A Look at My Love Affair with Box Office Records

Scene from Avatar

If you type in the words "movie" and "box office records" into any search engine right now, there's a good chance that you'll find yourself discovering the unstoppable chaos that is Star Wars: The Force Awakens. The latest in the fantasy franchise has been racking up every record known to man, starting with presale tickets to opening weekend grosses. In fact, it did something far more astounding this past week: it not only became the fastest film to gross a billion dollars, but it is the second highest grossing film of all time (not adjusted for inflation). It's an impressive achievement, and one that is definitely indicative of the contemporary franchise culture. With its eyes set on beating previous record holder Avatar for highest grossing film of all time, it only seems like time before it happens. It's also time that I tell you about my love affair with the box office culture.

There's a lot that seems not very indicative in recent years. My recent Listmania output reflects that my favorite films wouldn't even make the Top 1000 grossing movies. It doesn't entirely make sense then why I have a love affair with an awards system meant to be a power match between every major film studio. To understand, one must simply go back to my childhood, when I was on the cusp of being a teenager (early 2000's) and had the familiar freedom of joining friends to go see movies. It was back when seeing a PG-13 movie in theaters had a mystique to it and R films were even more exotic. It was that impressionable age where those movies meant something more, back before the ideas of independent films seemed interesting. 

In a move that is likely to seem a tad embarrassing, I remember the value of receiving the Los Angeles Times everyday. It started with me reading the comics section. Then the entire Entertainment section; rarely venturing outside of it except when a story caught my eye. Then there was the box office section in Business. It was only on the front page when the big movies were out. There was something alluring about seeing a series of films ranked by box office, proving which films earned more. Being the kid I was, I would cut out the reports and collect them in a box under my bed. I never looked at them, but it became a strange O.C.D. habit that I only began cutting when I graduated from high school.

I know that box office has always been around, but I would argue that between 1998 and 2010, it was the golden age of box office competition. It wasn't because the movies were best (though I was impressionable enough to think so). It was because that was the period where I could mentally track the records being broken on a week by week basis. There was Titanic: which then became the highest grossing film of all time and later edited version of "My Heart Will Go On" (with movie audio) so that it could be played on Radio Disney. Then there was the arguable peak of contemporary blockbusters that spawned in the early part of the 00's with The Lord of the Rings trilogy and the first two Spider-Man movies. It was like following a football draft for movies, and it was impossible not to get caught up in knowing that Gollum was beating Peter Parker.

Titanic would be slang for "unbeatable movie" for a large portion of my life. Even if I remember the fervor around the Harry Potter films and how formative The Return of the King felt for me at the time, there was that sense that nothing would ever beat Titanic. Even when The Dark Knight (a film that I paid to see five times) came close, there was a sense of pride in knowing that these movies meant something more. I felt at the time that to be the highest grossing films was also indicative of phenomenon and era. Later on, I would be able to look at Gone With the Wind with that familiar awe, wondering what it would be like to have an even more condensed and singular phenomena in an era not really known for having them. It still allures me about Classic Hollywood. 

It is also likely why I sort of fell off with my love of the competitive box office. Even if I still check with frequency, I'm no longer astounded by one film beating another. It could be that I have my own shifting values. However, I do think that it's largely because of immediacy. The Force Awakens is getting love for immediate success. Titanic didn't even break records until months into its run. It's a concept that gets harder to appreciate, largely because cinema is seen as more disposable and cynical by today's standards. Even though there will always be great movies, I think that the last significant box office breaker was Avatar, and it also unfortunately shifted the game a little much in the wrong direction.

Avatar is set to have a comeback next year with its first of many planned sequels. However, in 2009 it was merely the return of Titanic director James Cameron after more than a decade hiatus. It was the film that felt special because of its sideshow flair tactics. It was the first film meant to be seen in 3D, on the big screen, and wouldn't be able to be captured anywhere else with the same effect. It even helped to popularize 3D televisions, though that has been not as successful. It was also the first film to gross two BILLION dollars. Even when adjusted for inflation, it comes pretty high on overall box office records. It was this massive success made more baffling to today's audiences because it was an original property that was untested. Somehow, Cameron was a showman, and he got butts in the seats without a problem.

