Avatar: The Way of Water | 16 DEC 2022 | Don't worry guys, critics like it

[Porthos]

31 minutes ago, Deep Wang said:

In my opinion, this Avatar re-release is a better test run to see how much demand there even is for 3D.

 

Well, I think the uptick on 3D usage for MoM and L&T was more of a gauge/test run on the part of Disney, but yeah I agree with this as well.

 

At the very least I'm seeing signs of Disney trying to prime the pump when it comes to getting folks re-accustomed to PLF 3D in peak viewing periods.

[Porthos]

8 minutes ago, Porthos said:

 

Well, I think the uptick on 3D usage for MoM and L&T was more of a gauge/test run on the part of Disney, but yeah I agree with this as well.

 

At the very least I'm seeing signs of Disney trying to prime the pump when it comes to getting folks re-accustomed to PLF 3D in peak viewing periods.

 

Relatedly, if Fri and Sat are any guide there are exactly zero showings for PLF 2D for this re-release locally. 

 

Not even one at 10am or 11pm.

 

Which is damned curious.  And interesting.

 

Which makes me wonder... Will there even be any 2D PLF showings for Avatar 2?

 

I always thought that if Cameron had his way, he'd go for a 3:1 split on 3D:2D showings for A2, just judging by hazy memories of A1. But I have to admit, until now the thought didn't cross my mind that he'd push for 3D exclusivity for PLF showings.  But that there isn't even one 2D showing for PLF locally makes me wonder.

 

Now I realize back in the day, it is all but certain that the largest screens/best auditoriums were set aside for 3D showings.  But a major difference between 2009 and 2022 is that those best auditoriums have now been converted to (or had built along side) price segmented PLF screen(s). 

 

Yes, IMAX was a thing back in 2009, but the other formats weren't.  XD started its rollout in 2009.  RPX in 2012.  Dolby in 2015. Other smaller chains have rolled out their own PLFs in the same time period. Not to mention DBOX and 4DX and all the rest. 

 

There has not only been an explosion in PLF since 2009, but a clear market shift in buying habits.   It's no longer a case of 2D vs 3D tickets, but a plethora of different formats all across the ticketing spectrum.

 

In 2009, the choice was rather simple: 2D or 3D, with IMAX if you were lucky enough to be near one.  Now though?  Not nearly as much.

 

What happens if the public isn't given ample opportunities to see A2 in 2D PLF showings?  Is Disney gonna try the "eat your vegetables"/"for your own good" strategy and try to force a 3D PLF format on a public, which in the DOM market at least, has moved away from it?   If so, will the GA shrug its shoulders and buy it in the same amount as they would for 2D.  Or will there be some resistance to it?

 

I don't know.  What I do know is that whenever 3D and 2D are plopped side by side locally, there is a clear preference for 2D.  By a couple of orders of magnitude.  What I don't know is what will happen if the choice is either taken away, or set aside to undesirable hours.

 

[IronJimbo]

@Porthos

 

I think the play is to force people into 3D for the remaster to drive a narrative that Avatar 3D is actually good and the rest of cinema is garbage. Which is probably also why they're adding an avatar 2 scene onto the end.

 

Then when A2 comes out, release in the highest skew possible towards 3D.

This is only really a problem in the domestic market as they're the biggest haters of 3D.

[M37]

1 hour ago, Deep Wang said:

 

That's a good point, but I have to imagine that's an insane cost and might be 1/2 screens per theater at best, right?

 

Am I crazy or haven't there still been 3D movies?  Like, weren't all the MCU movies last year as well as DS2 and Thor available in 3D?  I'm not saying they did WELL in 3D, but they were huge releases that had at least a few showtimes in 3D, right?  

 

I guess I just don't understand where all this talk started about 3D equipment being unused or whatever is coming from?  I'm so confused lol.

 

In my opinion, this Avatar re-release is a better test run to see how much demand there even is for 3D.

