Funny, you don't look blueish. James Cameron to Make Three Avatar Sequels*

I'm another that has no interest in any sequels. One was another. And that was not a great film IMO. Average. Its not a 'property' that warrants any sequels, I just don't think its a very interesting world. I think Titanic is dreadful as well so his name on a film no longer means anything special to me, which is a shame as he used to make great films.

Much better I think if he worked on different projects, and spent more time with the actors and script instead of special effects.

 

Yes, this article is spot on. I just fail to see why Cameron has such enthusiasm for this franchise. The script was weak, dialogue awful, and the lead actor a dud. I actually preferred the animation in Finding Dory. It seems he's waiting for the advancement of 3D technology, ie when the time comes to dispense with the glasses, but it still looks a long way off. I think when you throw money at special effects, you need a a decent script and a worthwhile idea to back it up. Avatar has neither.

 

Here's the deal, you or I have no idea where they are taking these movies. You didn't like the first one, that's fine, it's still the modern box office king and it was the top selling Blu-Ray of all-time until Frozen showed up. The themes presented in the movie although time-worn clearly resonated with a lot of people, now you take those themes off planet, turn the humans into the alien invaders (little twist there), add the usual Cameron motifs, insert a lot of allegories and present it with great visuals = almost $3Billion in box-office.

For the sequels, the basic story comes from Cameron, the scripts have been developed by three separate teams of writers, (Rick Jaffa/Amanda Silver for II), (Josh Friedman for III), (Shane Salerno for IV), I don't know who's handling V.

They must feel like they have something worth pursuing, why do it otherwise?

 

They must, but the article suggested Avatar has become a forgotten film, which I agree with. It has become something of a footnote, unlike the first Star Wars film, which continues to be revered. I don't see much reverence for Avatar, but I am interested in seeing the sequel out of curiosity, in the same way as I was in hearing Chinese Democracy, and we all know how that one turned out.

 

Hey, I like Chinese Democracy. Avatar? Eye candy and popcorn. It was ok.

 

The buzz and the BR sales were all hype though. Everyone was told it was going to be the greatest movie ever made from the 'master' of modern film so everyone rushed out to see it.

The fact it doesn't get talked about now, and when it does it is in a bad way as a joke, is reason enough why sequels are not a good idea.

I think and animated kids show might work though!

 

Disagree. Whether or not "Avatar" holds up, its success wasn't just the product of hype.

Movies that sell due to hype start big and then fade rapidly.

"Avatar" made 10% of its total gross opening weekend. That's remarkably low for a blockbuster film.

I looked over the list of each year's biggest hits, and for the last 20 years, each one made a higher %age of its final gross opening weekend than did "Avatar".

The last #1 movie with a lower opening weekend %age? "Titanic", with a measly 4.8%!

I'm not a fan of "Avatar" either, but I won't disparage its success with claims of "buzz" and "hype". It was a massive "grass roots"/word of mouth hit...

 

I see where you are coming from but I hold to my argument and I'll explain why.

Avatar was/is unique I think in terms of hype/promotion. It was billed as this first really amazing new way of making films etc etc. The buzz was huge going on, I remember that well, and what I think happened was that people were blow away by the visuals, and then the 'word of mouth' was people telling friends 'you need to see this film it looks amazing', so they were kind of blinded to the problems with the story/script as they were dazzled by the visual imagery. And it was the same with the BR in that it was the early days of the format and people bought the disc as almost a test disc, as it was meant to look so good.

Now we are passed all that, and people have time to reflect, they realise the film isn't good and is derivative and it's not really that great a world people want to revisit. I mean I liked John Carter ok but are people calling for another 5 John Carter films? No.

What Avatar had as it's unique selling point - the visuals - have really been passed and bettered now anyway, in something like Jungle Book, the Apes films.

So the grass roots/word of mouth success was, imo, down to the unique at the time visual aspects of the film. Now that is irrelevant largely no one cares I don't think.

