Stephen Lang, Sam Worthington in James Cameron’s Avatar
Thanks to higher ticket prices, and loads of costlier IMAX and 3D presentations, the North American box office will pass the $10b mark in 2010. Last year, domestic revenues reached $10.6b; this year, they should top at $10.556b according to Hollywood.com.
Attendance was actually down 5.36% from last year, the biggest drop-off rate since 2005. In fact, despite the rosy box-office dollar figures, 2010 will turn out to be the second-least attended year of the early 21st century.
Avatar, a late 2009 release, was the year’s top hit (approx. $477m, including the unsuccessful late summer rerelease), followed by Toy Story 3, Alice in Wonderland, Iron Man 2, The Twilight Saga: Eclipse, Inception, and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1. The other movies that grossed more than $200m domestically in 2010 were Despicable Me, Shrek Forever After, and How to Train Your Dragon. All but three were 3D releases; all were shown at hundreds of IMAX theaters.
The movies earning between $100-200m — most with the assistance of higher 3D and/or IMAX prices — were Jackass 3D, Grown Ups, TRON: Legacy, Shutter Island, Tangled, Clash of the Titans, The Karate Kid, Megamind, Salt, The Last Airbender, Valentine’s Day, The Expendables, The Other Guys, and Robin Hood.
As a wise man who liked to bullshit once said, "It’s all about quality." Make truly great, original movies and audiences will flock to movie theaters. The Year of Our 3D/IMAX 2010 is proof of that.
Photo: Avatar (Mark Fellman / 20th Century Fox)