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[Zeliard]

Probably too early, but just a little "what if" for everyone to think about...

If this is the New Hope of Avatar's run, does Avatar 2 have the potential to be the Empire Strikes Back of the series? Now that the world is fleshed out, does it have the potential to pick up a thicker plot in the sequel and totally blow us away?

Possibly. It probably won't happen but I'd like Cameron to hand over the main screenwriting reigns to someone else, and I don't necessarily mean that as a diss. He's brilliantly imaginative and incredibly good at coming up with cool concepts and ideas, but I'd love to see a more skilled writer come in to deal with things like dialogue, character arcs and other aspects that benefit a more nuanced touch.

It would also have the positive side effect of removing some of the pressure on Cameron and allow him to concentrate more on some of the things he can do that few others can. Pandora has been fully-realized, as well as the Na'vi, so the world and its mythology has essentially been built. Keep a similar visual style with the same insane technology, while offering a more poignant storyline and some stronger characterization, and you'll have something truly special.

If the second movie is going to be the "dark chapter", I'd want it to be mostly Cameron who envisions how it goes on the surface since he is adept at thinking up ominous concepts, and he is a gifted storyteller (storyteller). However, he should have someone else come in to essentially write the dialogue and pretty much the entire script, using Cameron's general ideas as a base.

 

[Solo]

Probably too early, but just a little "what if" for everyone to think about...

If this is the New Hope of Avatar's run, does Avatar 2 have the potential to be the Empire Strikes Back of the series? Now that the world is fleshed out, does it have the potential to pick up a thicker plot in the sequel and totally blow us away?

Neytiri: No Jake, I am your mother!

 

[Karma Kramer]

Cameron seems to have a hand in writing all of his movies, I don't see him changing this up anytime soon, but I agree it would be good for him to have some help with dialogue definitely

 

[Cosmic Bus]

i have no hype whatsoever for this and the previews do nothing to attract me to want to watch the movie, that being said, i'm going solely to watch this in IMAX 3D, i havent seen a 3d movie in the theaters since Friday the 13th at a local drive in when i was like 9

Basically the same for me. I'm going to a midnight showing tonight, but have virtually no interest in the movie itself; these "event" releases are just fun to attend and I've never seen a modern 3D movie before. Not exactly looking forward to wearing a pair of 3D glasses over my real glasses for two and a half hours, either.

Last time I saw anything in 3D was a screening of the Vincent Price House of Wax and that was almost 20 years ago. Sheesh!

 

[Xdrive05]

Hey, Gaffers. The positive reviews for this flick are going to make me go IMAX midnight on that ass. So I ask: what's the consensus about the 3D for this movie? Is it a gimmick that detracts from the experience, or is it actually worth it?

 

[quetz67]

Hey, Gaffers. The positive reviews for this flick are going to make me go IMAX midnight on that ass. So I ask: what's the consensus about the 3D for this movie? Is it a gimmick that detracts from the experience, or is it actually worth it?

worth it !!!

 

[Gary Whitta]

Hey, Gaffers. The positive reviews for this flick are going to make me go IMAX midnight on that ass. So I ask: what's the consensus about the 3D for this movie? Is it a gimmick that detracts from the experience, or is it actually worth it?

You DO WANT.

 

[FoneBone]

so contrary to some Gaffers thoughts...a LOT more then a 1/3 of people will be seeing this in 3D. In fact it sounds like the opposite. Only a 1/4 of people will be seeing this in 2D..if they see it in 2D at all. 3D screenings are the major draw...seems like Cameron's wish for 3D to become the ideal format is coming true.

Theaters and screens are not the same thing. Most theaters showing it in 3D will also be playing it in 2D.

 

[Gary Whitta]

By the numbers:

3457 theaters overall
2032 3D theaters
3125 3D screens

That's a lot of 3D.

 

[Xdrive05]

My theater says their IMAX screen is 3D. Does this mean you DON'T have to wear 3D glasses to get the full effect?

 

[PrivateWHudson]

Son of a bitch! I can get babysitting on Sat. afternoon, but all of the IMAX showings are sold out. Now I have to decide whether to wait until Sun for IMAX, or just see it in Digital 3D on Sat.

