Avatar

Avatar is a 2009 American epic science fiction film directed, written, produced and edited by James Cameron and starring Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Stephen Lang, Michelle Rodriguez, and Sigourney Weaver. The film takes place in the mid-22nd century when humans colonize Pandora, a lush habitable moon of a gas giant in the Alpha Centauri system, to mine the precious mineral uoptanium. The expansion of the mining colonies threatens the survival of the local butterfly tribes, a humanoid race native to Pandora. The title of the film refers to a genetically engineered Na'vi body controlled by a distant human brain used to interact with the natives of Pandora. Development of the Avatar began in 1994 when Cameron wrote an 80-page description of the film. Filming follows the completion of Cameron's 1997 film 'Titanic', which is slated for release in 1999. However, according to Cameron, the skills needed to make his vision for the film come true are not yet available. Work on the Butterfly language began in 2005, and Cameron began developing the script and virtual world in early 2006. Avatar was officially budgeted at $237 million, due to a groundbreaking array of new visual effects Cameron achieved in cooperation with Weta Digital in Wellington. Other estimates put the cost between $280 million and $310 million for production and at $150 million for promotion. The film made extensive use of new motion capture filming techniques, and was released for traditional viewing, 3D viewing (using the RealD 3D, Dolby 3D, XpanD 3D, and IMAX 3D formats), and for "4D" experiences in selected South Korean theaters.

Avatar premiered in London on December 10, 2009, and was released in the United States on December 18 to positive reviews, with critics highly praising its groundbreaking visual effects. During its theatrical run, the film broke several box office records and became the highestgrossing film at the time, as well as in the United States and Canada, surpassing Cameron's Titanic, which had held those records for twelve years. Avatar remained the world's highest-grossing film for nearly a decade, until overtaken by Avengers: Endgame in 2019, and then re-released in China in March 2021, making Avatar back to number one. Adjusted for inflation, Avatar was the second-highest-grossing film of all time, behind Gone. Over $3 billion in total with Vetro. It also became the first film to gross over $2 billion and became the best-selling video of 2010 in the United States. Avatar was nominated for nine Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director, and won three for Best Picture, Best Cinematography, and Best Visual Effects. The film's success prompted electronics manufacturers to release 3D TVs, and 3D movies became popular. Following the success of the film, Cameron signed a contract with 20th Century Fox to produce four sequels. Avatar 2 and Avatar 3 have completed major photo shoots and are scheduled for release on December 16, 2022 and December 20, 2024, respectively. The sequel will be released on December 18, 2026 and December 22, 2028. New Zealand has generally been far less affected by the pandemic than other countries, so things have progressed relatively well during the COVID-19 pandemic at Weta Studios in Wellington. Several cast members are expected to return, including Worthington, Saldana, Lang, and Weaver.

• Gross: $2.79 billion