The good word around Pandora is that Disney has an Avatar 2 preview planned for CinemaCon on Wednesday. It’s hard to think of any other film with more hype than this one. While some people could argue that the time for foaming at the mouth for more Avatar is long past, there’s no denying that Cameron’s 2009 spectacle is one of the most influential films in history. Avatar helped raise the bar for special effects in cinema, and filmmakers have chased that dragon ever since. Avatar is the highest-grossing film of all time, with $2.84 billion to its name, enough to make any Hollywood executive purr.
In addition to being a visual marvel, Avatar kickstarted the 3D movie era and introduced new production techniques, including performance capture and virtual production.
It’s worth noting that CinemaCon is sponsored by Dolby, who has outfitted the Colosseum — CinemaCon’s main venue at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas — with Dolby Atmos immersive sound and Dolby Vision. As you can imagine, the preview for Avatar 2 will have some serious tech behind it. If you’re going to CinemaCon, and plan on wearing socks tomorrow, I suggest you hold onto them. The preview will undoubtedly take full advantage of the setup, alongside a state-of-the-art 3D component and laser-projection capabilities.
While Avatar 2 will be released in many formats to secure as many screens as it can, Christie and Cameron’s Lightstorm Entertainment will provide a new projection system to kick things up a notch in select theaters.
“Over the years, we’ve worked closely with the team at Lightstorm,” says Brian Claypool, Executive VP of Cinema at Christie. “With our range of Xenon and RGB laser projectors with Real|Laser technology, Lightstorm has been able to review footage at various stages of production to ensure the final product looks as intended on the big screen.”
Via THR‘s reporting, part of Lightstorm’s production process includes a Christie 4K, high frame rate capable projector installed into a “pod,” used to review footage as it’s filmed on set. Additionally, Lightstorm has Christie projectors installed in multiple postproduction environments allowing Cameron to work on creating the final images to be used in Avatar 2.
“Christie has been a good partner. We’re using their projection systems at all our production sites, in the U.S. and New Zealand,” says Cameron in a released statement. “Wherever I am, I can view progress on my films in high-quality stereo 3D, just as the audience will see the movies in theaters when they come out. This is essential to our working process.”
How excited are you about the release of Avatar 2? Sound off in the comments section below and let us know if you plan to be there when the film is released on December 16, 2022.