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መስመር፡ 22፦
ድረ_ገጽ = [ይፋ ድረ ገጽ (እንግሊዝኛ)] |
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ኣቫታእ ወ ውን አመሪካንስክ ፊልም ፍራ 2009.
{{Italic title}}
{{Infobox film
| name = Avatar
| image = Avatar-Teaser-Poster.jpg
| caption = Theatrical release poster
| alt = On the upper half of the poster are the faces of a man and a female blue alien with yellow eyes, with a giant planet and a moon in the background and the text at the top: "From the director of Terminator 2 and Titanic". Below is a dragon-like animal flying across a landscape with floating mountains at sunset; helicopter-like aircraft are seen in the distant background. The title "James Cameron's Avatar", film credits and the release date appear at the bottom.
| director = [[James Cameron]]
| producer = {{ubl|James Cameron|[[Jon Landau (film producer)|Jon Landau]]}}
| writer = James Cameron
| starring = {{ubl|[[Sam Worthington]]|[[Zoe Saldana]]<!--As in most of her work, she's credited as "Zoe," not "Zoë," "Saldana" not "Saldaña." Please see her article for sources.-->|[[Stephen Lang (actor)|Stephen Lang]]|[[Michelle Rodriguez]]|[[Joel Moore|Joel David Moore]]|[[Giovanni Ribisi]]|[[Sigourney Weaver]]}}
| music = [[James Horner]]
| cinematography = [[Mauro Fiore]]
| editing = {{ubl|James Cameron|John Refoua|[[Stephen E. Rivkin]]}}
| studio = {{ubl|[[Lightstorm Entertainment]]|Dune Entertainment|[[Ingenious Media|Ingenious Film Partners]]}}
| distributor = [[20th Century Fox]]
| released = {{Film date|2009|12|10|London premiere|2009|12|18|United States}}
| runtime = 162 minutes<ref>{{cite web | url= http://www.bbfc.co.uk/website/Classified.nsf/ClassifiedWorks/d41e437d8c39c12d80257685004dba11 | title= BBFC rating and classification details for Avatar |date= December 7, 2009 | quote = Feature Film. Classified 07 December, 2009. Run Time 161m 35s | accessdate= August 26, 2010 }}</ref> <!-- U.S. theatrical release: 161:33 --><br>171 minutes (Re-release)<ref name=bandwagon>{{cite web|author=James Wigney|url=http://www.heraldsun.com.au/entertainment/avatar-director-slams-bandwagon-jumpers/story-e6frf96f-1225905342936|title=Avatar director slams bandwagon jumpers|work=[[Herald Sun]] |date=August 15, 2010| accessdate=August 16, 2010}}</ref>
| country = {{Film US}}
| language = English
| budget = $237 million<ref name="Patten (2009)"/><br>$9 million+ (Re-release)<ref name=bandwagon></ref>
| gross = $2,782,206,970<!--WHEN YOU UPDATE THIS, update the Box office section below as well. And accessdate of the reference (Box Office Mojo or The Numbers) YOUR CHANGE is based on. BASE YOUR CHANGE ON THE REFERENCE WITH THE LARGER TOTAL GROSS.--><ref name="Boxofficemojo">{{cite web|url=http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=avatar.htm|title=Avatar (2009)&nbsp;– Box Office Mojo|accessdate=January 28, 2011|work=Box Office Mojo|publisher=[[Internet Movie Database]]}}</ref><ref name="boxoffice2">{{cite web|url=http://www.the-numbers.com/movies/2009/AVATR.php|title=Avatar|accessdate=January 19, 2011|work=The-Numbers|publisher=Nash Information Services}}</ref>
}}
'''''Avatar''''' is a 2009 American<!--"American" was discussed. Please do not change without first discussing at Talk.--><ref>{{cite news |author=[http://www.guardian.co.uk/profile/philipfrench French, Philip]|title=Avatar was the year's real milestone, never mind the results|date=March 14, 2010|publisher=[[guardian.co.uk]]|url =http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2010/mar/14/avatar-kathryn-bigelow-hollywood-history| work =[[The Observer]]|accessdate = March 29, 2010|location=London}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|first=Rich|last=Johnston|title=Review: AVATAR – The Most Expensive American Film Ever… And Possibly The Most Anti-American One Too.