It’s not been completely unused, just collecting dust, but also not frequently used. Some of the MCU films did have 3D, but very limited showings, where a 16 plex may have had say 1 full screen and maybe an additional 1-2 shows in 3D for NWH, out of their four 3D capable auditoriums. And many didn’t use their largest 3D aud - and haven’t in a long while - to allocate those seats for the more popular 2D.

 

Avatar will be the first release in a looong time where 3D shows will be in the largest possible auditoriums across the country, which is certainly an anomaly, and why I referenced it as test run of sorts. Do agree on also guaging the residual popularity of 3D as well

 

 

[TheDude391]

I feel like even the most ardent 3D haters would still concede it was great for Avatar though? The exception to the rule. 

[Reddroast]

5 minutes ago, IronJimbo said:

@Porthos

 

I think the play is to force people into 3D for the remaster to drive a narrative that Avatar 3D is actually good and the rest of cinema is garbage. Which is probably also why they're adding an avatar 2 scene onto the end.

 

Then when A2 comes out, release in the highest skew possible towards 3D.

This is only really a problem in the domestic market as they're the biggest haters of 3D.

I know numerous people who get headaches from 3d or have to wear it over their own glasses. I think it's more people actually want to enjoy the film and not have to deal with vision issues or migranes

[IronJimbo]

5 minutes ago, Reddroast said:

I know numerous people who get headaches from 3d or have to wear it over their own glasses. I think it's more people actually want to enjoy the film and not have to deal with vision issues or migranes

 

well they can watch in 2D

[SchumacherFTW]

The last few years, the only way movies were shown in 3D at my cinema was in 4DX exclusively. And that was a lot of movies, every time a movie had a 3D option, it was exclusively screened in 3D for the 4DX screen. I think Jaws this week is the first standard 3D release we've had at my cinema since maybe Endgame. 

[hw64]

5 minutes ago, TheDude391 said:

I feel like even the most ardent 3D haters would still concede it was great for Avatar though? The exception to the rule. 

 

Yes, exactly. That the domestic general public overwhelmingly (?) prefers 2D to 3D for other movies is largely irrelevant to what their preference for Avatar 2 will be.

[Reddroast]

11 minutes ago, M37 said:

It’s not been completely unused, just collecting dust, but also not frequently used. Some of the MCU films did have 3D, but very limited showings, where a 16 plex may have had say 1 full screen and maybe an additional 1-2 shows in 3D for NWH, out of their four 3D capable auditoriums. And many didn’t use their largest 3D aud - and haven’t in a long while - to allocate those seats for the more popular 2D.

 

Avatar will be the first release in a looong time where 3D shows will be in the largest possible auditoriums across the country, which is certainly an anomaly, and why I referenced it as test run of sorts. Do agree on also guaging the residual popularity of 3D as well

 

 

I check the 3 theaters closest to me. Only one ( my hometown theatre) the other 2 are not showing it. It's interesting because one of the theatres that is not showing it is in a major tourist destination

[XXRDJisDoctorDoom]

@charlie Jatinder Do we have an approximation of the 3D/2D split for Avatar? I'm curious how many people actually saw it in 3D vs 2D.

 

FTR, I will not be seeing A2 in 3D unless they figure out glasses-less tech in the next 90 days 🤣

Edited September 16, 2022 by Babylon XXR

[Porthos]

44 minutes ago, TheDude391 said:

I feel like even the most ardent 3D haters would still concede it was great for Avatar though? The exception to the rule. 

 

I literally don't know!  Like, literally literally.

 

This is a fascinating test case, even on a psychological level.

 

One of the reasons I mentioned the rise of PLF now versus 2009 is back in 2009, it was perhaps an easier psychological hurdle to cross to go from, say at the time, $7 tickets to $9 if all one had were those $7 and $9 tickets (not counting matinee).  Choosing between two choices might be different than choosing between four or five (or even six or more) options.  Paradox of choice and all that.

