Sci-Fi Avatar: The Way Of Water

[Iceman]

Another big weekday at $20.6m Vs $14.4m last Weds.

 

[Scarlet Spider]

Apparently this is real

It's definitely real. I've been eating it since it hit stores.

 

[Comicbookguy339]

FInally saw the film...in HFR 3D and I wish I hadn't. It completely took me out of the movie and I never got used to it. So many scenes just felt sped up. The only movie I had seen in HFR before was the third Hobbit and I remember disliking the format back then as well but this time it was even worse. I literally caught myself cringing while watching. I'm going to give the film another chance in either regular 3D or 2D.

As for the story, I thought it was really weak (but I absolutely admit that I'm probably being way too harsh on it because my experience was miserable doe to HFR). The exposition in the beginning was almost on the level of "Somehow Palpatine returned". Even though the stakes should have been higher this time, the conflict felt a lot smaller than the one in the original. The protagonists also didn't get enough character development. Jake (and especially Neytiri) didn't have a lot to do and with some of the kids you got the gist of what Cameron was trying to do but their arcs never felt satisfying. And the villains were very cartoony, the Australian whale hunter was just so absurd. I hope Cameron can right the ship (no pun intended) with the sequels.

 

[SPO2 Dalisay]

Something definitely got cut there. With its gargantuan length I imagine they got pretty ruthless with cutting it down, in this case, probably too ruthless. Honestly, I can easily picture a version that's 30 minutes longer.

Director's Cut incoming on home release.

Judging from the director's comments about cutting 10 minutes of gun usage intentionally, which I bet came from the battle, it would only be the director's estate releasing it like all the Prince unreleased recordings upon his death

 

[Pennywise]

‘Avatar: The Way Of Water’ On Way To $1.3B+ Global Through Sunday – Deadline

 

[Kane52630]

And it's still got all of January before Ant-Man shows up.

 

[Hunter Rider]

I saw it yesterday, now first things first "Marines don't die, sure you can kill us but we just regroup in Hell!" that is the line of the year and the sister line to "I ain't got time to bleed" that defined 80's action movies!

It's a really long film that will give you numb ass, but it's entaging for the most part as Cameron broaden's the mythology, the water setting is visually incredible and for me made for a more entertaining environment than the jungle of the first film.

The middle section of the film where we learn about the Tucan and Lo'ak bonds with Piacon was great and beautifully told, and along with mysterious Kiri I felt the kids added a lot to the film, from their dynamics with each other and Jake and Neytiri. Tonowari and Ronal are also good additions.

The Quaritch and Spider story was well done, I think they did a good job of not over simplifying it from either characters perspective and getting to it from practically the start of the movie. Spider's conflict after the intense showdown between Quaritch and Neytiri where he chooses to save him but leave him felt realistic emotionally.

The action in the movie is brilliantly shot as always with Cameron, but it's very much left to the last hour and then becomes non-stop, pacing isn't the films strongest suit, but the train heist, the Tulkun hunting sequence and the gigantic finale are all spectacular, the Tulkun hunt is particularly well put together and will no doubt shift a lot of toys with all those vehicles as Cameron fully indulges in his love of water porn.

It's overlong and these aren't the greatest collection of characters but it's greater than the some of it's parts with some truly incredible visual moments, an interesting mythology, an environmental message and huge scale action. It's genuine blockbuster filmmaking for the big screen.

8.5/10

 

[Monsieur Xavier]

The true weakness of the movie is how confortable your theater seats are
Mine is the legs, I need to streach them from time to time.
The 3+ hours flew nicely anyway.

 

[Iceman]

‘Avatar: The Way Of Water’ On Way To $1.3B+ Global Through Sunday – Deadline

This franchise makes billions by stealth with no one talking about it! Everyone seeing it without speaking up. Social media is confused, thought it had all the power.

 

[Filmfreak]

Also it proves how important legs are. There are movies that start strong and go out on a whimper. This and Top Gun had a relatively slower start but held out incredibly well in subsequent weeks.

 

[Iceman]

Also it proves how important legs are. There are movies that start strong and go out on a whimper. This and Top Gun had a relatively slower start but held out incredibly well in subsequent weeks.

Yeah, and as you probably know, the 2 week end of year holiday period has unique box office characteristics and films often open low and keep the numbers up throughout the period before seeing a drop straight after New Year's. Should have a good idea about this one's long term prospects after NY's is done with and we see how it holds after that, but there's already a ton of money in the bank. Should be top 20 worldwide even before legs really come into play and top 7 (Jurassic World @ $1,671,537,444) looking pretty much guaranteed too. just a case of how much more it makes at this point.