|date=December 11, 2009|publisher=[[Bleeding Cool]]|url =http://www.bleedingcool.com/2009/12/11/review-avatar-the-most-expensive-american-film-ever-and-the-most-anti-american-one-too/| accessdate = March 29, 2010|language =}}</ref> [[epic film|epic]] [[science fiction]] film written and directed by [[James Cameron]], and starring [[Sam Worthington]], [[Zoe Saldana]]<!--As in most of her work, she's credited as "Zoe", not "Zoë", "Saldana" not "Saldaña". Please visit her article for sources.-->, [[Stephen Lang (actor)|Stephen Lang]], [[Michelle Rodriguez]], [[Joel David Moore]], [[Giovanni Ribisi]] and [[Sigourney Weaver]]. The film is set in the mid-[[22nd century]], when humans are mining a precious mineral called [[Unobtainium|unobtanium]]<!-- PLEASE NOTE THAT, IN THE FILM, IT IS SPELLED "unobtanium," not unobtainium. --> on [[Fictional universe of Avatar#Astronomy and geology|Pandora]], a lush [[Natural satellite|moon]] of a [[gas giant]] in the [[Alpha Centauri]] star system.<ref>{{cite news|first=Charles Q.|last=Choi|title=Moons like Avatar's Pandora could be found| publisher=[[MSNBC]]|date=December 28, 2009|accessdate=February 27, 2010|url=http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/34610604/ns/technology_and_science-space/}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last= Wilhelm |first= Maria |coauthors= Dirk Mathison |title= James Cameron's Avatar: A Confidential Report on the Biological and Social History of Pandora |publisher= [[HarperCollins]] |year= 2009 |month= November |page= 4|isbn= 0-0618-9675-6}}</ref><ref name='Horwitz2009'/> The expansion of the mining colony threatens the continued existence of a local tribe of [[Na'vi]]—a [[humanoid]] species indigenous to Pandora. The film's title refers to the [[Genetic engineering|genetically engineered]] Na'vi-human hybrid bodies used by a team of researchers to interact with the natives of Pandora.<ref name=Time/>
 
Development on ''Avatar'' began in 1994, when Cameron wrote an 80-page [[scriptment]] for the film.<ref name="QA">{{cite news|author=Jeff Jensen|url=http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20007998,00.html|title=Great Expectations|work=[[Entertainment Weekly]]|publisher=[[Time Warner]]|date=January 10, 2007|accessdate=January 28, 2007}}</ref> Filming was supposed to take place after the completion of Cameron's 1997 film ''[[Titanic (1997 film)|Titanic]]'', for a planned release in 1999,<ref name="autogenerated2">{{cite news|url=http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=888&dat=19960812&id=8rsMAAAAIBAJ&sjid=Al8DAAAAIBAJ&pg=6553,2562816|title=Synthetic actors to star in ''Avatar''|work=[[St. Petersburg Times]]|publisher= [[Times Publishing Company]]|date=August 12, 1996|accessdate=February 1, 2010}}{{dead link|date=December 2010}}</ref> but according to Cameron, the necessary technology was not yet available to achieve his vision of the film.<ref name="autogenerated1996">{{cite news|author=Judy Hevrdejs|coauthors=Mike Conklin|title=Channel 2 has Monday morning team in place|work=[[Chicago Tribune]]|date=August 9, 1996|accessdate=December 22, 2006}}</ref> Work on [[Na'vi language|the language]] for the film's [[Extraterrestrial life|extraterrestrial beings]] began in summer 2005, and Cameron began developing the screenplay and [[Fictional universe of Avatar|fictional universe]] in early 2006.<ref name='USCMarshall'>{{cite web|url=http://www.marshall.usc.edu/news/all-articles/crafting-an-alien.htm |title=Crafting an Alien Language, Hollywood-Style: Professor's Work to Hit the Big Screen in Upcoming Blockbuster Avatar |accessdate=January 17, 2010 |work=USC Marshall |publisher=University of Southern California Marshall School of Business}}</ref><ref name="radionz1">{{Cite episode| title = Avatar Language| series = Nine to Noon| airdate = December 15, 2009|url=http://www.radionz.co.nz/audio/national/ntn/2009/12/15/avatar_language}}</ref> ''Avatar'' was officially budgeted at $237&nbsp;million.