General movie news thread

I go to a movie on Christmas Day. Last year was Licorice Pizza, which suited me just fine. I’m worried that this year, Avatar is dominating the screens and I won’t have many appealing choices.

 

I’m very much looking forward to seeing the new Avatar with my son.

 

You should doubt Big Jim at your own peril. The flick doesn't really seem like my cup of tea, but Cameron has a long, long resume of making movies so effing dazzling that they overcome any kind of audience fatigue or skepticism. I didn't love Blue Ferngully, but that first flick still had some great sequences in it. I think it's telling that except for Puss in Boots, which is going for a much younger audience, the December calendar quietly cleared of any real competition for the film.

 

To be fair, the slate is less crowded at all times right now.

 

The first Avatar definitely has a place in movie history — if for nothing else than spawning a decade's worth of alternate screen money grabs (the 3D and IMAX phenomenons) by studios.
It just seemed like the first Avatar was more of a test bed for new VFX technologies with some sort of story wrapped around it, than an attempt to create a new franchise. Even when it came out, the main reason to go see it was for the effects that were groundbreaking at the time. No one ever talks about the memorable characters. You don't see merch from it years later, like with Star Wars, or Marvel, or even a boatload of shitty 80s horror movies. People remember it as that 3D movie with the blue people and little more.

 

Avatar ride in Orlando:

 

Studios can be sued over misleading movie trailers, judge rules in Ana de Armas fan suit

 

On the surface this looks like another -- oh how our society is stupid with the frivolous lawsuits -- but the tldr version is the trailer for a movie had her in it and then the movie cut the scenes with her. I'm sure it wasn't intentional but seems like a false advertising / bait and switch type thing.

 

Fascinated by the concept of "commercial speech" allowing for lawsuits. Figure some radio and TV hosts might be concerned about how this plays out.

 

Considering that there is no real fandom demanding Avatar content the way that there is for Star Trek/Star Wars, James Cameron has hit this out of the park. The new Avatar hit $1B worldwide in 12 days, faster than any film other than Spiderman: No Way Home.

https://deadline.com/2022/12/avatar-the-way-of-water-box-office-1-billlion-1235207219/

 

Is there any other competition in the theaters? Really?