Avatar (the movie) and its Sequels

[Figments Friend]

Lol, I thought the same thing! They said "bro" as many times as Rose said "Jack" in Titanic. Cameron is great at structuring a story and manipulating audience's emotions, but dialogue isn't his strong suit.

I actually feel the movie could have been even LONGER!! I would have liked to have spent an additional 20 minutes at the start of the film exploring the Sully family dynamic before the humans return.

Agree with the length.
When the film ended, I was like…wait…it’s over?
I looked at my watch in the dark and was stunned,
It honestly did NOT feel like three hours.
When the ending came, I wanted more…and that is good.
The number one rule in entertainment is to ALWAYS leave your audience wanting more.

Of course I am sure it was planned that way since we already know sequels are lined up…and yeah, I felt that.
It hits you at the end, when the realization comes it is the end of the film…and the credits roll.
It is defiantly set up in a ‘to be continued’ sort of way.


And yes, I agree with you regarding the start of the film.

( warning : possible spoilers for those who have not seen the film…skip below if you want to avoid them! )




I liked they way Cameron began this film as I was not expecting it.
In hindsight, it was a little rushed…and felt like he really just wanted to get on with the story.
He did not do what a lot of filmmakers do and cut together a quick repeat/refresh of how the last film ended.
Nope. Not here.
Within what seemed five minutes we are back on Pandora immediately, have a brief few minutes with the central Na’vi characters and then WHOOSH the RDA is landing and torching the Pandorean rainforest.
Crikey…talk about breakneck speed in starting a movie!
Brisk pace…but the effect worked here.

Yes, it would have been welcome to explore that family dynamic better at the beginning.
But Cameron chose to not do this fully until we get further into the story.
Interesting way to handle it, and again, a little different then what one might expect.
But I like different…and he had his reasons to choose to do so.

This film needs to be seen more then once, that is for sure,
I know I missed things the first time around…and will pick up some additional insights the second time.
Always do with complex films like this, and part of the enjoyment of seeing it again is discovering all of those little bits that were missed.

-

 

[_caleb]

I think it will hold well.

I mean, what else are people going to see over the holidays? There's no competition in the blockbuster department. Black Panther has been out for over a month, most people who want to see it have already done so.

Obviously you’ve forgotten Disney’s holiday season sleeper, Strange World.

 

[Figments Friend]

So should I see this movie in standard, IMAX, IMAX 3D, Dolby or Dolby 3D?

IMAX 3D.

The only way to see this.

As Emperor Palpatine once elegantly stated :

“…DO IT…!…”

Enjoy!

-

 

[MisterPenguin]

This Avatar sequel had a budget of $375 Million? And thus requires it to reach $1.1 Billion globally before it breaks even and starts creating some profit for Burbank???

I just don't understand how they spend money like that on a movie. Where does all that money go? (Besides Mimosa tabs at overpriced brunch places in Silver Lake, of course.)

Here are the top 25 biggest budget domestic films and their "rule of thumb" profit analysis. Of those 25, only 5 lost money in the theatrical window. In millions$...

Rank	Title	Year	Cost (est.)	Box Office	"Profit"
1​	Avatar: The Way of Water	2022​	$375​	435​	-345 so far​
2​	Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides	2011​	$379​	1,046​	-46​
3​	Avengers: Age of Ultron	2015​	$365​	1,403​	154​
4​	Avengers: Endgame	2019​	$356​	2,798​	865​
5​	Avengers: Infinity War	2018​	$325​	2,048​	537​
6​	Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End	2007​	$300​	961​	30​
6​	Justice League	2017​	$300​	658​	-121​
8​	Solo: A Star Wars Story	2018​	$275​	393​	-216​
8​	Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker	2019​	$275​	1,074​	125​
10​	John Carter	2012​	$264​	284​	-254​
11​	Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice	2016​	$263​	874​	42​
12​	Star Wars: The Last Jedi	2017​	$262​	1,333​	274​
13​	Tangled	2010​	$260​	592​	-94​
13​	The Lion King	2019​	$260​	1,663​	442​
15​	Star Wars: The Force Awakens	2015​	$259​	2,068​	646​
16​	Spider-Man 3	2007​	$258​	895​	60​
17​	Beauty and the Beast	2017​	$255​	1,264​	250​
18​	Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince	2009​	$250​	935​	92​
18​	Furious 7	2015​	$250​	1,516​	383​
18​	The Fate of the Furious	2017​	$250​	1,238​	244​
18​	No Time to Die	2021​	$250​	774​	12​
18​	Thor: Love and Thunder	2022​	$250​	761​	5​
18​	Black Panther: Wakanda Forever	2022​	$250​	787​	18 so far​
24​	Spectre	2015​	$245​	881​	73​
25​	Avatar	2009​	$237​	2,923​	1,106​

 

[MisterPenguin]

Of course that's an extremely low bar to clear but it's hard to say that the DCEU had gone "downhill" from that - it never climbed up any hill to start with.