<ref name="Patten (2009)" /> Other estimates put the cost between $280&nbsp;million and $310&nbsp;million for production and at $150&nbsp;million for promotion.<ref name="www.nytimes.com">{{cite news|first=Brooks|last=Barnes|title='Avatar' Is No. 1 but Without a Record|work=The New York Times|publisher=The New York Times Company|date=December 20, 2009|accessdate=December 20, 2009|url=http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/21/movies/21box.html}}</ref><ref name="latimes budget">{{cite news| url=http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/entertainmentnewsbuzz/2009/12/could-avatar-hit-1-billion.html|title= Could 'Avatar' hit $1&nbsp;billion?|work=Los Angeles Times|publisher=[[Tribune Company]]|author= Fritz, Ben| date=December 20, 2009|accessdate=December 20, 2009}}</ref><ref name="vanityfair"/> The film was released for traditional 2-D viewing, [[3-D film|3-D]] viewing (using the [[RealD 3D]], [[Dolby 3D]], [[XpanD 3D]], and [[IMAX 3D]] formats), and "[[4-D film|4-D]]" viewing.<ref name=4-D /> The [[Stereoscopy|stereoscopic]] filmmaking was touted as a breakthrough in cinematic technology.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://newsblaze.com/story/2009102916560100002.pnw/topstory.html |title=James Cameron's 'Avatar' Film to Feature Vocals From Singer Lisbeth Scott |publisher=Newsblaze.com |accessdate=December 6, 2009}}</ref>
 
''Avatar'' premiered in London on {{Nowrap|December 10}}, 2009, and was internationally released on {{Nowrap|December 16}} and in the United States and Canada on {{Nowrap|December 18}}, to critical acclaim<ref>{{cite news|author=David Germain|title="Avatar" wins Golden Globes |work=[[Chicago Sun-Times]]|publisher=rogerebert.com|date=January 17, 2010|accessdate=November 8, 2010|url=http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100117/COMMENTARY/100119976|quote=...[Cameron] has become king of an alien landscape, elevating space fantasy to enormous critical acclaim.}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|author=D.E. Williams|title="Avatar" director James Cameron back in spotlight |work=[[Reuters]]|date=December 18, 2009|accessdate=November 9, 2010|url=http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE5BH0RW20091218}}</ref> and commercial success.<ref name='D'>{{cite news|first=Anthony|last=D'Alessandro|title='Avatar' takes $27&nbsp;million in its first day|date=December 19, 2009|publisher=RBI, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc|url =http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118012989.html?categoryid=3762&cs=1 work=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|publisher=[[Reed Business Information]]|accessdate = January 11, 2010}}</ref><ref name="www.comingsoon.net">{{cite web|first=Edward|last=Douglas|title= Avatar Soars Despite Heavy Snowstorms|work=ComingSoon.net|publisher=[[CraveOnline]]|date=December 21, 2009|accessdate=December 21, 2009|url=http://www.comingsoon.net/news/movienews.php?id=61739}}</ref><ref name="www.reuters.com">{{cite news|author=Reporting by Dean Goodman; editing by Anthony Boadle|title="Avatar" leads box office, despite blizzard|work=[[Reuters]]|publisher=[[Thomson Reuters]]|date=December 20, 2009|accessdate=December 20, 2009|url=http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSN2021595320091220?type=marketsNews}}</ref> The film broke several box office records during its release and became the [[List of highest-grossing films|highest-grossing film]] of all time [[List of highest-grossing films in Canada and the United States|in the U.S. and Canada]]<ref>Unadjusted for inflation. See also [[List of highest-grossing films in Canada and the United States#Adjusted for ticket-price inflation]].