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Kaido

Elite Member & Kitchen Overlord
Feb 14, 2004
50,730
6,758
136
Absolutely not! Avatar in 3D in theaters was mind-boggling cool! At home, in 2D, it was pretty boring, so I'm in it for the 3D effect!
 

MrSquished

Lifer
Jan 14, 2013
26,040
24,351
136
Absolutely not! Avatar in 3D in theaters was mind-boggling cool! At home, in 2D, it was pretty boring, so I'm in it for the 3D effect!
Exactly this. It's a movie meant to be seen in 3D. The plot is your usual generic Hollywood blockbuster stuff so not really good but not terrible in this case. It's the spectacle that's absolutely immersive. If you aren't going to see Avatar in the theater in 3D then don't bother.
 

TheVrolok

Lifer
Dec 11, 2000
24,254
4,092
136
Exactly this. It's a movie meant to be seen in 3D. The plot is your usual generic Hollywood blockbuster stuff so not really good but not terrible in this case. It's the spectacle that's absolutely immersive. If you aren't going to see Avatar in the theater in 3D then don't bother.
Totally agreed. First one was a terrible movie (in context, not as in straight to DVD Nick Cage), acting was horrible, but it was awesome "to watch." Expecting the same with the second.
 

brianmanahan

Lifer
Sep 2, 2006
24,591
5,994
136
i normally don't go see movies, maybe once every couple years

but now it's been like 5 years

once COVID is over i'm going to a movie theater just to feel what it's like again
 
Nov 17, 2019
13,229
7,851
136
I've skipped every movie 'premier' ever. Have never been to a single one. Last time I was in a theater was in the mid 80s sometime. I don't ever plan to be in one again.
 

waffleironhead

Diamond Member
Aug 10, 2005
7,046
549
136
Ill be content to buy the used bluray from redbox when it hits $3.99.
Though the kids will most likely want to see it, and since we home school, will likely go during the day and have the theatre all to ourselves.
 

Captante

Lifer
Oct 20, 2003
30,340
10,859
136
Just like I skipped the first one. I don't go see movies that are about shoving visual effects on screen.

Honestly intense special effects on a big screen are about the only reason I would bother seeing a movie in the theater anymore.

ANY other kind of movie will be substantially more enjoyable @ home.
 
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nOOky

Diamond Member
Aug 17, 2004
3,221
2,274
136
I'm not really that interested in going to see it, but it's a movie that should be seen on the big screen if I do ever watch it. Maybe new year's weekend after the crowds have diminished. As for the plot, there is none, you go for the visuals.

I got a 3d copy of the first one when I bought my 3d Panasonic plasma television whatever year that was, but I have never viewed a 3d movie on it. Don't even know if the required glasses are still in existence.
 

NuclearNed

Raconteur
May 18, 2001
7,869
361
126
On the one hand, James Cameron usually makes awesome movies. On the other hand, Avatar 1 didn't do it for me.

So it comes down to whether or not Mrs Ned wants to see it.
 

Pohemi

Lifer
Oct 2, 2004
10,859
16,927
146
I'd totally go to the 3D one. Then bitch the entire movie that my glasses were uncomfortable and that the 3D makes me feel nauseous and that one of the lenses is blurry...
I went to see the first movie in 3D at the theater, and I liked the visuals. The story was meh, I thought.

If I could see the new one in 3D, I might go. But a retinal detachment in my left eye has left it unusable, and I'm no longer able to watch 3D with one eye. In that case...not going. I may or may not watch it on video.

As far as the box office % commentary- I couldn't tell you what the percentages are for theater payouts to the studios. I DO know that theaters make very little profit on ticket sales, and studios take the majority. The leases for the films themselves are exorbitant. Margins on concessions are astronomical though and are where theaters really rake it in. That $10 bucket of popcorn cost them about $0.20 to make.

At least most theaters have moved to digital now instead of the old reels. When I worked in a theater as a teenager, each film would come by FedEx or DHL express and would be 2 or 3 large reels. Now they send a HDD with a several hundred GB file.
 
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Muse

Lifer
Jul 11, 2001
40,433
9,941
136
I saw Avatar in a big movie theater using them 3D glasses they give you. Had to have them over my regulars, which is a bit of a problem. I almost never go to a theater to see a movie these days, watch everything on my 4K monitor, but for Avatar (at the time I was watching movies at home using my projection system on a big white screen) I made the exception because 3D.

Here's the notes I made after seeing Avatar in 2009:

Avatar (James Cameron, 2009)
--------------------------------------------------------------
Rotten Tomato ratings:

Fresh:218
Rotten:46
Average Rating:7.4/10
- - - -
Saw it yesterday in 3D, not IMAX, although it was more than the cineplex setting I anticipated. It was the the Regal Theaters cineplex in downtown Berkeley. I was surprised at the size of the theater. It was a cineplex but the theater looked like it could accommodate a few hundred and the screen must have been around 30' x 50'.

3D was cool. I wear glasses so I had to wear both sets, I tried both ways but the 3D stayed on top of my others. I kind of think the 3D would be better if I didn't have to wear two sets of glasses, that certain _irregularities_ wouldn't be there in that case.

The movie, well, in terms of theme, script and especially music, it didn't seem to be breaking new ground at all. In any case I'd say except for the music it did pull it all off very very well, and the visual and creative artistic aspects were off the chart. If you thought that Jurassic Park was state of the art, well, it has to move over.

There were around 6 people in the whole place! A couple of young girls moved into the row in front of me and started gabbing, and one of them brought out a cell phone or Blackberry or whatever and the glare was annoying me. I put my coat where it would block the glare. They seemed to have been repeat customers. Who knows how many times they'd seen it?

Will I ever see it in 3D again? Well, this year they are going to start selling wide screen TVs that are 3D capable, so maybe! Or, I could go out, obviously.
 
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K1052

Elite Member
Aug 21, 2003
51,947
44,806
136
Honestly intense special effects on a big screen are about the only reason I would bother seeing a movie in the theater anymore.

ANY other kind of movie will be substantially more enjoyable @ home.

I watched Dune three times when it came out

#1) regular 2K cinema - pretty good
#2) HBO Max - absolutely terrible due to low bitrate and other issues
#3) IMAX GT laser in an original (non-retrofit) house with full 1.43:1 ratio screen - absolutely breathtaking

It is simply difficult to impossible for most people to replicate the better PLF/IMAX implementations at home and it is just an entirely different sensory experience.
 
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JM Aggie08

Diamond Member
Jan 3, 2006
8,355
953
136
So many fucking cool people in this thread.

I'll probably see it. I hardly go to the theaters, but this FEELS like something worth seeing on the big screen.
 

purbeast0

No Lifer
Sep 13, 2001
53,544
6,368
126
I'll watch it in my home theater once it comes to bluray. I'll probably buy it on release day. First one is a fantastic spectacle to watch on a big screen with big sound.
 

Racan

Golden Member
Sep 22, 2012
1,292
2,372
136
Last time I was in a cinema was for Dune, I’ll go see this one too, for the visuals if nothing else.
 

Muadib

Lifer
May 30, 2000
18,120
910
126
Seeing it tonight. Not expecting a lot from the script. Expecting a lot from the visuals.
That's exactly why I plan to pass. I hated the story in the first one, but the 3D was the best!! I need a story to grab me in this new one. It's over 3 hours!