Avatar The Way of Water (2022) Theatrical 3D Discussion

[Fang Zei]

Another interesting thing re: the open-matte version is that in my neck of the woods there’s a Dolby Cinema built for 2.35:1 that happens to be showing the movie only in 2D (the LieMax and normal screens there are showing it in 3D, and one of the normal screens is showing it in 2D also).

Meanwhile, the Dolby Cinema at a different location that’s set up for 1.85:1 is showing it in 3D. I’m guessing that will be the open-matte version in that auditorium.

[theatom]

Originally Posted by Freakyguy666

Thanks but you neglected the most important questions:

Aspect ratio?

Was it CONSTANT HFR or Intermittent?

And ANY MEMORABLE POP-OUTS??

• The theater I was in screened it somewhere in the 2.40:1 range.
• There's no intermittent frame rate stuff. It's all at 48fps motion graded however they decided to do it.
• There's a bunch of great 3D moments throughout, but more importantly, the 3D just helps illustrate the scale of locations, characters, and creatures.

[AaronWilson]

Originally Posted by theatom

• The theater I was in screened it somewhere in the 2.40:1 range.
• There's no intermittent frame rate stuff. It's all at 48fps motion graded however they decided to do it.
• There's a bunch of great 3D moments throughout, but more importantly, the 3D just helps illustrate the scale of locations, characters, and creatures.

So a 3D movie like LIFE OF PI, GRAVITY and AVATAR 1. When the time comes this HAS to come out on 3D Blu-Ray so we can experience as intended for scope at home too.

[BLMN]

Originally Posted by AaronWilson

So a 3D movie like LIFE OF PI, GRAVITY and AVATAR 1. When the time comes this HAS to come out on 3D Blu-Ray so we can experience as intended for scope at home too.

Scope at home ? Hell no!!! Give us open matte split in 2 disks or nothing!

[AaronWilson]

Originally Posted by BLMN

Scope at home ? Hell no!!! Give us open matte split in 2 disks or nothing!

Cant agree on that at all. I want the 3D Blu-Ray no matter what and i think i speak for pretty much everyone here with that. It can work on 1 disc and you know it can when Avengers Endgame 3D was also 1 disc and it looks amazing.

[xootoo]

As I said before, I think this movie will get a very long theatrical run, similar to "Top Gun: Maverick".

I guess after that it will be seen on Disney+. Maybe under a "paywall" for a few weeks to make maximum profit.

Hope there will be proper physical releases after that period of time. I guess they will release this on all discs with black bars, as seen with all recent releases. Full screen would be a wonderful surprise.

Hope there will be no "3D exclusive bummer" like the black bars on "Aquaman"...

[Telegram Sam]

Originally Posted by BLMN

Scope at home ? Hell no!!!

Scope at home? Hell yes!

Us 'scope fans are in a minority, I know, I get it.

What I really want for all films is a copy at home in the aspect ratio for which it was designed to be seen. Trouble is, for lots of films these days, no one knows what that was; no one cares.

I've said it before: Dune won the cinematography Oscar - but for which AR version? No one knows; no one cares.

Just shoot it "safe" for 'scope, "safe" for the the gimmick IMAX format (sorry, formats plural), and let the art of perfect composition die. No one cares. Shame.

I'll be interested to see how the framing looks in Way of Water which, at the IMAX ("liemax") cinema I'm seeing it at on Friday, I think will be 1.90:1?

[spider-neil]

Originally Posted by xootoo

As I said before, I think this movie will get a very long theatrical run, similar to "Top Gun: Maverick".

I guess after that it will be seen on Disney+. Maybe under a "paywall" for a few weeks to make maximum profit.

Hope there will be proper physical releases after that period of time. I guess they will release this on all discs with black bars, as seen with all recent releases. Full screen would be a wonderful surprise.

Hope there will be no "3D exclusive bummer" like the black bars on "Aquaman"...

I don't care when this movie drops on Disney+. I have zero interest in watching this movie in 2D. Like the first Avatar movie, I've also only ever seen that movie in 3D.

[theatom]

Originally Posted by Telegram Sam

Scope at home? Hell yes!

Us 'scope fans are in a minority, I know, I get it.

What I really want for all films is a copy at home in the aspect ratio for which it was designed to be seen. Trouble is, for lots of films these days, no one knows what that was; no one cares.

I've said it before: Dune won the cinematography Oscar - but for which AR version? No one knows; no one cares.

Just shoot it "safe" for 'scope, "safe" for the the gimmick IMAX format (sorry, formats plural), and let the art of perfect composition die. No one cares. Shame.

I'll be interested to see how the framing looks in Way of Water which, at the IMAX ("liemax") cinema I'm seeing it at on Friday, I think will be 1.90:1?

I have to imagine Cameron will open up the frame for Blu-ray 3D the same way he did for Avatar 1 and Titanic.

