Fox says `Avatar` is costliest film it`s ever made
by Daniela Deane and Mairi MackayWe experience the world in 3D, why should we experience film any different?
–James Gianopulos, CEO of Fox Filmed EntertainmentLondon, England (CNN) — Hundreds of millions of dollars is a lot to spend on a film featuring a bunch of blue aliens — but that`s exactly what Fox Features has done with new 3D sci-fi "Avatar," which the movie studio says is the most expensive production it has ever made.
In an interview with CNN just before the movie`s worldwide release later this month, James Gianopulos, co-chairman and CEO of Fox Filmed Entertainment, wouldn`t divulge the figure spent on the sci-fi blockbuster.
Guessing the multi-million dollar sum of the latest film from director James Cameron has been a popular game for industry watchers for some months: a recent article in the Wall Street Journal speculated the film`s final tally could exceed $300 million.
"It is the most expensive film we`ve made, but now, having the luxury of hindsight, it is money well spent, so I`m not concerned about it," Gianopulos told CNN at the Thessaloniki film festival in Greece.
Nevertheless, if some of the projected numbers are right, "Avatar`s" budget would exceed the current most expensive film ever made. Currently, that crown is held by "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World`s End," with a budget of an estimated $300 million, according to box office-tracking Web site boxofficemojo.com.
But then Fox has been here before with Cameron. "Titanic" (1997), his previous feature, cost a record-breaking estimated $200 million at the time.
It was an investment that paid off — "Titanic" bagged more than $1.8 billion worldwide as well as a clutch of movie awards including a best director Oscar for Cameron himself
Read the whole story here: http://edition.cnn.com/2009/SHOWBIZ/Mov … ianopulos/
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