 

See, what I'm trying to get at here is back in 2009 there wasn't a format that was seen as a clear and superior alternative for "the best cinema experience".   Unless one had access to IMAX, naturally.

 

Sure, among the more knowledgeable folks of the GA, they would know to try to get to the auditorium that was larger/better.  But it still wasn't easily seen just by glancing at movie listings, unless a theater went out of their way to make folks know which ones were their better screens (and some did like my local Century Arden - pre-renovation).

 

But generally speaking, all movie showtimes were more or less the same, so there wasn't as much of a barrier to cross from 2D to 3D.  People weren't primed to view one screen/showtime as inherently better as another.  At least not as much.

 

Now though, PLF screens have a clear advantage, and the market has spoken with its wallet.  And I will be very interested to see just how many of those showtimes will be 2D, again, if any.  Will folks look at this the same and just cross from 2D to 3D, or will enough folks be annoyed at being "forced" to chose 3D?  I literally do not know.  

 

For me, even more than public fondness for the IP, this is the biggest wild card of them all for this release.

[Maggie]

The thing Avatar is mostly famous for is re/introducing 3D to the masses, but it's interesting that 3D didn't take off. Avatar and only a few other immediate movies benefited from it. But 3D is basically dead now, so Avatar was a one hit wonder with regards to this technology. I seriously doubt Cameron can trick the public again into being in awe of 3D.

[Elessar]

Just now, Maggie said:

I seriously doubt Cameron can trick the public again into being in awe of 3D.

 

Cameron didn't trick anyone, he proved 3D can be awesome and people agreed. The ones that followed in Avatar's wake tricked people and that was the format's downfall (plus shitty theaters). I believe people will remember how good 3D can be if done right.

[Ozymandias]

This is gonna do very well and set us back another 15 years with 3D

 

By the time this is out, there won't have been any big things in the theaters for 4+ months except maybe Black Panther.  And the only big TV/streaming event this year that turned out pretty great is House of the Dragon and maybe Andor if public sentiment lines up with critics.  People are starving for something, and I think at this point Avatar being merely competent would be enough for it to blow up.

[Maggie]

4 minutes ago, Ozymandias said:

This is gonna do very well and set us back another 15 years with 3D

 

By the time this is out, there won't have been any big things in the theaters for 4+ months except maybe Black Panther.  And the only big TV/streaming event this year that turned out pretty great is House of the Dragon and maybe Andor if public sentiment lines up with critics.  People are starving for something, and I think at this point Avatar being merely competent would be enough for it to blow up.

This i agree with. 800M is the floor.

[Menor the Destroyer]

5 minutes ago, Maggie said:

This i agree with. 800M is the floor.

What's the ceiling then?

[interiorgatordecorator]

20 minutes ago, Ozymandias said:

This is gonna do very well and set us back another 15 years with 3D

 

By the time this is out, there won't have been any big things in the theaters for 4+ months except maybe Black Panther.  And the only big TV/streaming event this year that turned out pretty great is House of the Dragon and maybe Andor if public sentiment lines up with critics.  People are starving for something, and I think at this point Avatar being merely competent would be enough for it to blow up.

 

• Kraven the Hunter (Columbia Pictures – will screen in IMAX) – October 6, 2023, Holiday Weekend (from January 13, 2023)
•  untitled True Haunting movie from Screen Gems that is actually going on Jan. 6, 2023

the competition getting a little bit more pathetic 

Edited September 16, 2022 by interiorgatordecorator

[Maggie]

4 minutes ago, Menor Reborn said:

What's the ceiling then?

[Eric Prime]

5 minutes ago, interiorgatordecorator said:

 

• Kraven the Hunter (Columbia Pictures – will screen in IMAX) – October 6, 2023, Holiday Weekend (from January 13, 2023)
•  untitled True Haunting movie from Screen Gems that is actually going on Jan. 6, 2023

competition getting a little bit more pathetic 

Was this ever competition lmao