Avatar Sinks Titanic

Avatar officially passes #1 Titanic record for global B.O.

As young lad, I can distinctly remember thinking that there would never be a film that could surpass the audacious success of the 1997 film Titanic.  I remember going to theater and being dumb-founded by people who were still lining up early to see a film that was nearly two months old.  I mean, who does that?  Clearly Titanic was some fluke, some perfect storm of timing and the elusive female demographic.  The film's popularity was absurd, and what I was seeing was a once-in-a-lifetime cinematic event.

Well, make that officially twice-in-a-lifetime. 

On Tuesday, January 26, as the domestic and foreign box office returns came in, the world found itself with a new king of the world.  Weighing in at a hefty 1.858 billion dollars, Avatar is the new official record holder for worldwide box office numbers (not adjusted for inflation).  

The ensuing weeks are almost guaranteed to include a flood of "why's" and "but's" with talk of inflation, more expensive 3D ticket prices, actual attendance numbers, and other various reasons why this moment is not as historic as it appears.  But in two weeks when Avatar skips past Titanic's domestic box office record, from which it is a mere 45 million away, even the film's biggest critics will have to pause and reflect on the achievement director James Cameron has made.  Excuse me, has made TWICE!!

And while the debate ensues and the two sides clash, I for one will be waiting for one thing and one thing only.  Starting with director Steven Spielberg, it has been a tradition that when a film passes up another film for top box office honors, that the director commission an ad in the Hollywood trade journals depicting the passing of the crown.  This was done from Jaws to Star Wars, from Star Wars to E.T., from E.T. back to Star Wars, and from Star Wars to Titanic.  I once believed that the this humorous little inside joke would end at Titanic, since there was no film that could make more money than Titanic.  

I know its a little self serving, but bring on the new ad, James!