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Avatar’ Starts Production Today; $1 Billion Budget

D

Discotheque

Banned
I don't give a shit what the universe looks like. The character design with the navi is certainly dorky looking

But man this dude is one of the gawds of big action setpieces. Excited for the spectacle and strength of the action scenes we will most certainly get whenever it finally comes out
 
H

HStallion

Now what's the next step in your master plan?
I'm honestly wondering less about visuals and what the story will be for 4 more movies? I'm guessing they're going to have an overarching narrative from from film to film to some extent but I'm not sure how much more there is to mine from more Earth vs Pandora conflict. I know they're going to be focusing on the different biomes but again that's more visuals and world building and I'm not sure what we're even going to be getting across a quadrilogy of films. Then again maybe Cameron throws some interesting curve balls but we shall see.
 
T

TAJ

Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.
Not said:
48 fps is dead. 24 fps is the accepted language of cinema.
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There still hasn't been a good movie in HFR. I'm guessing that's had something to do with the response.
 
T

Team Filler

Member
Wait, James Cameron is doing all four movies at once just like Jackson did with Lord of the Rings? Wow. Might this be the JC production that actually kills someone (either through extreme circumstances ala The Abyss/Titanic/etc., or through stress ala working that long with this particular director)?
 
A

Arex

Member
I've learned never to doubt James Cameron.

It'll probably make back its budget with the first one. The other 3 will be pure profit lol
 
T

TAJ

Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.
Mister Saturn said:
Wait, James Cameron is doing all four movies at once just like Jackson did with Lord of the Rings? Wow. Might this be the JC production that actually kills someone (either through extreme circumstances ala The Abyss/Titanic/etc., or through stress ala working that long with this particular director)?
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With how controlled their shooting environment is? Naw.
 
longdi

longdi

Banned
Does avatar has that good worth of a lore and back story to go gaga with? Part 1 seems so generic snore
 
V

valkillmore

Member
Cool. I saw Avatar in theatres and had read some reviews and criticisms of the original before going in, and still enjoyed it. Wasn't the beat movie of all time but it definitely has its own vibe going and feels 'Cameron-esque.' I'll see each of the sequels for sure.

And sat what you like about Celine but how iconic can you be with that Titanic song performance? Watched it for the first time in a while tonight.
 
T

Team Filler

Member
TAJ said:
With how controlled their shooting environment is? Naw.
Click to expand...

I'm sure Ed Harris thought the same before filming The Abyss. With that much production going on for such a long time, I'll be shocked if no accidents at all happen (minor accidents I mean, don't want to be morbid).

Anyways, I'm still really surprised they're doing them all at once. Even with Cameron's record it's still a big gamble.
 
D

Deleted member 80556

Unconfirmed Member
I'd like to think that Sculli is amassing these huge amount of posts from people who doubt Cameron for one huge crow-eating thread, but I bet he knows that the true reward is actually getting these movies hah.

I honestly can't wait for the BTS for these movies, it's gotta be fascinating how the process was.
 
G

gamz

Member
Mister Saturn said:
I'm sure Ed Harris thought the same before filming The Abyss. With that much production going on for such a long time, I'll be shocked if no accidents at all happen (minor accidents I mean, don't want to be morbid).

Anyways, I'm still really surprised they're doing them all at once. Even with Cameron's record it's still a big gamble.
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It's not even a comparable production. Come on..
 
F

Figboy79

Aftershock LA
Cameron is a safe bet. I’d put my money on him to deliver as well. Avatar was pretty damn cool. I’m not a diehard fan, but it was the first real 3D movie I saw, and it blew me away, even if the story was tried and true cinema beats.

I can see FOX recouping this investment big time. $250 mil per picture doesn’t seem insane. I can easily see each one grossing over $800 million each easy. Especially if the first sequel manages to be both more entertaining and a bigger spectacle than Avatar 1 for audiences. If the movies are genuinely bad, then yeah, the odds of the sequels recouping their costs shrink.

Cameron has yet to make a truly garbage movie, though. His filmography is damn solid.
 
L

lukeskymac

Member
Subpar Spatula said:
all you're saying is no one should trust you when it comes to VFX.
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Err, no. Avatar's CGI isn't impressive at all considering it's the output of hours of work by a multi-million dollar render farm instead of 1/30 of a second or less by cheap consumer hardware. I recall some of the plant life looking particularly unimpressive.
 
P

plagiarize

Banned
Mister Saturn said:
I'm sure Ed Harris thought the same before filming The Abyss. With that much production going on for such a long time, I'll be shocked if no accidents at all happen (minor accidents I mean, don't want to be morbid).

Anyways, I'm still really surprised they're doing them all at once. Even with Cameron's record it's still a big gamble.
Click to expand...
I doubt it. The Abyss was always clearly going to be a challenging shoot. Same with The Titanic.
 
