James Cameron Talks ‘Gorgeous’ Avatar Rerelease, The Importance of Theaters

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James Cameron Talks ‘Gorgeous’ Avatar Rerelease, The Importance of Theaters

Ahead of the release of its upcoming sequel Avatar: The Water of Water later this year, James Cameron’s iconic film Avatar has been rereleased in theaters starting today. For Cameron, the excitement of another rerelease comes from introducing the film to new fans.

“Young film fans never had the opportunity to see it in a movie theater,” Cameron said in an interview with The New York Times. “Even though they think they may have seen the film, they really haven’t seen it. And I was pleasantly surprised, not only at how well it holds up but how gorgeous it is in its remastered state.”

While Cameron did note that he was happy about the rerelease, he also touched on how the world of movies is much different than when the film originally released in 2009. Specifically, Cameron said, how easy it is for folks to watch movies at home. However, he did say that there is a “resurgence of the theater experience” and that people are “craving” the ability to head back to the theaters.

“We’ve got a turn of the world toward easy access in the home, and that has to do a lot with the rise of streaming in general, and the pandemic, where we literally had to risk our lives to go to the movie theater,” said Cameron. “People are craving that … It’s slowly building back. Partly it’s been because of a dearth of top titles that people would want to see in a theater. But Avatar is the poster child for that. This is the type of film that you have to see in a theater.”

Currently, Avatar 2 is set to be released on December 16, 2022, after being pushed back a handful of times. Following that are three additional films, with Avatar 3 tentatively scheduled for December 20, 2024, Avatar 4 set for December 18, 2026, and Avatar 5 on December 22, 2028.