A visually-stunning epic, Avatar: The Way of Water reportedly needs to become the third highest grossing movie of all-time just to break even. That’s an extremely lofty goal that might fall short for a variety of reasons. The main one being length. At three-plus hours, it’s incredibly ambitious to ask any kid to sit all the way through it. And, if you’re not appealing to the entire family, you’re not going to reach the benchmark.
Secondly, to truly appreciate the film for all its beauty, it must be seen on a large screen like IMAX or, at the very least, in 3D. Not every area in America has a large screen and, therefore, most audiences will only be getting only 2/3 the experience which, as a result, could leave some feeling disappointed compared to what they were expecting.
Thirdly, a three hour and 10 minute run time means theaters can’t have as many showings. Sure they can put it on multiple screens but, at the end of the day, where a typical 2 hour film would have show times at noon, 3p, 6p and 9p, Avatar: The Way of Water would be more in the noon, 4:30p and 9p rotation. Less showings means less box office receipts.
Regardless, James Cameron’s sequel is mesmerizing to watch on the big screen. The story is rich with character development – it better be with that kind of run time – and you can feel a deep emotional connection to the characters, both of the land and the sea variety. The CGI is really impressive but still doesn’t “change cinema” like it’s predecessor did. It’s an absolute must-watch but only on a big screen. Avatar: The Way of Water will only have a fraction of the impact on viewers who opt to watch it at home.
JKG SCORE: 7.0
Untitled Film Project 