5 Reasons Avatar Is a Mega-Hit

James Cameron's Avatar is inventive and smart, but it's become such a huge success so quickly that one has to wonder if some larger cultural factors aren't at work. Here are five theories from io9:

1. Escapism. The Great Recession fills our lives with endless drudgery, and this film is the grandest escapist fantasy out there.
2. Corporate tie-ins. Fox masterminded a multi-faceted marketing strategy involving Coke Zero, LG, McDonald's, Panasonic, and Mattel.

3. Movies are making more in general. The main reason for this revenue swell is studios' improved ability to sell films to audiences around the globe.
4. Conservative backlash. The Weekly Standard may have done Avatar a favor by calling it "anti-American" and "anti-human"—all PR is good PR, after all.
5. Fox's Internet savvy. The studio deftly responded to initial disappointment over the trailer by releasing a steady stream of online content to keep the conversation going.

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