Sci-Fi Avatar: Fire and Ash

[Link]

You know what... I had such a good time with Fire and Ash today that I'm going to go again next week lmao.

 

[Drizzle]

You know what... I had such a good time with Fire and Ash today that I'm going to go again next week lmao.

(Palpatine voice) "Good...gooooood."

 

[Kane52630]

I don't think anybody can talk about this movie being culturally irrelevant.... those Varang edits are everywhere.

 

[Scarlet Spider]

Cameron was on Michael Biehn's podcast last week. I won't post it because they swear but it's a great listen.

 

[Drizzle]

I don't think anybody can talk about this movie being culturally irrelevant.... those Varang edits are everywhere.

Is it an algorithm thing? I haven't seen anything Avatar related. All I see are Eleven memes:

 

[Link]

View attachment 159904
(Palpatine voice) "Good...gooooood."

OH I didn't even consider the fact that I might see the X-Men teaser in Dolby!! Drizzler, I'm even more excited now.

 

[Drizzle]

OH I didn't even consider the fact that I might see the X-Men teaser in Dolby!! Drizzler, I'm even more excited now.

You're playing right into Disney's plans!

 

[Kane52630]

Is it an algorithm thing? I haven't seen anything Avatar related. All I see are Eleven memes:

View attachment 159908

Maybe but if you search for it, it's all there.

link

 

[Drizzle]

Maybe but if you search for it, it's all there.

Speaking of Varang, I was taken aback by Oona Chaplin speaking with an American (?) accent on the press tour. I don't know if it was Game of Thrones making me think it but I could've sworn she had a British accent. Now there's really no dodging the Cristin Milioti comparisons.

 

[Zantera]

I feel like Varang taps into something that we don't really get in most of these big blockbusters anymore. The sexual component, or the "big mommy energy" or whatever the kids refer to it as. But like every scene with her and in particular a few between her and Quaritch just ooze sexual tension.

 

[blueharvest]

 

[DarkKnight88]

I understand it’s a drop, but it’s funny how “lowest grossing entry in the franchise” is still 1.7 billion. Bigger than any of the non-Avatar top grossing films of the past 3 years lol

 

[:eek:]

Happens to pretty much every franchise that starts big. I mean the latest Star Wars-trilogy started with close to $2,1 billion and ended with around $1,1 billion. Jurassic World has gone from $1,7 billion to $869 million

 

[sueb1863]

Audiences might be getting tired of basically seeing the same story over and over.

I hope Cameron has some other story to tell with this franchise.

 

[Drizzle]

Does betting that this wouldn't make it to $2B still count as betting against Cameron?



Kidding aside, the whole "It won't make it to $2 billion" when it'll still finish comfortably north of $1B is funny. I guess China will sleep comfortably knowing nothing is taking down Ne Zha 2.

 

[Zantera]

The first movie was obviously a phenomenon that just took everybody by surprise. I think what worked in Way of Water's favor was actually the long wait. And I was one of many people who thought "they waited too long, they should have struck while the iron was hot and now it's gonna be a lot less hype".

But I think Way of Water had an element of people being curious again and probably a lot of people thinking "was the first one a fluke or not?" and those special effects with the water scenes was something else and just leagues above any CGI we've seen in the superhero movies or Star Wars for example.

It's only a few years since Way of Water though and it doesn't feel like Fire and Ash has enough of a new gimmick to stand out from the first two. So instead of people coming back multiple times like with the first two, it felt like maybe they were OK with just seeing this one once.

 

[sueb1863]

Novelty definitely fueled the success of the first movie, and the long wait helped the second.

Now the novelty's worn off and the audiences are thinking, OK, what else do you have to make me want to see this?

 

[Drizzle]

It's that and also it's a tougher economic time for Americans in particular to go see a movie multiple times in theaters. If you're seeing Avatar in a premium theater in 3D, you're likely paying between $20-$30 a ticket. For a family of four and throwing in food and snacks, that adds up.

 

[squeekness]

It's that and also it's a tougher economic time for Americans in particular to go see a movie multiple times in theaters. If you're seeing Avatar in a premium theater in 3D, you're likely paying between $20-$30 a ticket. For a family of four and throwing in food and snacks, that adds up.

