Is that an Amercan thing or does it just not happen in the north of England. I don't think I've ever witnessed anyone in an audience applauding at the end of a film. It's not like the actors can hear you!
I think it's an American thing. Although I have been on a flight to Spain where most of the passengers gave the pilot a round of applause when he landed ok. That was very weird.
As for Avatar, I get the feeling it will have a long run at the cinema, so I'm going to wait until the numbers die down and go and see it towards the end. The thought of sitting for 3 hours with kids messing about with the whole 3D thing doesn't sound like fun to me.
And as for Avatar the film, I'm not a fan of Sci-Fi so I think my opinion will have to wait until I've actually seen the film. Whilst I'm sure the technology has moved on greatly in this film, it still has a CGI look as far as I have seen from the extended preview they had on Sky HD. Maybe that won't matter to me in 3D?
Cheers
Cris.