Do way too many people have too much money? Is that why

[napi21]

we as Dems are having such a hard time passing things like HC and jobs bills etc?

The reason I asked is because I just heard a news blurb about Avatar, a MOVIE, has made $1.8 BILLION so far! If things are so bad/, how do so many people afford to spend that kind of money?

Please don't think that I don't care about the unemployed and underemployed. That's not true. I've just been having a hard time understanding why so many people don't sem to care, and it seems like if the economy doesn't affect them directly, they just don't care!

[leftygolfer]

1. to be fair, $8 for a movie isn't indicative

but i have a brother-in-law who has the cushiest job in history, travels the world on the company dime, and goes on gambling and golf junkets every few months. so some people definitely have too much. and some us, not near enough.

[napi21]

7. At $8 a pop, that's 225,000 people went to see that movie!

That's a LOT of people if you ask me!

1 800 000 000 / 8.00 = 225 000 000

[Electric Monk]

10. Decimal point fail. Missed it by a factor of a thousand.

1,800,000,000 / 8 = 225,000,000

[JHB]

31. That's worldwide, not just US box office, correct?

and does the 1.8 gigabuck figure include any other forms of merchandising?

[salguine]

23. Eight bucks!? It's $12.50 in New York City.

[TankLV]

2. I'd say it's because a select FEW have too much money...

not "too many"...

and these few control almost EVERYTHING for their own selfish benifit, damn the rest of us...

and, to be honest, I don't ever remember paying a BILLION DOLLARS to go to ONE fucking movie, no matter how good it was said to be...

[Ardent15]

11. Spot on.

nt

[Ozymanithrax]

3. We live in a society of isolated consumers sold by the media...

on this middleclass ideal. Television teaches us that the poor are poor because they are stupid and lazy. The middle class, the prefered class, have beautiful houses full of wonderful things. So, we live our life in pursuit of wonderful things and have lost our link with each other.

Our world is all bread and circus, both provided by the media and big corporations that make an endless stream of new must have gadgets.

[Mind_your_head]

5. +1

[Foo Fighter]

8. That's my take on it too.

You know the old saying: "It's your neighbor loses their job, it's a recession. If you lose your job, it's a depression." Living in relative isolation from our neighbors and being spoon-fed what to think from the tee-vee only exacerbates the problem. Just today, they announced that consumer confidence is up. Hooray! Let's all go out and spend money!

Now, I'm no expert and I don't know how they measure "consumer confidence" but I suspect it's nothing more than one of the many bogus stats they throw at us. In talking to my neighbors and co-workers, I'd have to say consumer confidence is down. Like waaay waaay down. Most people are scared shitless about whether they will have a job next month and have zero confidence that things will get better. They all think it's all downhill from here and things will get a LOT worse before they ever get better. If they get better at all. The see the current government as offering "more of the same" and they're not at all happy about it. Not one bit.

[leftstreet]

26. +1

[bluestateguy]

4. No

A few people have too much money.

[butterfly77]

40. and they are the ones...

who lead the debate in this country and many don't even realize it and don't know what is going on and that is what they are counting on,but there are beginning to be more who are sitting at home now who are starting to figure out what has been going on for years..

[sandnsea]

6. 90% of people are employed

Although I've long thought the economy is geared towards the top 40% and they can still spend $8 on a ticket.

[Mind_your_head]

14. Hehehe.... yeah, I'm one of the 90% employed of which you speak.....

I'm makine a WHOLE $9.00/hour now (way less than I made 25 years ago with a salary, benefits, AND the company paid for my school expenses).....

oh, but I'm 'employed' now. But, forgetting all of that, let's do some 'math' now, shall we?

