Avatar 2 Is Now Out, Just Three Weeks Until Release

Avatar: The Path of Water is finally over, after six years. Avatar 2 producer Jon Landau, who also worked on the original 2009 film, confirmed via Twitter that the sequel’s “final and successful mix” had just been achieved. The completion of post-production comes just three weeks ahead of the worldwide release of the second Avatar film on December 16, including China. Oscar-winning filmmaker Guillermo del Toro (The State of Water) reacted to the news, calling Avatar 2 a “remarkable success” “full of great ideas and emotions.” It’s clear that the director is among the first to see the film, making this the first official review for Avatar: The Way of Water. If you can call it that.

In addition to Avatar, Landau also collaborated with director James Cameron in 1997. The Titanic, both of which ended up being the highest-grossing films of all time. Released 13 years ago, Avatar broke new ground in Hollywood with its stunning VFX, welcoming audiences into the immersive world of Pandora. The film grossed 2.9 billion (approx. Rs. 23,600 crore) – with the latest re-release – and won three Academy Awards for Best Art Direction, Best Visual Effects, and Best Cinematography. Clearly, its sequel Avatar: The Path of Water has a lot to live up to, even with Cameron raising concerns about profitability.

talking to GQ magazineEarlier this week, he noted that the film was very expensive to make and represented “the worst business case in movie history.” To be profitable, he said, “You have to be the third or fourth highest grossing film in history. That’s your limit. That’s your break. The director also previously confirmed that he was willing to end the Avatar franchise with a trilogy, should The Way of Water not perform well. Filming for Avatar 3 – reportedly subtitled The Seed Bearer – wrapped with the main cast in November 2018. In an interview with VarietyProducer Landau noted that the first act of Avatar 4 had been reshot.

Advance ticket bookings for Cameron’s much-anticipated sequel went live in India, earlier this week, across BookMyShow and Paytm and official websites of major cinemas. Disney-owned 20th Century Studios also said that Avatar: The Way of Water will see 24 hours of performances in select theaters, with first shows starting at 12am and running through midnight. The studio also dropped the last trailer for Avatar 2 before the release, which saw Jake Sully’s (Sam Worthington) family forming an alliance with the Metkayina family on the coast, and connecting with the creatures found in the water, to cut them off.

The sequel is set more than a decade after the first film and brings back familiar faces including Zoe Saldaña as wife Neytiri, Sigourney Weaver as Kiri, Dileep Rao, Stephen Lang, and CCH Pounder. New additions to Avatar: The Last Airbender include Kate Winslet, Cliff Curtis, Edie Falco, Brendan Cowell, Michelle Yeoh, Jemaine Clement, Oona Chaplin, Vin Diesel, and CJ Jones.

Avatar: The Way of Water is released on December 16 in theaters worldwide. In India, the film is getting additional dubs in Hindi, Kannada, Malayalam, Tamil, and Telugu.