[mar3o]

Originally Posted by BLMN

Scope at home ? Hell no!!! Give us open matte split in 2 disks or nothing!

I can't agree with this. At this point we're lucky if we get it at all. Look at the situation with Jaws 3D and all the latest Disney 3D films being released only in Japan for ludicrous prices. I absolutely want it opened up, but if all they give us is scope in 3D, I'll be grateful for that and take it with no questions asked.

They should certainly be able to fit this on one disc in 3D. It's been done before as mentioned.

[mar3o]

Originally Posted by Telegram Sam

Scope at home? Hell yes!

Us 'scope fans are in a minority, I know, I get it.

What I really want for all films is a copy at home in the aspect ratio for which it was designed to be seen. Trouble is, for lots of films these days, no one knows what that was; no one cares.

I've said it before: Dune won the cinematography Oscar - but for which AR version? No one knows; no one cares.

Just shoot it "safe" for 'scope, "safe" for the the gimmick IMAX format (sorry, formats plural), and let the art of perfect composition die. No one cares. Shame.

I'll be interested to see how the framing looks in Way of Water which, at the IMAX ("liemax") cinema I'm seeing it at on Friday, I think will be 1.90:1?

I agree that intended aspect ratio is important. I do enjoy an open matte sometimes if only for a change of pace to see a film a bit different than I've seen it before, but it can certainly throw off the director's/cinematographer's intent. If a film is shot for IMAX and that's it's intended aspect ratio, then that's great. But if it's shot safe, that's not really the same thing. I will say I'd love to see this opened up because especially on smaller screens at home, that helps with 3D immersion when the whole screen is open, but I have no problems with scope 3D either. As you said, often with these IMAX releases, it complicates things and you don't really know what was the intended ratio. But I'll take it any way I can get it on 3D blu-ray. Beggars can't be choosers.

Originally Posted by spider-neil

I don't care when this movie drops on Disney+. I have zero interest in watching this movie in 2D. Like the first Avatar movie, I've also only ever seen that movie in 3D.

I'm sure this (and the first one) would look striking in 4k with HDR, but as long as it's possible for me to see it in 3D, that will absolutely be my preferred way of watching.

[Fang Zei]

It’s crazy how much of a difference it made watching the scope version of Avatar in my third and final time seeing it in 3D in theaters back in January of 2010.

The first two times I saw it were in open-matte and while the 3D was immersive I didn’t really get that nice sense of framing.

I stumbled on a reel of interviews from the blue carpet of the Way of Water’s premiere in London the other night and I just loved how Cameron was saying how proud they were of their 2D version, “cinemascope compositions and so forth.”

I guess that pretty much confirms that the 2D version will only be shown in 2.35:1 while it’s in theaters, but I guess you’re just going to have to know your theater’s auditoriums well and whether or not they’re constant-height in order to determine whether the 3D version will be scope or open-matte.

[Smaugone]

Cameron has said in the past that for home 3D viewing he would prefer full frame 1.85:1 or 1.78:1, more immersive. That's why he changed the aspect ratio on the Titanic conversion.
Also I had forgotten how disappointed a lot of us were when Infinity War and Endgame didn't have shifting aspect ratios on the BD release, like the dozen or so Marvel films that came before.

[Kenbar]

I'm pretty sure if there is a 3D blue ray release it will be full screen like the first. Or at least I hope so. That said, I'll take whatever comes along.

[Daredevil666]

T2 3D was still scope.

[mar3o]

Originally Posted by Daredevil666

T2 3D was still scope.

True. By the time we got that on blu-ray, Cameron stopped caring completely. The 3D was scope on blu-ray, and it wasn't even released in the US, and the 4k was a travesty because they used the 3D master which was way too heavily DNR'd.

[emailking1]

Any found a good Avatar primer video I can send my family before we go to this so they won't be lost? I'm not going to be able to get them to watch the original lol

[Freakyguy666]

Originally Posted by theatom

• The theater I was in screened it somewhere in the 2.40:1 range.
• There's no intermittent frame rate stuff. It's all at 48fps motion graded however they decided to do it.
• There's a bunch of great 3D moments throughout, but more importantly, the 3D just helps illustrate the scale of locations, characters, and creatures.

I thought you indicated you’d watch in 3D at a DolbyCinema…if so, it would be strange to screen in 2:40 when their screens are native 16x9 and the aspect ratio is at the discretion of the operator…why would they select scope?

Are you sure you watched at a DolbyCinema?

[LordoftheRings]

Next Friday is 3 Deee Day.

[theatom]

Originally Posted by Freakyguy666

I thought you indicated you’d watch in 3D at a DolbyCinema…if so, it would be strange to screen in 2:40 when their screens are native 16x9 and the aspect ratio is at the discretion of the operator…why would they select scope?

Are you sure you watched at a DolbyCinema?

This screening was on the Disney lot. Their screen isn't natively 16:9