The DCEU...

The Twitter trolls who hate Gunn keep bringing up how The Suicide Squad was a financial bomb without acknowledging it was put on HBOmax at the same time it went into theaters. They also refuse to acknowledge how well his Guardians films did.

 

[gerarar]

Got in viewing #2 tonight, and unlike my first viewing where the power in the theater went out 40 mins in, this time I got to see it all the way through!

Just wow, what an experience. Like what others said, when the credits rolled, I was like that's it? I really wanted more. Did not feel like 3+ hours at all, which is a good thing.

All the characters were really fleshed out. Their subplots interweaved and were developed well. The main plot with the RDA was kinda obvious like in the first Avatar, but it was still okay I guess.

Spoiler

There is a slight twist with the bad guy, something I didnt really expect. Was not expecting the main reason for the sky people returning was for whale poaching. That gold sparkly stuff seems like the main reason why they're their again. My only gripe was where did the water tribe people go in the final fights? They just suddenly disappeared when the Sullys needed help escaping from the sinking ship.

The action scenes and the everything in general just looked so so pretty, especially the water/underwater sequences. Already got me thinking of how they can adapt this to FoP at AK.

My family and I saw it tonight in IMAX 3D. We were aiming for 4DX, but everything was already booked up at least a week out. Lesson learned, book early! Also don't drink a lot, or else you gotta hold it in!

9/10
Would watch again one more time in theaters, but probably gonna wait a bit for the right time, like after the holiday rush.

 

[mickEblu]

There is a slight twist with the bad guy, something I didnt really expect.

Well I guess now I’ll be expecting it

That part probably should have probably been hidden under the spoiler tag.

 

[gerarar]

Well I guess now I’ll be expecting it

That part probably should have probably been hidden under the spoiler tag.

Ah shoot. I thought it was included in my spoiler tag, so sorry about that.

 

[mickEblu]

Ah shoot. I thought it was included in my spoiler tag, so sorry about that.

No worries! Maybe I’ll forget by Wednesday? Lol. No but really considering this is Avatar, a spectacle for the eyes, I can’t imagine that it makes or breaks the movie.

 

[Wendy Pleakley]

Well, I saw Avatar and walked home at 2:00 in the morning on icy sidewalks and managed not to injure myself.

Overall, after the reviews said this one was better than the first in terms of story and character I expected a bit better.

The story of the first, of Jake learning to use an Avatar and learning about the world was more engaging to me. This movie felt a bit "more of the same".

Having said that, it's the fun ride one would expect.

For the length, it didn't feel bloated. There's a bit here and there where it could be cut down a little I think. Cameron indulges in his virtual aquarium a bit, but it's fine. I've seen many shorter movies that felt longer than this.

The CG characters felt real. The special effects are amazing.

I avoid 3D movies but when a movie is filmed specifically in/for 3D it can be amazing, and it is here. I saw it in laser digital 3D and the picture was crystal clear.

High frame rate was a mixed bag. It gives some scenes that soap opera look and that is generally not how movies are supposed to look. It was more noticeable at first but I did get used to it. The constant switching between frame rates can be jarring. The movie cuts from a HFR wide action shot to a normal looking character close up and then back to a HFR action shot. It was something different and I didn't love it, but didn't hate it. Given the choice I would not see a HFR movie in the future. My partner disliked it.

James Horner's absence is felt. The score is fine but didn't wow me.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

IMAX 3D.

The only way to see this.

As Emperor Palpatine once elegantly stated :

“…DO IT…!…”

Enjoy!

-

That is not correct. Dolby Cinema 3D does everything IMAX does better and almost always has superior seating.

 

[Jedijax719]

World Cup is over, the holiday season is in full swing, there are no more excuses left. Time for this movie to put the pedal to the metal and show what it is going to REALLY do at the box office.

 

[TalkingHead]

High frame rate was a mixed bag. It gives some scenes that soap opera look and that is generally not how movies are supposed to look. It was more noticeable at first but I did get used to it. The constant switching between frame rates can be jarring. The movie cuts from a HFR wide action shot to a normal looking character close up and then back to a HFR action shot. It was something different and I didn't love it, but didn't hate it. Given the choice I would not see a HFR movie in the future. My partner disliked it.

James Horner's absence is felt. The score is fine but didn't wow me.