$9.00/hour x 40 hours = $360.00

$360.00 x 52 (weeks in a year) = $18,720

WOW, I'm RICH!!!!!

~~~~

1) 90% AREN'T Employed

2) Even if you are 'lucky' enough to be called 'employed', you ain't makin' sh&t (a living wage)

Stop talking sh*t about just being 'employed'. Just being employed doesn't mean that you are making enough money to cover your/your family's costs and then some to go out and 'do what you want'.....that just isn't "happening"

[sandnsea]

18. Okay. Now address the rest of what I wrote n/t

[Mind_your_head]

25. ?????

What would you like me to address? What is this "top 40%" of which you speak? It's "not me ANYMORE", so I can't address it.

What is your question please?

[sandnsea]

28. And "they can still spend $8 on a ticket"

So clearly I wasn't talking about people making $9 an hour who are most obviously not the top 40%. But since you aren't ANYMORE, well at least you were at one point which is more than most of the bottom 60% will ever be able to say.

[MadHound]

36. Actually it's more like 80-83%, given the number of people who have given up looking for work

A figure that conveniently goes by the wayside when the government talks about unemployment.

[StClone]

9. Why is Mylee Cyrus worth nearly a billion?

Many people spend money on small (Often faddish) things, repeatedly, especially the young. It adds up.

Will your daughter ask for a tat like Cyrus's: Miley Cyrus' Tattoo On Her Chest (under left breast for Christ's sake) says "Just Breathe." Just freaking breathe! Genius I tell yah.

[Cleita]

12. Way too few people own everything but many people have a little discretionary.

income to spend on a movie like Avatar. Most people with jobs can plunk down the price of a move, like maybe $15. Since the movie is released worldwide, it's not hard to figure out how it could gross so much.

[dysfunctional press]

13. too many people have too little money...and too many people have too much money...

and POOF went the middle class.

[ChicagoSuz219]

15. Movies always make money in a recession/depression...

...even at $8 a ticket, it's still a cheap form of entertainment when compared to dining out, Broadway shows, concerts, traveling, etc.

[Skittles]

29. yes

movies are a normal part of "staycations" during a recession as opposed to vacations when times are good

[gmoney]

16. it's not like tickets were $1000 each

That's worldwide ticket sales, IIRC, and in big cities and IMAX, the ticket prices are probably closer to $15 each.

I think it's more indicative of the dearth of decent movies out lately, especially in the action genre. And it was extremely well hyped, and to be fair, the graphics are pretty revolutionary.

[Mind_your_head]

21. When you only make $350/week ..... $15 is a LOT of money .....

come down from your kingdom and see what the 'real' people (your base) have to deal with.....they're not going out to the moooovies, even though they would *love* to.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

22. Yeah, I'm not buying it.

Everybody goes to movies.

[Mind_your_head]

24. I don't. I've got car insurance (to get to my job) and my phone, and utilities

and food to pay for....and then there is mortgage/rent.....

A movie is a luxury now, which I just can't afford.

My kids needs clothes, underwear, books, teethcleaning, a physical for school.....#360/week doesn't go very far. It SURE ain't taking us to any movies.

I'm RESPONSIBLE and don't spend my money on *useless crap*....and going out to the movies is now "useless crap" in our now 'economic world'...that's just "how it is".

[ProudToBeBlueInRhody]

33. You seem very angry

Some of us make $350 a week, but we don't have kids. Maybe we can spend 20 bucks a week to treat ourselves to something. For me it's hockey games. For some it's movies. You don't afford yourself such treats. Good for you. You are better than us.

[lukasahero]

38. I also think people forget how many kids go to the movies

Everybody here is talking like adults with mortgages and kids are the ones who are going to see movies. They're not.

"Demographics

Of the total U.S. population (which is about 265 million), the two largest groups that go to the movies are 16 to 20 years of age and 30 to 39 years of age. Each group makes up approximately 19% of the theatrical, movie-going population. Attendees under 30 years old are, and have been, the dominant force in the movie-going public."

http://www.mecfilms.com/moviepubs/memos/moviein.htm

[gmoney]

30. I understand that...

The OP just made it sound like the success of Avatar had something to do with Wall Streeters having money to burn, so they went to see a MOVIE.

Avatar is succeeding because everyday people are excited to see it, some multiple times. This is NOT because they have "too much money" -- it's just that they're choosing to spend it on this.

And the $15 ticket mention had to do with those who were sugggesting the average ticket price was $8, when it's probably somewhat higher, so maybe not quite as many people have gone to see it.

Yeah, you should see my kingdom...

[ProudToBeBlueInRhody]

32. In my area, matinees are five dollars

I think they are most places.

[gmoney]

39. I'm in Ohio, and here first run matinees are $7 or $8

I think some theaters may even be charging a little extra for the 3-D.

Plus, the theatre at the fancy mall doesn't even have matinee prices.

But whatever. The movie is making a ton of money because it's popular, and many people who have some disposable income are choosing to go and see it. Many of them are enjoying themselves, which is the purpose of living. Granted, not everyone feels they can spend the money to go because of their financial situation. But that doesn't mean nobody should go. And it doesn't make those who choose to go bad, or insensitive, or elite, or unconcerned with those less fortunate.

The OP was written as if he were bemoaning the skyrocketing sales of jewel-encrusted ivory back-scratchers.

[shraby]

17. Even in the Great Depression the movies did quite well.

It was a rather cheap way to escape from the worries. I don't know why they would do so well now though with television, the internet, and video rentals.

[JDPriestly]

19. I saw the movie, but I hope that DUer enthusiasts for Avatar

remember that this $1.8 billion will go to Fox News Corp.

Two major investors in Fox News Corp. are, of course, Rupert Murdoch and second largest investor Saudi Prince Alwaleed. So if you see it, you are putting money in their pockets.

Great visual effects -- but remember who profits.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

20. There's as much money now as there was before the recession.

This country's swimming in cash.

It's just not flowing through the series of tubes as quickly as it should be.

[ProgressOnTheMove]

27. What it really teaches us s we have to make health care cover Pandorans then people will care.

[PA Democrat]

34. Actually, Hollywood did pretty well during the Great Depression.

People went to the movies to escape the harsh reality of life. I would guess it's still the same today.

http://xroads.virginia.edu/~ug02/film/hollywooddepression.html

[ProudToBeBlueInRhody]

35. "Brother, can you spare a dime?"

Or in this case, eight bucks.

[Lorien]

37. During the Great Depression the film industry did quite well

people needed escape more than almost anything. "Avatar" is fantasy fluff that's completely immersive; it takes people away from their own problems to a place where the weak triumph over the powerful. No wonder it gets so much repeat business!