Avatar is Back!

On Sept. 23, James Cameron’s “Avatar” was re-released in theaters domestically and internationally thirteen years after its original release for a limited time only.

This will act as a promotional tool for the sequel, “Avatar: The Way of Water,” which is set to premiere worldwide on Dec. 16 while providing a refresher for the fans who have not seen it since it first came out in 2009.

In its opening weekend, it wowed the box office by generating $30 million globally, $10 million in North America and $20.5 million internationally.

“Avatar” is the highest grossing movie of all time at $2.84 billion in worldwide ticket sales. The Academy Award-winning film is followed on the charts by “Avengers: Endgame” in second and “Titanic” in third, another film directed, written, produced and co-edited by Cameron.

“Avatar”, which utilizes nearly 70% of Computer Generated Imagery (CGI) in the film, has been remastered in sound and picture with 4K High Dynamic Range (HDR). The movie has been redone to fit a larger screen, which is how it was first intended to be seen, and to be viewed in 3D to give the audience the highest quality experience.

Cameron even applied high frame rate to some scenes by adjusting certain sections of the film from the standard 24 frames per second (fps) to 48fps. This enhanced the motion of the movie on screen by lessening the strobing and quick camera movements during some of the high intensity chase scenes.

The re-release comes three months before the premiere of the sequel. Three more sequels will then follow every other year: “Avatar: The Seed Bearer” in 2024, “Avatar: The Tulkun Rider” in 2026, and “Avatar: The Quest for Eywa” in 2028.

The second installment went through many delays due to the coronavirus pandemic and the struggles Cameron faced to find the right technology to film motion capture underwater. It has

also been confirmed that leading characters Sam Worthington, who plays Jake Sully, and Zoe Saldana, who plays Neytiri, will return for the remainder of the franchise.

“Avatar” was first released thirteen years ago so there is a high chance that us college students have never watched it on the big screen before. The re-release will allow us to experience a completely new and improved version of the world’s most successful movie.

Even for those who have seen “Avatar” in the movie theaters already, it is encouraged to do so again since it has been remastered and will look far more refined than the first time they saw it. Seeing it again before the release of the sequel will also help viewers freshen up on their knowledge of the movie leading up to the release of the sequel.

For me personally, “Avatar” is one of my favorite movies of all time. It features an ensemble cast and such an intriguing storyline. It is also so visually pleasing in terms of the bright colors and landscapes used to create the fictional planet Pandora, where the film takes place.

I am so excited to rewatch it in theaters before the long-awaited sequel comes out in a few months. Make sure to stay seated during the credits of the re-release for a sneak peek of the new movie!

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