‘Avatar: The Way Of Water Wont Save Movie Theaters. But Heres How It Can Help
How much pressure is there on avatars? Waterway” will hit theaters at the box office this weekend.
Consider what James Cameron's submarine went through while exploring the wreckage of the Titanic under the sea. I mean, a lot.
For the Oscar-winning director, the new film, which opened in theaters Thursday, is the culmination of five years of production, mostly underwater, and special effects work that has become a new blockbuster 13 years after the first "Avatar." For Walt Disney Co., it's a revival of what the Burbank entertainment titan hopes will become a successful long-term franchise.
And for theater owners, it's a much-needed way to quench their thirst after a severe drought in ticket sales.
The release schedule somewhat hampered the box office comeback after high expectations earlier this year.
Black Panther is the latest big hit for all audiences. It's Wakanda Forever, which opened just over a month ago and grossed $770 million worldwide. Box office receipts have declined in recent weeks, with several blockbuster releases and a string of high-profile flops (Disney's Weird World, Universal Pictures' Say). Last weekend, the three-day total for all movies in the US and Canada was $38 million, the lowest in nearly a year.
“A lot depends on it,” said Brock Bagby, director of content, programming and development at Missouri-based Liberty B&B Theatres, the fifth-largest theater in the United States with 529 screens in 57 locations. "If the avatar works, we will be saved [the fourth quarter]."
The long-awaited sequel, which cost $350 million to make, saw dramatic changes in the entertainment business, as well as many delays and changes in company ownership from 20th Century Fox to Disney, with the latter absorbing the former. . In 2019. Throughout 2020, the Covid-19 pandemic resulted in the closure of production facilities in New Zealand, including Cameron Productions and Cinema.
"Even when we were allowed to go back to work, the question was... 'If we had finished this movie, would it be showing in theaters now,'" Cameron said, introducing The Way. Waters' world premiere in London, according to a video posted on Twitter. It's about the movie."
Bright expectations. The first Avatar is the highest-grossing film of all time, not adjusted for inflation. After its original release in 2009, Avatar grossed $2.74 billion at the worldwide box office. That number rose to $2.92 billion after relaunches including China last year, led by Marvel's Avengers. game over
Cameron said in an interview that the film had to be among the top five grossing films to be considered a hit. So the goal is an astronomical sum of $2,000 million. Cameron already owns two of the top three movies in the world, Avatar and 1997's Titanic ($2.2 billion). If Waterway achieves its goal, it will occupy three of the top five spots.
"Avatar" could become Disney's most expensive film in its $71.3 billion acquisition of Rupert Murdoch's 21st Century Fox's entertainment assets. Disney already had Avatar 3, 4 and 5 on its 2028 release schedule. Even before buying Fox, the company built Animal Kingdom in Florida, an amusement park based on the fictional world of the Pandora movies.
Disney is not providing executive comment for this story.
According to the show, presales were strong. Pre-sales focus on 3D demos, which were key to the success of the first incarnation. According to box office analysts, the Avatar sequel is expected to earn between $150 million and $175 million in ticket sales in the US and Canada from Thursday to Sunday, making it one of the biggest domestic releases of the year.
Like its predecessors, The Way of the Water must engage the audience at times to achieve its goals. The first incarnation grossed $77 million in the US and Canada alone. Fortunately for Disney, there will be no competition for the next few weeks.
Big-screen provider IMAX Corp. spent six months preparing for this point, meeting Cameron's specifications with the technology, developing a marketing plan and setting up additional movie theaters, CEO Richard Gelfond said.
"I don't think the industry realizes how big it's going to be," Gelfond said. "Not for one weekend, but for the whole movie."
But the movie faced a problem that even Cameron couldn't solve: the lack of film.
During the recovery from the pandemic, viewers were teased with Hollywood movies that equaled and sometimes surpassed pre-Covid blockbusters like Spider-Man. No Way Home ($1.9 billion) and Top Gun. Maverick ($1.45 billion).
However, according to ComScore, domestic box office is down 34% this year compared to the same period in 2019, largely due to fewer mainstream movies in theaters. The fallout from pandemic warnings has caused delays at visual effects companies and forced studios to postpone several titles next year. Meanwhile, the company has been releasing several of its films on streaming services, hoping to increase subscriber numbers.
This year, 67 movies opened on 2,000 or more screens, down 36% from the same period last year, according to the National Association of Cinematographers. Theater Owners, a Washington, DC-based trade group. According to the agency, the average domestic box office gross for movies this year was $89.23 million, which is the same as the average gross per movie in 2019.
MKM Partners analyst Eric Handler said theaters were suffering "obviously something to do with volume." It's a situation he and theater operators hope will improve over the next year as the industry approaches normal release rates. While movies like Avatar: The Last Airbender. 'Waterway' managed to give viewers a glimpse of the upcoming film, which helped build momentum.
"A movie can't save an industry, but a movie like 'Avatar' certainly raises commercial awareness," Handler said. "When you have a hit movie like that, it can attract more moviegoers."
Ever since the sequel was announced a few years ago, the film's prospects have been questioned. After Cameron revolutionized the technology, 3D, once considered the next big thing in projection, has fallen out of style after being poorly adapted to many movie formats. Showings longer than three hours may limit viewing and reduce the viewer's attention span and appetite for repeat viewings.
Common criticism concerns the avatar's cultural significance, or lack thereof; How many people can even name the main character from the original Avatar? Why do generations of fans know all the important characters in the Star Wars universe?
Cameron has an answer for the skeptics.
"If people remember Jake Sully less than Luke Skywalker, that's partly because 'Avatar' is another movie in his mythology," Cameron told The Hollywood Reporter. “Marvel has had 26 films to build a universe where characters interact with each other. So this is an invalid argument. Let's see what happens after this movie.”
Some of these fears have subsided in recent weeks and months.
Cameron has a long history of dealing with big differences in films like Terminator 2: Judgment Day, True Lies and Titanic. This inspired spells for recording studio executives. "Never bet against James Cameron."
Reviews were generally enthusiastic, praising the sequel's innovative motion capture effects and excellent storytelling. According to Rotten Tomatoes, 83% of reviews from critics are positive.
This year's Avatar relaunch grossed an impressive $75.5 million, including $24.7 million in North America. The studio also managed to secure a lucrative release date in China, though that market is tough for Hollywood films these days. "Wakanda Forever" and "No Way Home" did not premiere there. As for the released movies, China is still uncertain due to the coronavirus situation in the country.
When it comes to 3D, viewers coming out of the pandemic are likely to turn to the premium format in hopes that their experience will be similar to the event away from home. El Camino del Agua was built with 3D in mind, not thought out.
According to online ticket seller Fandango, the ratio of buys for 3D screenings of "Water Road" is the highest since 2015's "Star Wars: The Last Airbender." Begbie says in Avatar: The Last Airbender. Water Road' on Tuesday represented the company's fourth-highest pre-sales since 2018. According to him, about 60% of pre-sales come from 3D projections.
Reflecting on the three-hour run, Bugbee joked that he wished the film had an intermission so he could sell more popcorn. But he underestimated how much this could discourage the public.
"I wish we had more shows, but I also think movies like 'Avatar' have a perceived value for a long time," Bugbee said.
Also, many other movies do not claim the screen.
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This story originally appeared in the Los Angeles Times.