 

[DMczaf]

By the numbers:

3457 theaters overall
2032 3D theaters
3125 3D screens

That's a lot of 3D.

...those numbers don't add up at all, even with a "2D" typo :lol

 

[quetz67]

My theater says their IMAX screen is 3D. Does this mean you DON'T have to wear 3D glasses to get the full effect?

3D without glasses is a dream the film industry keeps dreaming but doesnt come close to making a reality.

They said 3D would only return if you dont need glasses, they just didnt find any feasable solution, so they were desperate enough to try it anyway.

 

[Solo]

...those numbers don't add up at all, even with a "2D" typo :lol

There are theatres AND screens listed, my boy. You shouldnt add them. There is no 2D typo.

Hes saying that its being shown in 3457 theatres. 2032 of these have at least one 3D screen in them, totalling up to 3125 3D screens. In other words, there are 1.54 3D screens for every theatre which has 3D screens.

 

[Gary Whitta]

...those numbers don't add up at all, even with a "2D" typo :lol

They add up if you understand the difference between theaters and screens. Theaters have multiple screens.

 

[Keylime]

...those numbers don't add up at all, even with a "2D" typo :lol

It makes sense.

3457 theaters overall
2032 3D theaters
3125 3D screens

3457 total threatres.

Of those 3457 theatres, 2032 of them will have 3D as an option.
Of those 2032 theatres, there will be a total of 3125 screens total showing the film in 3D (multiple per location).

 

[Salty]

The Imax theater near me (Lincoln Square) is charging $18.50 a ticket.

 

[Gary Whitta]

The Imax theater near me (Lincoln Square) is charging $18.50 a ticket.

Cameron was right, movies WILL never be the same!

 

[mjc]

The thing I hate most is all these conflicting reports about the quality of the 3D. Real-D, LieMAX 3D and IMAX 3D....why can't they just make a universal medium? I've got tickets for both Real-D and LieMAX 3D but I don't know which one to cancel. Hmph.

 

[Zaptruder]

3D without glasses is a dream the film industry keeps dreaming but doesnt come close to making a reality.

They said 3D would only return if you dont need glasses, they just didnt find any solution.

3D with glasses is the way of the future.

Sorry peeps, the movies lie. Avatar lies. We're not going to get floating holographic displays.

The logistics of the matter is that a personal set of 3D display glasses are the way forward for everyone.

Cheaper and easier to produce than large holographic consoles, projectors and what not.

Available on modern technology (in crude low-res forms).

Has greater flexibility; i.e. it follows your field of vision; you can be immersed in a 3D world, with it tracking your field of view.

Can be used for full immersion situations (gaming, movies, etc), or as augmented reality displays; I know a few of you have seen the TED talk with the Praneev dude and watched his demo with the projector necklace... well 3D glasses is the infinitely more practical form.

So question then is what's that mean for the movie and theatre business?

Probably a shit load of advanced DRM forcing us to pay per view for the first X months of a movies release.

 

[DMczaf]

They add up if you understand the difference between theaters and screens. Theaters have multiple screens.

Whoops, I saw theaters and theaters :|

Speed reading ftw!

 

[Zeliard]

Glasses seem to have reached a point where they're actually comfortable to wear for long stretches of time. Don't think that was always the case. The focus shouldn't be on trying to take 3D glasses out of the equation, but rather to keep making it so that you notice them less and less.

 

[Keylime]

The thing I hate most is all these conflicting reports about the quality of the 3D. Real-D, LieMAX 3D and IMAX 3D....why can't they just make a universal medium? I've got tickets for both Real-D and LieMAX 3D but I don't know which one to cancel. Hmph.

I'd go RealD if I were in that position, but it's so subjective.

Your LieMAX should have better sound, and slightly bigger picture, but the 3D will be slightly less as good.
RealD will give you the exact visual effect that Cameron wanted you to see, have probably a little worse sound, and a slightly small picture.

...I don't know, dude :lol

 

[Zaptruder]

I'd go RealD if I were in that position, but it's so subjective.

Your LieMAX should have better sound, and slightly bigger picture, but the 3D will be slightly less as good.
RealD will give you the exact visual effect that Cameron wanted you to see, have probably a little worse sound, and a slightly small picture.

...I don't know, dude :lol

Go Real D. 3D visuals is the spectacle here, not great sound (although it still sounded pretty great to me).