 

I agree with you, but Cameron learned that if you insert a compelling romance (like in Titanic) a weak script, story and acting will not impact the success of the project.

 

This still makes "Avatar" a "word of mouth" hit, even if the WOM was about visuals and not story, characters or whatever.

Just because the movie may not continue to resonate 8 years later doesn't mean people didn't really like it then.

It's not "hype" and pre-release buzz when people tell others to see movies...

 

I don't know how anyone can compare a stand alone film against a mega franchise like Star Wars, 8 feature films and counting....let's see after the first sequel if Cameron is building something special or a real life movie making version of the Titanic.

 

Oh man I can't wait for these Avatar sequels!


Sorry, couldn't make it through that with a straight face.

 

'Avatar' Sequels Get Official Release Dates, Beginning in December 2020

 

I just don't get this strategy. While recognizing Cameron's position that each sequel will stand on its own, such as long interval between the original Avatar and these three sequels just gives time for the buzz and excitement to wear off.

 

NEW YORK, N.Y. – James Cameron has set the release dates for the next four “Avatar” sequels, with the first coming in 2020.

The movie’s Facebook page Saturday posted a photo of Cameron and his massive film crew, who have been working on all four films simultaneously. The post said “Avatar 2” will hit theatres Dec. 18, 2020, and “Avatar 3” comes a year later, on Dec. 17, 2021.

The franchise then takes a three-year hiatus before returning with “Avatar 4” on Dec. 20, 2024, and “Avatar 5” on Dec. 19, 2025. The first sequel had been expected in 2018 but Cameron this year said that timetable wouldn’t be met.

The original 2009 “Avatar” film has netted over $2.7 billion, centring on the conflict between humans and the blue-skinned alien race Na’vi of Pandora.

Good grief....in the meantime can fans at least get The ABYSS and True Lies on Blu-Ray.....




Great to be working with the best team in the business! Avatar takes flight as we begin concurrent production on four sequels. The journey continues December 18, 2020, December 17, 2021, December 20, 2024 and December 19, 2025!

 

I sort of get the 2020 start date but I don't get the 3 year break between III and IV.

 

This is the closest fans get to new footage for a while - it's a 3D fully interactive ride over at Disney - Avatar, getting overwhelmingly positive reviews.

 

I have to admit this is pretty damn cool.

 

Another view of the ride, if this is any hint of what's coming in the movies....love some of the comments in the clip .

 

It so the adult critics who panned the original will die off in-between.

 

And just to bring this thread up to date: today, September 26, 2017, Jim Cameron officially went into production on the first Avatar sequel at Manhattan Beach Studios. The total cost of the four movies he's shooting: $1 billion dollars.



‘Avatar’ Starts Production Today On Four Consecutive Sequels At Over $1 Billion Budget

The first sequel is due out December 18, 2020. Get those tickets in advance.

 

How can it be so expensive when he's doing them together?

How are 4 sequels to a 10-15 year old film going to make it I wonder? I just don't see that happen. Who are the audience? A lot of people have got tired of big effects movies. And non of the casts from Avatar became big names so there is nothing going for it there either.

A good script could help and Cameron usually delivers but this isn't a project that I'm looking forward to.
Cameron should spend his time on other projects. When this is done, it's almost been 30 years since Titanic(!!!)

 

I'm going to hate myself if I end up feeling the need to see these in a theater, especially after thinking the original movie sucked.

 

Holy... so the first two sequels are released in 2020 and 2021. Then a 3 year gap and we'll see the final ones in 2024 and 2025.

Nowadays is usual for a movie to be released about one or two years after the filming is finished, and the actors look more or less the same. This time it will be a little weird to see Worthington, Saldana, Weaver and so on, at the Avatar 5 premiere, about a decade after the final wrap up.

 

These are going to bomb in a spectacular way. They will become the new champions of money-losers at the box office.