My geek gang and I have tickets to see Avatar tomorrow on the only true IMAX screen in Manhattan. That is, if we can get to the theater: weather forecasts say we’re gonna have 12 to 18 inches of snow on the ground by tomorrow morning. Now, for anyone actually in Manhattan, that’s not such a big deal: the subways hardly ever shut down because of weather (and in fact, high water is more of a problem for the subway that lots of snow). My major problem will be getting to the subway, which is a mile away. I normally have no problem walking to the subway — I prefer it, in fact, as long as I’m not carrying anything too onerous — but it’s a helluva slog through a foot of snow: the sidewalks (which all border a park and a huge cemetery) are unlikely to be shoveled, and though the streets will be plowed, walking in the middle of them would be taking my life in my hands. (The buses that run to the subways will likely be fantastically delayed, too.)
So, will I actually be able to get to Avatar tomorrow? It looks dicey at this point.
Of course, other cities south of New York are already socked under piles of snow, which is likely keeping almost everyone indoors, or at least close to home: not going to the movies, that is. The Christian Science Monitor has framed its story about the storm as a race to save Christmas shopping, but I can’t help but think that the storm could dramatically impact Avatar’s box office, which so many people are gonna be keeping an eye on. (And, of course, if the movie doesn’t do as well as expected, that could be blamed on the storm when, perhaps, the snow may not have been a factor at all. Because my geek pals and I already have our tickets, and even if we can’t make it and manage to get our money back from the theater, that money will already be counted in the weekend takings.)
EW is reporting that Avatar earned $27 million on Friday. All other things being equal, that could be the basis for an expectation of a $100 million opening weekend.
Will the snow see that drop by half, or more? It’s kinda funny that snow on the East Coast could be causing folks on the West Coast — it’s 70 and sunny in Los Angeles today — to worry.
Can’t you just call upon your Elf training and walk on top of the snow?
You definitely need to see Avatar in 3D, and I wish I had seen it in IMAX. I am not an epic movie kind of guy, but the graphics and 3D in Avatar are the best I’ve ever seen. Specifically, I loved the nature/landscape imagery, and this is the first 3D movie I’ve ever seen where the 3D actually serves a purpose. The story wasn’t great, but it was good enough. We filmed an INSTANT movie review the moment we walked out of the theater:
Ok, East Coast Canada hint for foot+ noreaster snow on sidewalks: slush pants. Wear them over your clothes, make sure the bottoms are tight enough around the outside of your boots, and you can make it a long way wading through very deep snow. Then when you get where you were going you can pop in a washroom to take them off, and they fold up nice and tiny into whatever you brought for a bag.
Not sure that I’d ever bother myself if it was for more than a kilometer, though. :/
As for the box office, it’s pretty obvious that people aren’t going to make it out in a blizzard. It’s just a question of how much of the audience is affected. When the final numbers are in it should be pretty easy for the number crunchers to figure out how much of an impact the storm had and take it into account.
AVATAR is just another glorified screensaver with soft-porn trimmings from the long rich and decades stale James Cameron.
-Oh yeah! —Cameron -who’s made a few fortunes
-has no problem with accepting massive funding
and market favors from the most awesome -and unoutted- genocidal regime in human history
—across the Pacific.
-You want to see some color come into his face
-ask him about it sometime.
Remember kids —that’s 70,000,000 people ‘missing’
in ‘peacetime’. ABSOLUTE FACT
70 million —and STILL climbing…
NOW -back to your circle-jerk fantasies!
Meanwhile, here in Dallas–oh, you don’t even wanna hear about it, MaryAnn…
A foot of snow? In Iowa, we call that getting off easy. I remember a blizzard hit Portland, OR, and the only people who showed up for the most popular weekly poetry open mike were the Midwesterners. Call us dumb, but we laugh at Texans panicking at an inch of white powder.
Luckily for me I saw Avatar in 3D yesterday, when the weather was still fine, though a bit cold (-13 degrees centigrade, which is about 8 degrees Fahrenheit).
It started snowing here in the Netherlands this morning and it is still going strong at three in the afternoon!
Its small snowflakes, but because it is a continuous snowfall we are now at 10 cm (4 inches).
Probably not up to Iowa standards, but for a country with a moderate sea climate that is not to be sneezed at!
Well you could imagine James Cameron standing over your shoulder, egging you on. He is from somewhere in northern Ontario, so I doubt he’d think twice about a storm like that…
So neither should you. =)
Go forth!
And Texans laugh at the way people in Illinois and France are continually surprised by the fact that it gets hot in the summer….
But I’m a ex-Detroiter so, alas, I have roots in both camps…
I had planned on seeing it this weekend with my brother, but he was caught in the storm, and couldn’t make it. I think if people really want to see it, they will. I may check it out after Christmas now.
I know we’re not supposed to feed trolls, but I have to comment that Nano X’s troll-post is one of the lamest I’ve seen. He’s not providing any links or follow-ups, and is more intent on insulting people rather than educating them. And you know it’s tinfoil conspiracy time when he claims its an “absolute fact” but doesn’t provide more specific, telling details. Tsk. I have to give him a review of “Poor”. Try harder next time, Nano.