HFR toggling (VFR) seems to have elicited more negative feedback than if the whole thing had been presented in HFR. The switching back and forth was distracting especially in the first act. Also agree re: Horner.

 

[BrianLo]

From Deadline:
"Despite Avatar: The Way of Water missing its $150M-$175M projections, rival distribution sources and exhibition aren’t bothered –nor do they believe that the sky is falling for cinema– particularly for a movie that cost according to sources (not Disney) at about around $460M before P&A. When it comes to the ultimate fate of Avatar 2, which was propped greatly by Imax, PLF and premium 3D ticket sales this weekend at 62%, we have to play the long-game. Factor in that 20% of the sequel’s presales are for showtimes beyond this weekend. Normally for an average Marvel movie, their presales stand at 5% beyond opening weekend. Each day from Monday through New Year’s weekend, is like a Saturday at the box office. Media outlets at the time of Titanic and Avatar‘s play immediately declared them bombs before they respectively became the highest grossing movies of all-time (the former before the latter)."


That seems more in line with James Cameron's comments. He was a bit out of whack to suggest it needed 2 billion to be profitable (it doesn't). Also I'm not sure P&A was proportionally as large as the budget was, so the 2.5 "rule" may not exactly track, maybe a 2.3. Either way I said a while ago I think the internal benchmark is more than 1.5 billion.

 

[Joel]

Agree with the length.
When the film ended, I was like…wait…it’s over?
I looked at my watch in the dark and was stunned,
It honestly did NOT feel like three hours.
When the ending came, I wanted more…and that is good.
The number one rule in entertainment is to ALWAYS leave your audience wanting more.

Of course I am sure it was planned that way since we already know sequels are lined up…and yeah, I felt that.
It hits you at the end, when the realization comes it is the end of the film…and the credits roll.
It is defiantly set up in a ‘to be continued’ sort of way.


And yes, I agree with you regarding the start of the film.

( warning : possible spoilers for those who have not seen the film…skip below if you want to avoid them! )




I liked they way Cameron began this film as I was not expecting it.
In hindsight, it was a little rushed…and felt like he really just wanted to get on with the story.
He did not do what a lot of filmmakers do and cut together a quick repeat/refresh of how the last film ended.
Nope. Not here.
Within what seemed five minutes we are back on Pandora immediately, have a brief few minutes with the central Na’vi characters and then WHOOSH the RDA is landing and torching the Pandorean rainforest.
Crikey…talk about breakneck speed in starting a movie!
Brisk pace…but the effect worked here.

Yes, it would have been welcome to explore that family dynamic better at the beginning.
But Cameron chose to not do this fully until we get further into the story.
Interesting way to handle it, and again, a little different then what one might expect.
But I like different…and he had his reasons to choose to do so.

This film needs to be seen more then once, that is for sure,
I know I missed things the first time around…and will pick up some additional insights the second time.
Always do with complex films like this, and part of the enjoyment of seeing it again is discovering all of those little bits that were missed.

-

This is not how you write haikus at all.

 

[Slpy3270]

 WoW did better than expected internationally despite the World Cup final yesterday. Global opening weekend has been revised upward to $441.6 million from $435 million. Should reach half-billion by today or tomorrow.

 

[Wendy Pleakley]

HFR toggling (VFR) seems to have elicited more negative feedback than if the whole thing had been presented in HFR. The switching back and forth was distracting especially in the first act. Also agree re: Horner.

It's similar to when movies switch to an expanded size for certain IMAX scenes. It's cool when it's for a big moment, i.e. now we're going to expand to full IMAX for the duration of this action scene, but is far less appealing when the screen size bounces back and forth constantly such as The Dark Knight Rises or Transformers The Last Knight did.

 

[michmousefan]

Have seen it twice in IMAX 3D; loved it. Oddly, of the three Dolby Cinema screens in my area, the only one showing it in 3D is the AMC location that *doesn't* also have an IMAX auditorium. So even though it's a longer drive I'll hit the DC 3D version sometime in the next 10 days.

My relatively brief review on Letterboxd if anyone is interested: https://boxd.it/3ycdxr

 

[mickEblu]

No worries! Maybe I’ll forget by Wednesday? Lol. No but really considering this is Avatar, a spectacle for the eyes, I can’t imagine that it makes or breaks the movie.

Aw man I’m screwed. Nobody liked the above post. What do you think guys @MisterPenguin and @gerarar should I just wait for streaming? Haha

 

[MisterPenguin]

Aw man I’m screwed. Nobody liked the above post. What do you think guys @MisterPenguin and @gerarar should I just wait for streaming? Haha

I don't see a need to ever step into a theater ever again!! Especially since I have a smart phone with me wherever I go!!!