In the hype leading up to today's release of James Cameron’s Avatar, there has been a heady mix of truth and bullshit flung concerning the latest flick from the self-proclaimed “King of the World.” In an effort to clear the air, here are four of the most eye-catching claims about Avatar and the truth behind the rumor.
Rumor #1: With a budget of $500 million, Avatar is the most expensive movie ever made.
Truthiness: Half True
Analysis: There is no doubt that Avatar is an expensive movie, but just how expensive is anyone’s guess. Back in March, Time magazine kicked the rumor mill into gear with a report that Avatar’s budget was over $300 million. Time later retracted the figure, saying they meant $200 million, but the meme about the film’s exploding cost was out and spreading. Then a November New York Times piece put the budget at “approaching $500 million,” including $150 million in marketing costs alone. We will never know for sure (Hollywood accounting can make Wall Street fraud look like a rounding error), but the Times’ math doesn’t really add up. With Cameron throwing his Titanic loot into the budget pot, you can bet the cost was somewhere between $300-$400 million. Since both the third Spider-Man and Pirates of the Caribbean movies cost in excess of $300 million, it’s tough to determine who the most profligate spender is. In the end, I’ll bet Cameron takes the crown, but only at a relatively thrifty $400 million.
Rumor #2: James Cameron has re-invented filmmaking technology … again.
Truthiness: Bullseye
Analysis: Cameron has a long history of utilizing groundbreaking special effects in his flicks. From the “water tentacle” of The Abyss, though Terminator 2’s “liquid metal” villain and up to Titanic’s digital effects and underwater photography, Cameron invents new filmmaking technology on every movie he makes. For Avatar, the director and his M.I.T.-brilliant brother invented new 3D cameras and motion-capture techniques, and pushed Peter Jackson’s WETA Digital to create the most realistic computer-generated characters yet on screen. As such, the 3D of Avatar is a revelation to anyone who remembers the old red-and-blue-lens glasses, and the technology behind it will surely be used to create blockbusters for many years to come.
This article appears in Dec 16-22, 2009.