Big time. It's the main reason I stopped going to the theater.

 

[DarkKnight88]

It's that and also it's a tougher economic time for Americans in particular to go see a movie multiple times in theaters. If you're seeing Avatar in a premium theater in 3D, you're likely paying between $20-$30 a ticket. For a family of four and throwing in food and snacks, that adds up.

Competition is definitely stronger this year. Look at how many films are doing well this Christmas over 2023 when Way of Water was the only game in town.

Also to put into perspective, its legs have actually been stronger than Way of Water. Problem is that film opened much higher initially and more of a head start.

That said, even with “fatigue” this will still make more than Barbie or Deadpool and Wolverine so it kind of shows how huge this franchise is to begin with. It’s not like people aren’t seeing this. It’s just granny and grandpa might not be making it this time around.

 

[Drizzle]

Big time. It's the main reason I stopped going to the theater.

I still go to the movies but not as often as I used to. I never see movies more than once in theaters now when I used to do it all the time. The last time I saw anything twice in a theater was, appropriately enough, The Way of Water three years ago. That has more to do with the shortened window between theatrical and disc/streaming than anything.

 

[Drizzle]

Competition is definitely stronger this year. Look at how many films are doing well this Christmas over 2023 when Way of Water was the only game in town.

Also to put into perspective, its legs have actually been stronger than Way of Water. Problem is that film opened much higher initially and more of a head start.

That said, even with “fatigue” this will still make more than Barbie or Deadpool and Wolverine so it kind of shows how huge this franchise is to begin with. It’s not like people aren’t seeing this. It’s just granny and grandpa might not be making it this time around.

I guess movies like Marty Supreme, The Housemaid and I guess Anaconda are cutting in and drawing attention away. Zootopia 2 is basically the equivalent to what Puss in Boots was when The Way of Water came out.

I'm assuming Avatar 4 will make more in 2029, assuming theaters are still a thing.

 

[Hurm...]

Honestly, the movie is just too damn long. If it was shorter than 3 hours, it would probably get to 2 billion -- but then again, I know nothing about box office.

It didn't have to be as long as it was. That's my main criticism of the movie. It had a somewhat familiar storyline too, but despite that, I really enjoyed the movie. It felt refreshing to have a blockbuster of this scale feel like it had actual, tangible stakes -- unlike all of the superhero movies. I feel like Steven Lang's character is such a strong drawing point. And Verang really stood out too. Sully's moral dilemma in one particular scene was very strong as well.

It's a fantastic, experiential movie like the previous two. It's just a long time to hold your bladder.

 

[Drizzle]

Honestly, the movie is just too damn long. If it was shorter than 3 hours, it would probably get to 2 billion -- but then again, I know nothing about box office.

It didn't have to be as long as it was. That's my main criticism of the movie. It had a somewhat familiar storyline too, but despite that, I really enjoyed the movie. It felt refreshing to have a blockbuster of this scale feel like it had actual, tangible stakes -- unlike all of the superhero movies. I feel like Steven Lang's character is such a strong drawing point as a conflicted character. And Verang really stood out too. Sully's moral dilemma in one particular scene was very strong as well.

It's a fantastic, experiential movie like the previous two. It's just a long time to hold your bladder.

I mean, 4 out of the 5 highest grossing movies of all time are either 20 minutes shy of 3 hours like the first Avatar or at least 3 hours (Avengers: Endgame, The Way of Water, Titanic). The runtime was pushing it this time but I don't think that's a dealbreaker for regular audiences as much as it is for critics.

 

[AVEITWITHJAMON]

Just finished my re-watch of The Way of Water and I'm all set to watch the 3rd movie next week now. I have to say I was struggling to find the time and patience to watch TWOW again but I actually really enjoyed it. The finale is very heartfelt, especially after what happens to Neyteyem and then the rest of the kids saving the parents. Whale's have always been my favourite animal as well so the bond between Lo'ak and Piatam is great for me. Cameron's movies always stand up to repeat viewings.

Looking forward even more to seeing Fire and Ash now.