It was a technical achievement, and one that has divisive feedback. As I look back on the films that I once held significant in my box office research, I understand that it's impossible to be popular without some detesting. I have had my own conflicted feelings on Avatar, but I think that it ushered out the final days of interesting box office records. In the few years following it, 3D became a gimmick incorporated onto every blockbuster and rarely used right (save for Hugo, Gravity). It was the moment where gimmicks began to be applied and one film could be shown in several different formats, also including IMAX and IMAX (in 3D!). Unless Avatar 2 manages to get 4D off the ground, it is doubtful that its box office records will feel as impressive.

So, what exactly then is my issue with a post-Avatar box office? It isn't entirely the film's fault, but it was the first big indicator. With exception to 2013's Frozen (even then, it's a Disney film), most films of the past few years that have grossed significant box office are franchise films. They already have clout to their credit and can bank off of familiarity. Before The Force Awakens took over, Jurassic World was 2015's highest grossing film - and that was essentially a film predicated on Jurassic Park nostalgia. You'll still get a few surprises (The Martian made last year's Top 10), but it's mostly able to predict who will win a good decade in advance if the release dates are available. Considering that people admit that some of these big hits are bad, it makes matters a little more confusing, especially when you compare it to The Return of the King from a decade earlier. 

It also generally feels tainted because whereas it was normally about box office grosses in the same format, now there's additional costs to consider. How much of this is being influenced by 3D and IMAX surcharges? It's not entirely clear. Of course, and this is largely a factor, I think that the impact of film as entertainment doesn't hold its value in the social consciousness. Yes, a great film is great, but many people's claim that it's currently "The Golden Age of Television" begs the question of why go out when you have better content for free? There's too many options, and it's even caused people like Steven Spielberg to question the medium in recent years.

Of course, it's fascinating to think of what does well in light of this. Unlike even a decade ago, ticket prices have increased by an embarrassing amount in most populated cities. The value of taking a family of four to a movie is no longer a cheap and accessible option, but more of a considerable portion of one paycheck. So of course TV begins to seem more interesting and it more than explains why some years experience lower box office records. 2014 may have had high profits, but it was noted that in terms of audience, not as many people came out. There are sensible, cheaper theaters out there, but they're not always located in a town near you or always the best kept. 

The mystique that I had of seeing movies in theaters likely would've been different had I been a teenager now. Sure, I may have looked more at The Avengers and The Force Awakens with that familiar awe, but it would also feel less genuine. In 2009, prior to Avatar, only one film had grossed a BILLION dollars. Now 2015 has FIVE films that earned it. Suddenly, the daunting peak by which a popular film is separated from a zeitgeist film feels absent. There's no way to distinguish your Gone With the Winds from your Minions. Basically, it is no longer a measure by films we'll remember, but by which studio did a little better. Be honest, will anyone talk about Jurassic World with reverence in 10 years?

I still care about various box office records, but they're usually for the smaller films. I like to see how limited releases do, if just to know that there's some genuine competition still around. It's still a field where word of mouth dominates and familiar auteurs keep beating their records. If anything, it's the area now that feels more interesting and is allowed to have unexpected results. It also is more likely to expose audiences to films that they otherwise wouldn't. For instance, the success of It Follows was impressive solely because it went from a V.O.D. release to a theatrical release. If you want your box office surprise stories, go to the limited releases. There's some heartwarming surprises there.

So, do I care that The Force Awakens is about to break Avatar's record (at least in American box office)? It's sort of exciting to know that there's a new title to thrust alongside Titanic as the indomitable peak. However, I have become jaded to the appeal of big money makers because of Avatar's success. In fact, there's large portions of its run that feels almost too manufactured for this achievement. It's the sideshow flair shtick. I doubt that we'll ever have a major original film (outside of Disney) ever dominate a year's box office ever again. It's sort of sad, and while I am enjoying The Force Awakens' towering presence right now, I kind of wish that it would happen later than sooner, if just to not reek of the immediacy that makes some of these box office heavyweights so unappealing.