Avatar: The Way of Water (aka Avatar 2)

[Stout]

I see both angles. For all these years, you either heard nothing about Avatar or heard negative things about it. All spectacle, terrible story, yadda yadda yadda. But money talks, and the 2nd Avatar has raked it in. For my money, I put it down to folks wanting to go see the pretty spectacle and not caring about the story. Which, hey, if that's the bang they want for their buck, it sounds like they got it!

 

[Chaplin]

I see both angles. For all these years, you either heard nothing about Avatar or heard negative things about it. All spectacle, terrible story, yadda yadda yadda. But money talks, and the 2nd Avatar has raked it in. For my money, I put it down to folks wanting to go see the pretty spectacle and not caring about the story. Which, hey, if that's the bang they want for their buck, it sounds like they got it!

Audiences not caring about story isn’t a new revelation. That has been happening for years.

 

[Ouchie-Z-Clown]

Audiences not caring about story isn’t a new revelation. That has been happening for years.

Agree. Personally I don’t go to the theater for story, I go for spectacle. I can wait and watch story-only (think the Fablemens, which ironically we saw in a theater but that was because there was nothing else to take our parents too at the time) at home. Would it be great to get both spectacle and story in one? Of course. But I’m okay with great pure spectacle as well. That’s why there are a myriad of awards outside of best picture or best screenplay.

 

[Dback Jon]

Audiences not caring about story isn’t a new revelation. That has been happening for years.

Hence the Transformers

 

[Covert Rain]

I just don’t know if a sequel makes the 4th most amount of money ever, coming off a pandemic if there was no footprint in the first place, right?

Like none of LIKE the first Avatar. We ALL probably wouldn’t rank it in our top 100 movies ever. Yet SO MANY of us (and many others) came out in DROVES to see WTF this was about.

For starters what other family franchises are out there right now? I mean aside from the MCU and Star Wars there isn’t much out there. Plus, familiy movies are always huge. It’s funny because I know so many people that were not interested until they watched how good the trailer looked.

I think it’s fair to say now that he has established his own franchise.

 

[Cheesebeef]

I see both angles. For all these years, you either heard nothing about Avatar or heard negative things about it. All spectacle, terrible story, yadda yadda yadda. But money talks, and the 2nd Avatar has raked it in. For my money, I put it down to folks wanting to go see the pretty spectacle and not caring about the story. Which, hey, if that's the bang they want for their buck, it sounds like they got it!

well, your money is pretty worthless considering you haven't seen the movie to make a determination one way or another on why people are seeing it.

to make judgments about a movie and it's story when you've never seen it is more peak Stout.

 

[Cheesebeef]

For starters what other family franchises are out there right now? I mean aside from the MCU and Star Wars there isn’t much out there. Plus, familiy movies are always huge. It’s funny because I know so many people that were not interested until they watched how good the trailer looked.

I think it’s fair to say now that he has established his own franchise.

there's a gulf of difference between family movies being huge and being the 4th highest grossing movie of all time.

And I don't buy that this movie is huge because the trailers got people interested. Go look back at this thread for proof of that. we're a pretty good microcosm of the overall theater going public and people weren't exploding about the trailer like we did en masse for something like Force Awakens, The Batman, or others. And the opening weekend tally is further proof that the trailer wasn't that big of a deal to draw interest. The first weekend box office tally was 134 million dollars domestic... which was anywhere from 20-40 million bucks lower than expectations. But once again, just like the first movie, word of mouth and people saying once again that the spectacle of this thing was out of this world is what gave it outstanding legs.

But yeah, at this point, it's safe to say franchise has been established.

 

[Covert Rain]

there's a gulf of difference between family movies being huge and being the 4th highest grossing movie of all time.

And I don't buy that this movie is huge because the trailers got people interested. Go look back at this thread for proof of that. we're a pretty good microcosm of the overall theater going public and people weren't exploding about the trailer like we did en masse for something like Force Awakens, The Batman, or others. And the opening weekend tally is further proof that the trailer wasn't that big of a deal to draw interest. The first weekend box office tally was 134 million dollars domestic... which was anywhere from 20-40 million bucks lower than expectations. But once again, just like the first movie, word of mouth and people saying once again that the spectacle of this thing was out of this world is what gave it outstanding legs.

But yeah, at this point, it's safe to say franchise has been established.

There is no way this movie is this big without the casual going family. Zero chance. We are coming off Covid and most people staying home. People have been hungry to have a real reason to comeback to the theater. It’s funny because many people who have seen this are saying the same thing about this one. Really cool FX but OK story. We already know that spectacles can make a ton of money because people just want to be entertained. Look how much the transformers franchise has made.

 

[MigratingOsprey]

Watched it this morning with my daughter. She brought up the interest in going to see it. My wife had no interest and never watched the first. My son really didn't care, but balked at the time commitment.

I was going to sit this one out as I saw the spectacle in the first one, but really didn't enjoy the movie.

We both liked this one.

She gave it an 8.5 out of 10, bit said the 3d have her a slight headache.

I wouldn't be as generous, but did enjoy it - definitely a lot more than the first

This film did manage to team up a very boisterous "not in Kansas anymore" with a thankfully more muted "get out of Dodge".

Had the same idiotic combo in the first movie.

I fully expected the water tribe to break out into a Haka

The names of places and some of the dialogue were really eye rolling awful - but the movie didn't rely on that to move the story

I thought the effects were really well done - my daughter jumped a couple of times and reacted to the 3d, which is fun

I have zero interest in watching the first one again. I would see no point to watching it on TV at home and the world isn't compelling to the point that I'd look to buy products related to it.

However, I would be open to another viewing of this one - even without the full theater presentation.