 

[Zeliard]

I'd go RealD if I were in that position, but it's so subjective.

Your LieMAX should have better sound, and slightly bigger picture, but the 3D will be slightly less as good.
RealD will give you the exact visual effect that Cameron wanted you to see, have probably a little worse sound, and a slightly small picture.

...I don't know, dude :lol

Do LieMAX theaters have their own proprietary 3D tech? The theater I'm going to is a LieMAX but its 3D showings are advertised on movietickets.com as RealD.

 

[mckmas8808]

I think this will be a big deal when it's all said and done. It's going to definitely inflate the revenues for the movie and (maybe) help it beat some predictions.

What are some predictions that you've seen?

 

[Aruarian Reflection]

I've never seen a 3D movie before: if I decide to take off the glasses halfway through because I get nauseous, will the movie still be watchable, or will the picture be completely messed up?

 

[RoboPlato]

I've never seen a 3D movie before: if I decide to take off the glasses halfway through because I get nauseous, will the movie still be watchable, or will the picture be completely messed up?

The picture will be totally blurred. Totally unwatchable. Thankfully, reports are that nausea and stuff are barely happening with this movie.

 

[Keylime]

Do LieMAX theaters have their own proprietary 3D tech? The theater I'm going to is a LieMAX but its 3D showings are advertised on movietickets.com as RealD.

I can't speak to it from a tech perspective (I believe they are different, but most likely related), but when I saw Beowulf in RealD, it was an infinitely better 3D effect than anything I've seen on IMAX.

I'm going to IMAX personally because the massive screen + the amazing sound makes the experience that much more real for me...and I'm hoping the 3D effect isn't completely fucked there...but I don't think it will be :lol

 

[wRATH2x]

Well looks I'm seeing it a week from now, and in 3D.

Hopefully I'll see why Sculli is so happy.

 

[StuBurns]

I've never seen a 3D movie before: if I decide to take off the glasses halfway through because I get nauseous, will the movie still be watchable, or will the picture be completely messed up?

You can't watch it without the glasses, but if you close one eye, you get it in 2D.

As for the formats, I saw it in LieMax, the picture quality was better than the RealD preview I went to. I can't compare it to a real IMAX of course, well not till I get back to London anyway.

 

[ToxicAdam]

What are some predictions that you've seen?

Well, I've only read them here, but people have been saying 70 million opening and 300 million overall gross.

 

[Zeliard]

Fanboys expecting a Transformers-style burst of violence every 15 minutes may find this luxuriant middle section hopelessly fruity, but I watched it in a fugue state of pleasure. It's in this section, too, that Cameron uses 3-D to its most innovative effect; to cite just one example, the jellyfish-like floating seeds that drift through Pandora's night sky seemed to extend from the deep background of the image all the way out into the theater seats. (And I swear I was completely straight the whole time.) At its best, Avatar does seem like a substantively different experience than watching a regular 2-D movie. The effects feel immersive and legitimately "special." They take us to an alternate reality not unlike what Jake must experience when inhabiting his avatar body.

FUCK that sounds so goddamn awesome.

 

[rhino4evr]

Has anyone on the board seen it in Imax 3D? I mean this whole "RealD is the true way to see it" seems a little silly to me. Will most people really be able to tell the difference? Are there reports that the Imax 3D is shitty?

I mean IMAX is a huge freakin screen. If anything will make you feel "inside pandora" it would be on a huge ass screen. I think that outweighs any nitpick about wheter the film is truly digital or not.

 

[Zeliard]

I can't speak to it from a tech perspective (I believe they are different, but most likely related), but when I saw Beowulf in RealD, it was an infinitely better 3D effect than anything I've seen on IMAX.

I'm going to IMAX personally because the massive screen + the amazing sound makes the experience that much more real for me...and I'm hoping the 3D effect isn't completely fucked there...but I don't think it will be :lol

I know that the real IMAX theaters, the huge ones, have their own 3D tech. I'm just wondering if the all-digital, much smaller LieMAX theaters use that same tech or something else like RealD. I'm puzzled as to why movietickets.com lists the 3D showings for Avatar and other 3D movies as "RealD" for the theater I'm going to.

