Fox films | In Avatar, Murdoch's anti-NYT nuke

As The Wall Street Journal readies its nascent New York City news bureau to battle The New York Times, controlling shareholder Rupert Murdoch has another weapon at his disposal: Huge profits from Avatar, which is being distributed by the media mogul's Twentieth Century Fox division. In a new post today, blogger Ken Doctor smartly notes that News Corp. -- holding company for the WSJ, Fox and other media properties -- stands to earn $1.5 billion or more from sci-fi epic Avatar alone.

"That compares to the Times Co.'s total revenue of less than $2.5 billion in 2009," Doctor says, "and probably a small operating loss (the company reports its full 2009 on Feb. 10.)" He continues: "If you're Rupert Murdoch though, you just have to say, 'Take some of that blue people money and invest it in the Journal. Remember I said I wanted to kill the Times.' Maybe send them flying into the infinity of the flux vortex."

Fox films | Why Alvin's worth more than Avatar

Avatar's $1 billion in ticket sales may grab all the headlines for News Corp.'s Fox movie studio, which released the futuristic sci-fi blockbuster. But Fox's other holiday movie, Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel, may well be worth more, Rolfe Winkler argues on Reuters' Breaking Views website. Why? Avatar may well be a one-time event, given that it took director James Cameron 15 years to produce the epic.

But Alvin is a franchise, notes Winkler. He says the first film grossed $361 million worldwide, while the newest one has taken in $255 million after just 12 days.

Avatar is nothing to sneeze at, of course: It's expected to add $100 million "and counting" to NWS' $4 billion in operating profits, Winkler says. "But,'' he writes, "multiply by five the $40 million the Squeakquel is expected to squirrel away to reflect the likelihood the venerable franchise will endure.''

Related: read Winkler's article in full via The New York Times

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