 

[Drizzle]

This franchise makes billions by stealth with no one talking about it! Everyone seeing it without speaking up. Social media is confused, thought it had all the power.

It's like a more fun version of a trip to the doctor. Everyone goes, they just don't talk about it afterwards.

 

[Filmfreak]

Is the 2 billion dollars club out of the question at this point?

 

[Iceman]

Oh Thursday's number was $20.1m vs $14.6m last Thursday, so as @Kane52630 mentioned, this week's weekdays have absolutely smoked the opening weeks'. $358m total domestic now ahead of a holiday weekend!

 

[Iceman]

It's like a more fun version of a trip to the doctor. Everyone goes, they just don't talk about it afterwards.

That is one analogy I was not expecting.

 

[Drizzle]

Oh Thursday's number was $20.1m vs $14.6m last Thursday, so as @Kane52630 mentioned, this week's weekdays has absolutely smoked the opening weeks'. $358m total domestic now ahead of a holiday weekend!

I can testify that movie theaters are packed this week. I went to see The Whale yesterday afternoon and there were only about four other people in the theater with me but in contrast to that, the lobby and concessions line were chock full of people and most of them were there for either Avatar or Puss in Boots because they all had 3D glasses. I counted only five actual employees on hand too, it was crazy.

 

[Iceman]

Is the 2 billion dollars club out of the question at this point?

$2B is still a long way off but if it holds Cameron-style after this weekend and the end of the holiday period (even slightly like the first film), especially overseas, then it's certainly possible. If it holds more like a regular leggy blockbuster then probably too much to ask.

 

[Iceman]

I can testify that movie theaters are packed this week. I went to see The Whale yesterday afternoon and there were only about four other people in the theater with me but in contrast to that, the lobby and concessions line were chock full of people and most of them were there for either Avatar or Puss in Boots because they all had 3D glasses. I counted only five actual employees on hand too, it was crazy.

Good sign. Damn, they are going to have their work cut out.

 

[Drizzle]

Good sign. Damn, they are going to have their work cut out.

Some employees could have called out sick but theaters by me are understaffed and have been for quite a few years now. The box office is now mostly automated kiosks and there'll be one person who'll run a register and also simultaneously take/scan tickets. I don't think I've bought a ticket from an actual person at a movie theater in more than a decade. Most of the employees are utilized at concessions, at least until theaters figure out a way to cut costs even more by setting up popcorn vending machines.

 

[Iceman]

Some employees could have called out sick but theaters by me are understaffed and have been for quite a few years now. The box office is now mostly automated kiosks and there'll be one person who'll run a register and also simultaneously take/scan tickets. I don't think I've bought a ticket from an actual person at a movie theater in more than a decade. Most of the employees are utilized at concessions, at least until theaters figure out a way to cut costs even more by setting up popcorn vending machines.

Going to be serious issues if any tech breaks down with big crowds and such low numbers of staff.

 

[:eek:]

"Avatar 3" To Have 'Ash People' Na'vi - Dark Horizons

 

[Gothamsknight]

Omg

 

[Mr. Peanut]

Noteworthy also that James Cameron now with his three latest movies has made over $6 billion worldwide without having to rely on established and popular franchises like Star Wars or superheroes.

I would consider the second Avatar movie as being part of an established franchise. Sure it's a franchise Cameron himself started, but like, we've all known about Avatar as being the highest grossing film for over ten years by now. It's not the same as if he'd come out with another completely new movie franchise and dominated the box office.

I think Avatar was one of the very last new live action blockbuster franchises to make a big cultural splash, actually...certainly the last time a brand-new live action franchise topped the box office (notably, animation seems to have been less badly affected by the domination of old movie franchises, though it was still affected). The biggest live action blockbusters of the 2010s and 2020s have pretty much all been franchises started before 2010...would it even be possible for something brand-new to dominate the box office anymore, nowadays?

 

[Pennywise]

First Avatar 3 Plot Details Reveal Fire Na’vi Plan

 

[Iceman]

First Avatar 3 Plot Details Reveal Fire Na’vi Plan

Sounds interesting. I want new locations but also to keep some revisiting of the jungles and water we’ve seen so far. Also will be cool to see some of the more villainous Na’vi characters.