 

[Gary Whitta]

I have been asking around people in the biz, people whose opinions are respected, and everyone is really unwilling to make opening weekend predictions on this one. They are all leaning toward it beating expectations however, perhaps spectacularly so.

I will however share the prediction from the one person I asked who was willing to go out on a limb and give a specific number. I want to make it clear that this prediction does not necessarily reflect my own thoughts or opinions and I do not endorse it, I am lining up with all the people who are shrugging their shoulders and admitting that they have no fucking idea how this moving is going to perform.

But here's the number.

$177m.

 

[Zaptruder]

I have been asking around people in the biz, people whose opinions are respected, and everyone is really unwilling to make opening weekend predictions on this one. They are all leaning toward it beating expectations however, perhaps spectacularly so.

I will however share the prediction from the one person I asked who was willing to go out on a limb and give a specific number. I want to make it clear that this prediction does not necessarily reflect my own thoughts or opinions and I do not endorse it, I am lining up with all the people who are shrugging their shoulders and admitting that they have no fucking idea how this moving is going to perform.

But here's the number.

$177m.

I think he was just humouring you.

But if true, it will easily exceed titanic IMO.

It has the right combination of factors that justify repeat viewings... and this time not just from the girl and lovey-dovey crowd, but from the anyone that is a movie going watcher that can appreciate pop-corn cinema at its finest.

 

[Gary Whitta]

No he was being 100% straight with me, I think the number is crazy though :lol

 

[Solo]

It would do very well to hit HALF of $177M this weekend.

 

[Keylime]

It would do very well to hit HALF of $177M this weekend.

I do think the numbers are going to be inflated due to IMAX and 3D prices being generally higher, but $177 is just balls to the wall crazy :lol

 

[syllogism]

It doesn't even open in enough theaters to get anywhere near that unless that's a WW figure. 70+m would be spectacular really.

 

[Justinian]

It would do very well to hit HALF of $177M this weekend.

That number is ludicrous. :lol

 

[Karma Kramer]

I really hope this beats Titanic... man how would Cameron feel after that haha, two of the biggest box office films by a LARGE margin

 

[GhaleonEB]

I have been asking around people in the biz, people whose opinions are respected, and everyone is really unwilling to make opening weekend predictions on this one. They are all leaning toward it beating expectations however, perhaps spectacularly so.

I will however share the prediction from the one person I asked who was willing to go out on a limb and give a specific number. I want to make it clear that this prediction does not necessarily reflect my own thoughts or opinions and I do not endorse it, I am lining up with all the people who are shrugging their shoulders and admitting that they have no fucking idea how this moving is going to perform.

But here's the number.

$177m.

I think it will beat expectations - which seem to be around $75m - but that seems high. The ticket prices for IMAX and 3D screens will likely out weight the running time, but I can't imagine it gets that high, logistically I don't think it's even possible. I can see it topping $100m easily, though.

But it's all about the legs. How Avatar fares against Sherlock Holmes the next week will say more about it's total gross than the opening weekend.

 

[Combine]

Heh, I'll wait until we start getting numbers before laughing, but weren't there people who were actually claiming that Twilight would beat Avatar numbers wise? :lol

 

[Solo]

Over at BOM, the "Derby", which is a game in which armchair box office gurus can predict weekend box office, the average estimate is at $93M, which seems a lot more reasonable.

http://boxofficemojo.com/derbygame/

 

[StuBurns]

I really hope this beats Titanic... man how would Cameron feel after that haha, two of the biggest box office films by a LARGE margin

It's a much better film, but it just will never have the appeal of Titanic, but I'm sure Cameron is well aware of that. Just being able to make the film must have been a huge relief for him. I hope it does well, if it makes $500m by the end of the cinema run I'm sure he'll be quite happy with that.

 

[Magnus]

$17.50 for a ticket at the Paramount in Toronto, le sigh. IMAX 3D should be nice at least, haha.

 

[syllogism]

Over at BOM, the "Derby", which is a game in which armchair box office gurus can predict weekend box office, the average estimate is at $93M, which seems a lot more reasonable.

http://boxofficemojo.com/derbygame/

It's a bit generous to even call them armchair gurus, that average is ridiculous

 

[Zeliard]

It'd be awesome if it beats Spidey's opening weekend.