You've pretty nicely contradicted your own argument. People will remember Avatar because it opened the floodgate for hordes and hordes of 3d movies. Movies that fundamentally alter Hollywood tend to get remembered. As do films that gross two billion dollars.
Avatar is the same exact storyline as Dances with Wolves, except Dances with Wolves is actually better and it was made 20 years ago. Avatar was nice because of 3D, but it was nothing special.
That could end up being a true statement, but that doesn't mean it's a good thing. The last thing we need is more empty films filled with mediocre CGI and rehashed storylines.