experience 3D event. The buzz will only grow as the first midnight screenings let out. I Am Legend’s December record of $77.2 million may be at risk. The higher 3D ticket prices should compensate for the longer 160 minutes running time. Descending upon 3453 theaters, Avatar could blow away $80 million.
Disney’s G-rated animated musical The Princess and the Frog [FROGP] should display long legs at the box office with the upcoming school break for the holidays. A decay around 25% would give The Princess and the Frog $18 million and second place.
Sarah Jessica Parker [SJPAR] and Hugh Grant [HGRAN] pair up for the PG-13 rated romantic comedy Did You Hear About the Morgans? [MRGNS]. The film’s target demographic may be more interesting in shopping on the last weekend before Christmas than checking out yet another story about city slickers in the boondocks discovering themselves. Opening in 2718 theaters, the Morgans may settle down with roughly $11 million.
Despite the A-list talent involved with Invictus [INVIC], American moviegoers were apparently not too interested in South African politics or the sport of Rugby. The film’s older target audience may be waiting on reviews, which are generally favorable. In its sophomore frame, Invictus may decline around 30% to $6 million.
That’s the whisper from the trading floor.
Tag(s): JCAME, AVATR, FROGP, SJPAR, HGRAN, MRGNS, INVIC