S

sarcastor

Member
don't think of it as 4 avatar movies, but rather 3 PoTC movies plus some change

CGzlNmS.jpg
 
Subpar Spatula

Subpar Spatula

Banned
lukeskymac said:
Err, no. Avatar's CGI isn't impressive at all considering it's the output of hours of work by a multi-million dollar render farm instead of 1/30 of a second or less by cheap consumer hardware. I recall some of the plant life in particular looking particularly unimpressive.
Click to expand...

gonna. need. receipts.
 
D

Discotheque

Banned
lukeskymac said:
Err, no. Avatar's CGI isn't impressive at all considering it's the output of hours of work by a multi-million dollar render farm instead of 1/30 of a second or less by cheap consumer hardware. I recall some of the plant life in particular looking particularly unimpressive.
Click to expand...

Hahaha. You're just lying to yourself if you don't think some of the character animation and environments were incredible effects work. There are shots of Zoe Saldana in that movie that literally look like advanced prosthetics rather than a fully cgi character

The floating mountains also looked insane
 
T

TAJ

Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.
Xero said:
surpised he didnt say it looked like a tv show.
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He pretty much said it looked like a video game.
Could have saved some time and just typed "derp".
 
J

jett

D-Member
Xe4 said:
I have no idea why Avatar, of all the dudes projects, is the one he came to obsess over. I'm sure they'll be at least decent and have cool CGI. Plus I'm glad he's following his passion. I doubt we'll ever see something on the level of the original in terms of box office performance though.
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Because he owns the IP wholesale, its his own creation, his own universe, and he can expand it and play with it as he sees fit. It's not all that hard to understand.
 
H

HariKari

Member
They will probably get at least 4:1 on that investment unless the films are a dumpster fire.

LOTR did it right with years of pre production. Did Cameron do the same here?
 
D

Deleted member 80556

Unconfirmed Member
HariKari said:
They will probably get at least 4:1 on that investment unless the films are a dumpster fire.

LOTR did it right with years of pre production. Did Cameron do the same here?
Click to expand...

He did an AMA years ago where he talked about the process of writing the sequels. YEARS AGO.

Yeah, he did the same. Considering how obsessed with details he is, probably even more intensive than LOTR's. Maybe.
 
N

Nategc20

Banned
Not one of these Avatar movies will make over 1 billion dollars. It will make the bill back but not over one film. I think this is a shit endeavor Cameron is doing in the first place. Like what contrive story you could put in 4 movies with this universe? Big meh.
 
J

jett

D-Member
TAJ said:
There still hasn't been a good movie in HFR. I'm guessing that's had something to do with the response.
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There have only been three movies in HFR. None of them great, with or without it. Four if you want to include Ang Lee's 120fps Billy Lynn movie that only played in like one theater in that format.
 
R

RBelong2Us

Member
I don't think people in the states are clamoring for this but doesn't even matter. It can bomb in the states and still be pretty damn successful with overseas gross.
 
T

TAJ

Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.
jett said:
...there have only been three movies in HFR. None of them great, with or without it. Four if you want to include Ang Lee's 120fps Billy Lynn movie that only played in like one theater in that format. It's kinda silly to dismiss HFR.
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Um... that was supposed to be a mild defense of HFR.
 
F

Fancyarcher

Member
$1 Billion. Just imagine how much of that could have gone to the poor.

People should never write-off Cameron though. If there's any director who knows what he's doing, it's him, even if the idea of doing 4 Avatar sequels back to back makes him sounds like a madman.


jman2050 said:
Come on Cameron, even for you this is a bit much.
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Cameron loves to dream big. This is nothing out of the ordinary people for him, in fact I expected this to happen. I'm sure Avatar 2 will look incredible, even if the actual story is entirely poo.
 
E

Extra Sauce

Member
longdi said:
Does avatar has that good worth of a lore and back story to go gaga with? Part 1 seems so generic snore
Click to expand...

For the past eight years, Cameron and his people have been working on new technology that will make it possible for you to give a flying fuck about Avatar's mythology.
 
J

jett

D-Member
HariKari said:
They will probably get at least 4:1 on that investment unless the films are a dumpster fire.

LOTR did it right with years of pre production. Did Cameron do the same here?
Click to expand...

Yea this is the easiest bet in the world. Look at the mediocre (if you're generous) Hobbit movies making nearly three billion altogether.
 
P

Pooya

Member
For four movies that's about average. I don't think any of them would beat the sales of first one but doesn't matter. Can't be worse than hobbits.
 
N

NCSOFT

Member
Nategc20 said:
Not one of these Avatar movies will make over 1 billion dollars. It will make the bill back but not over one film. I think this is a shit endeavor Cameron is doing in the first place. Like what contrive story you could put in 4 movies with this universe? Big meh.
Click to expand...

I hope you're not serious with that statement.
 
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