I also would be more inclined to be initially open to another film in this story

 

[Stout]

well, your money is pretty worthless considering you haven't seen the movie to make a determination one way or another on why people are seeing it.

to make judgments about a movie and it's story when you've never seen it is more peak Stout.

 

[Stout]

Hence the Transformers

Exactamundo.

 

[UncleChris]

Bride and I are going this morning..... seeing it in 3D

Will report

 

[Brian in Mesa]

There is no way this movie is this big without the casual going family. Zero chance. We are coming off Covid and most people staying home. People have been hungry to have a real reason to comeback to the theater. It’s funny because many people who have seen this are saying the same thing about this one. Really cool FX but OK story. We already know that spectacles can make a ton of money because people just want to be entertained. Look how much the transformers franchise has made.

Cameron also has a plethora of rabid fans that go to see his films in the theater as many times as humanly possible. Plenty of fans online boast about having seen Avatar 2 15-20 times. They did the same thing with the original Avatar, Titanic, etc. Usually, they'll go in groups to see it so the box office numbers definitely get a boost.

 

[Stout]

Cameron also has a plethora of rabid fans that go to see his films in the theater as many times as humanly possible. Plenty of fans online boast about having seen Avatar 2 15-20 times. They did the same thing with the original Avatar, Titanic, etc. Usually, they'll go in groups to see it so the box office numbers definitely get a boost.

That is...beyond strange. I've gone to see movies multiple times in the theater (record of 5 3/4 for Fellowship of the Ring), but 15-20 times is almost a full-time job!

 

[Dback Jon]

That is...beyond strange. I've gone to see movies multiple times in the theater (record of 5 3/4 for Fellowship of the Ring), but 15-20 times is almost a full-time job!

Reminds me of this old comic strip Foxtrot

https://titanicrules.tripod.com/~titanicrules/Ft6.jpg

 

[Chaplin]

That is...beyond strange. I've gone to see movies multiple times in the theater (record of 5 3/4 for Fellowship of the Ring), but 15-20 times is almost a full-time job!

I’ve seen one Cameron movie in the theater a record 13 times. I will say it was back when dollar theaters were still around.

 

[Covert Rain]

I’ve seen one Cameron movie in the theater a record 13 times. I will say it was back when dollar theaters were still around.

Wow. The only movie I watched like that was CLUE. It’s only because I wanted to see all the endings but when it hit the dollar theater all my friends wanted to see all the endings too. So, I went to all 3 endings multiple times with different sets of friends.

 

[Cheesebeef]

Cameron also has a plethora of rabid fans that go to see his films in the theater as many times as humanly possible. Plenty of fans online boast about having seen Avatar 2 15-20 times. They did the same thing with the original Avatar, Titanic, etc. Usually, they'll go in groups to see it so the box office numbers definitely get a boost.

Who are these fans?

And it was teenage girls going to see Titanic repeatedly for DiCaprio. Not these make believe Cameron junkies.

I mean, I’m a huge Cameron guy and I ain’t seeing that again in the theater.

 

[Cheesebeef]

I’ve seen one Cameron movie in the theater a record 13 times. I will say it was back when dollar theaters were still around.

This is impressive. You can’t offer that up and then NOT tell us what movie!

I saw Dark Knight in theaters three times.

I think I saw Return Of The King four times, but that was because I was writing a spoof of it at the time.

 

[Chaplin]

This is impressive. You can’t offer that up and then NOT tell us what movie!

I saw Dark Knight in theaters three times.

I think I saw Return Of The King four times, but that was because I was writing a spoof of it at the time.

Nope.

 

[Cheesebeef]

Nope.

Why? You afraid someone will mock you?

If it’s Titanic, there’s no shame in that as far as I’m concerned. Yes, teenage girls saw it for Dicaprio repeatedly, but that movie is pretty incredible from a sheer scale standpoint and unbelievably rewatchable. It’s a classic definition of an epic.

 

[Chaplin]

Why? You afraid someone will mock you?

If it’s Titanic, there’s no shame in that as far as I’m concerned. Yes, teenage girls saw it for Dicaprio repeatedly, but that movie is pretty incredible from a sheer scale standpoint and unbelievably rewatchable. It’s a classic definition of an epic.

Yeah it was Titanic.

I graduated college a semester late so everyone I knew had already moved on that winter, and it was a dollar a showing and I really went for the second half of that movie, which is still one of the best spectacles ever. Script wasn’t great but Cameron does have a way with making you feel like you were THERE.

Bottom line is I went when I was bored. Which was a lot.

 

[Cheesebeef]

Yeah it was Titanic.

I graduated college a semester late so everyone I knew had already moved on that winter, and it was a dollar a showing and I really went for the second half of that movie, which is still one of the best spectacles ever. Script wasn’t great but Cameron does have a way with making you feel like you were THERE.

Bottom line is I went when I was bored. Which was a lot.

I think the script gets unfairly slagged. The ship going down wouldn’t be so impactful if the audience doesn’t care about the characters on board and Cameron made me care one way or another about everyone right down to the String band.

And while you’ve seen it 13 times, I actually NEVER saw it on the big screen. I’m gonna try to catch the reissue coming out in Feb.

 

[Chaplin]

I think the script gets unfairly slagged. The ship going down wouldn’t be so impactful if the audience doesn’t care about everyone on board and Cameron made me care one way or another about everyone right down to the String band.

And while you’ve seen it 13 times, I actually NEVER saw it on the big screen. I’m gonna try to catch the reissue coming out in Feb.

I saw it 13 times during its first run and then again in 2017 when they released it for the 20th anniversary. It was 3d then so that was cool.

 

[Ouchie-Z-Clown]

That is...beyond strange. I've gone to see movies multiple times in the theater (record of 5 3/4 for Fellowship of the Ring), but 15-20 times is almost a full-time job!

Right? That number is absurd.