It was bound to happen eventually. I don't think it will EVER sell as many tickets as SW did, though.

Nowadays, you go to see a movie once or twice and then wait for it to come out on DVD or blu-ray.

In '77, kids went to the theater multiple times, trying to sink in as much as possible before it left theaters because there was no video release of it until several years later (and most didn't have VCRs back then anyhow). Your only hope to see it again was a summer re-release the following year.

The 3D-thing is incentive to see Avatar many times since the technology isn't available for home yet, but I doubt that in today's economy people will be seeing the film 10 or 20 times theatrically.