Early reactions to James Cameron’s ambitious sequel, Avatar: The Way of Water, shower the film with praise and call it as good as the first film. Avatar: The Way of Water will release in theaters on December 16, 2022.
The film is a sequel to James Cameron’s 2009 magnum opus, Avatar, which remains the highest-grossing film of all time. The Way of Water follows Jake and Neytiri, who now have a family, and are working to protect their children from new dangers.
To stay together, Jake must venture into the unknown regions of the planet, Pandora. However, the rise of an ancient threat forces Jake to fight against the humans. Sam Worthington and Zoe Saldana will be seen reprising their roles as Jake and Neytiri, while Sigourney Weaver, Stephen Lang, Kate Winslet, and Edie Falco will join the cast.
The first world premiere of the film was held in London, after which early reviews of the film started pouring in. Most of the early reactions suggest that the film has stunning visuals and cinematography, and is as good, if not better, than the first film.
Some reviews also point out that the lengthy runtime of the film is a minus point. But the strong plot, good character development, stunning visuals and stellar worldbuilding makes up for it. The film has also been praised for its clever use of 3D technology, which has been described as a technical achievement with solely artistic intentions.
Here are some of the early reactions-
These early reactions serve as good word-of-mouth for Avatar: The Way of Water and increase its chances of becoming a massive commercial success. The film was made on a budget of $350- $400 million, making it one of the most expensive films made in Hollywood. Thus, it is very important that The Way of Water becomes a commercial success for the future of the franchise.
Early reactions rate the sequel slightly higher than the original because of its story and character development. Thus, it is now possible for The Way of Water to surpass Avatar’s box office collections.
Avatar is still the highest-grossing film of all time, with over $2.9 billion in earnings, so it is a huge challenge for the sequel to match up to the original, let alone surpass its collections. Moreover, Avatar was released more than a decade ago, when far more people went to the movies than they do now.
In today’s day and age, not many people go to theaters, as they have various streaming platforms at their disposal. The Covid-19 pandemic has further hampered the culture of going to the cinemas. Therefore, matching up to the box office success of its predecessor will be a big challenge for Avatar: The Way of Water.
However, the film’s use of 3D technology is a huge plus point as it enhances the experience of watching the film on the big screen. Like the first film, the sequel is also all set to become revolutionary in terms of visual effects and its use of technology.
The ticket prices for a Premium Large Format viewing experience (for example: IMAX 3D), are much higher compared to regular tickets. So, it will be easier for the film to earn a higher profit if people watch the film in a PLF screening.
Only time will tell if Avatar: The Way of Water will be able to live up to its expectations. As of now, the positive word-of-mouth coupled with the hype around the film, looks promising for its future run at the box office.
About Avatar: The Way of Water
Avatar: The Way of Water is an upcoming American epic science fiction film directed by James Cameron and produced by 20th Century Studios. It is the second film in Cameron’s Avatar franchise, following Avatar (2009).
Cameron produces with Jon Landau. Cast members Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Stephen Lang, Giovanni Ribisi, Joel David Moore, Dileep Rao, CCH Pounder, and Matt Gerald are all reprising their roles from the original film, with Sigourney Weaver returning in a different role. New cast members include Kate Winslet, Cliff Curtis, Edie Falco, Brendan Cowell, Michelle Yeoh, Jemaine Clement, Oona Chaplin, Vin Diesel, and CJ Jones.
Avatar 2 revolves around a universal concept of family and follows Jake Sully and Neytiri 14 years after the first film as they focus on protecting their child. However, they are forced to leave their home and explore the different regions of Pandora when an old threat returns to finish what they started. Jake has never faced a bigger challenge.
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