Why Are The Avatar Movies So Massive? Their Success Seems To Defy Conventional Logic

What will be highest grossing film released in 2025? Record-breaking Chinese animation “Ne Zha 2” is currently in pole position, hundreds of millions of dollars ahead of “Lilo & Stitch” and the still-in-theaters “Zootopia 2” (“Zootropolis 2” in the UK). But you’d be unwise to bet against a movie that arrives on the big screen this week, the third instalment in a franchise with a proven track record of blowing box office expectations out of the water.

2009’s “Avatar” and 2022 sequel “Avatar: The Way of Water” are currently the highest and third-highest grossing movies of all time, sandwiching “Avengers: Endgame” at the top of the all-time list. Although they’re not built on decades-old IP, James Cameron’s sci-fi actioners havebothmade money than every single “Star Wars” movie, and all-but-one of the MCU’s 37 big-screen outings to date. And with accepted Hollywood wisdom suggesting that films don’t gain access to the $2 billion club unless a sizeable number of viewers are heading back for repeat viewings, the “Avatar”s have clearly found the secret sauce — the, if you will, box office unobtanium — that everybody else in Hollywood would happily travel toAlpha Centaurito find.

But — and here’s the thing — I just don’t get it. I appreciate the technical achievement, of course, and Cameron still has few equals when it comes to directing action scenes — you can take the man out of “Terminator” and “Aliens“, but you can’t take “Terminator” and “Aliens” out of the man.

The stories, however, are extremely derivative, populated by characters who don’t always share the 3D qualities of the visuals. Although they’re both decent (if overlong) movies, I’veneverfelt a desire to watch them again right away, as I have with “The Force Awakens“, “Avengers: Endgame” and many other blockbusters. I’m also unconvinced that either — particularly the inferior “The Way of Water” — deserved a Best Picture Oscar nomination.