Last night, husband DJ and I watched Avatar for the first time. We very very rarely go out to the theater to see a film, but thanks to our new Netflix account, we are catching up on the past few years of Hollywood.
To be sure, it was an amazing 2 hour and 45 minute cinematic experience. The computer generated film was incredible to watch and had a story that, though very predictable, told a message of the evil of greed.
We were curious to see how much the movie cost to make so we googled it.
$500,000,000.
That's 500 million dollars. To make, promote and distribute Avatar. Half a billion dollars. And so far it has brought in $2.7 billion in box office sales around the world. And it is coming back in theaters which only means that the revenue will go higher.
20th Century Fox amd James Cameron must be rubbing their hands with glee.
About a movie about greed.
Hey, I love a good movie. I love to laugh, cry, be moved and awakened by a film just as much as anyone. But something just really bothers me about these huge sums of money.
And talking of money...today we are taking our boys to the NY Jets open practice, where we get to watch big men thowing a ball around, running a few yards, and earning millions of dollars for doing so.
Something just really seems screwed up.
I know I could write a lot about this. So could a lot of people...We are responding to the desires of our society - people want to see this so they will pay, etc etc. Our need for entertainment etc etc.
And on the other side...I lived in India for a year, and have had fantastic opportunities throughout my life to travel the world and see how most people live. It's a far cry from billion dollar movies and throwing a ball around for millions. Sometimes I just get completely overwhelmed by the amount of wealth that is in our world and the depths of poverty.
It just seems really messed up that we spend billions and billions on entertainment when most of the world is suffering in poverty, disease and war. And I love a good movie and am willing to pay to see one. And I also enjoy watching football.
So how can we balance it all? I wish I had an answer.
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Don't even start me on this subject!
ReplyDeletei have no problem with entertainment and sport but i have HUGE issues with people making such alot of money out of it.
Ever since I read your post, I have struggled with a response. I have been trying very hard to find balance in my life, and to bring up my children with that same balance.
ReplyDeleteI see the disparity in our society daily; I work at our local food bank. How do we achieve balance in our lives when we are surrounded by images of affluence and opulence thanks to the 24 hour news cycle?
I struggle with what we need in our lives versus what we want. I'm afraid I don't have any answers, Deb, but I can tell you, you're not alone in the search for balance!
Mary Ann