Avatar Budget

The New York Times reported that the budget for the James Cameron film Avatar is approximately $500 million. The articles explains that it is estimated to actually cost $300 million to produce the film, and approximately $150 million is attributed to Fox's plan to spend on global marketing alone, with the remaining $50 million being a cushion for the cumulative costs some of the film's partners have already ponied up (such as Avatar Day, whose bill was footed mostly by IMAX).

Since this blog focuses on film budgets, let's discuss the $300 million to produce the film. Cameron is a unique filmmaker in that he usually works with actors that are not stars. Keep in mind that Cameron made Arnold Schwarzenegger a star in Terminator and then used him in other films. The same applies to Sigourney Weaver. Despite not using a star actor, the usual positive correlation between the size of the budget and the above the line costs remains intact because James Cameron is the star! He has a fan base and awareness level of his name alone that rivals most major movie stars. I wonder if any star actors offered their services below their quote just to work with Cameron.

Whether you liked Avatar or not, audiences were treated to a glimpse of the future of cinema as Cameron introduced them to cutting edge digital and 3D technology.