Thoughts on ‘Avatar Day.’

The theatrical experience is in a unique state of evolution, both technologically and financially, causing the industry to continue experimenting with new ways of getting audiences into seats. While not perfect, James Cameron’s “Avatar Day,” wherein 15 minutes of his 3-D sci-fi action movie were previewed for audiences around the country, may actually qualify as a greater nugget of history than the supposedly groundbreaking technology behind the production. Here are my thoughts on the footage and the event from The Wrap:

The man who famously declared himself King of the World on Oscar night 10 years ago has now become the ruler of an entire planet. Directing his first feature since “Titanic,” James Cameron appears to have gone in a similarly epic direction with “Avatar,” a technologically audacious 3D sci-fi production—predominantly set on an alien planet—that was previewed for audiences on IMAX screens around the country on Friday—a day he dubbed “Avatar Day.”

Attendees eagerly reserved their free tickets for the 15-minute preview well in advance, crashing the site on multiple occasions. Nevertheless, two of the four screenings that took place at the AMC Empire in Times Square Friday evening contained dozens of empty seats, an absence that Fox representatives blamed on the rainy weather. For such a highly ambitions marketing scheme, there seemed to be a fair amount of confusion among casual moviegoers.

Read the rest of the dispatch here and check out the Avatar trailer.

erichkohn posted to Hollywood, Independent Cinema, New Media, New Releases on August 21, 2009 | Permalink | Comments (0)