</ref> and also worldwide, surpassing ''Titanic'', which had held the records for the previous 12 years.<ref name="boxofficemojoalltime">{{cite web|title=All Time Worldwide Box Office Grosses|publisher=Box Office Mojo|url=http://www.boxofficemojo.com/alltime/world/|accessdate=January 27, 2010}}</ref> It also became the first film to gross more than {{Nowrap|$2 billion}}.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/wireStory?id=9711561|title='Avatar' Wins Box Office, Nears Domestic Record|accessdate=February 2, 2010|publisher=ABC News}}</ref> ''Avatar'' was nominated for nine [[82nd Academy Awards|Academy Awards]], including [[Academy Award for Best Picture|Best Picture]] and [[Academy Award for Best Director|Best Director]],<ref name="List of Academy Award nominations">{{cite news|work=CNN|title=List of Academy Award nominations|url=http://www.cnn.com/2010/SHOWBIZ/Movies/02/02/academy.award.nominations.list/index.html?hpt=C1|date=February 2, 2010|accessdate=February 2, 2010}}</ref> and won three, for [[Academy Award for Best Cinematography|Best Cinematography]], [[Academy Award for Best Visual Effects|Best Visual Effects]], and [[Academy Award for Best Art Direction|Best Art Direction]]. The film's home release went on to break opening sales records and became the top-selling [[Blu-ray]] of all time. Following the film's success, Cameron signed with [[20th Century Fox]] to produce two sequels, making ''Avatar'' the first of a planned [[trilogy]].<ref name="sequels2" />
 
==Plot==
<!-- PER [[WP:FILMPLOT]] PLEASE KEEP WORD-COUNT REASONABLE -->
In 2154, the RDA Corporation is mining a valuable mineral called [[Unobtainium|unobtanium]]<!-- DO NOT CHANGE SPELLING. IN REGARDS TO THE FILM, IT IS SPELLED "unobtanium," not unobtainium. --> on Pandora, a lush, Earth-like moon with an atmosphere poisonous to humans in the [[Alpha Centauri]] star system.<ref name='Horwitz2009'>{{cite news|first=Jane|last=Horwitz|title=Family Filmgoer|date=December 24, 2009|publisher=[[The New York Times Company]]|url =http://www.boston.com/lifestyle/family/articles/2009/10/29/family_filmgoer/?page=3|work =[[The Boston Globe]]|accessdate = January 9, 2010|language =}}</ref> Pandora is inhabited by the [[Na'vi]], 10-foot-tall ({{Nowrap|3 m}}), blue-skinned, [[Sapience|sapient]] humanoids<ref>Rottenberg, Josh. "James Cameron Talks ''Avatar'': Brave Blue World," ''Entertainment Weekly'' No. 1081 ({{Nowrap|December 18}}, 2009): 48.</ref> who live in harmony with nature and worship a [[mother goddess]] called Eywa.
 
To learn about the Na'vi and Pandora's [[biosphere]], scientists use Na'vi-human hybrid bodies called avatars that are operated via mental link by genetically matched humans. Jake Sully ([[Sam Worthington]]), a [[Paraplegia|paraplegic]] former [[space marine|marine]], replaces his twin brother, a scientist trained as an avatar operator who was murdered in a robbery. {{nowrap|Dr. Grace}} Augustine ([[Sigourney Weaver]]), head of the Avatar Program, considers Sully an inadequate replacement and assigns him as a bodyguard. While protecting the avatars of Grace and scientist Norm Spellman ([[Joel David Moore]]) on their expedition to collect biological samples and data in the forest, Jake's avatar is attacked by a jungle predator [[Characters and wildlife in Avatar#Fauna|thanator]]. Fleeing for his life, Jake strays from the rest of the group and gets lost in the forest. Neytiri ([[Zoe Saldana]]), a female Na'vi, stumbles upon Jake and reluctantly rescues him from Pandora's wildlife. Seeing portents from Eywa, she takes him to her clan's dwelling, Hometree; there, Jake meets Neytiri's father, clan chief Eytukan ([[Wes Studi]]). Neytiri's mother Mo'at ([[C. C. H. Pounder]]), the clan's spiritual leader, orders her daughter to teach the "warrior dreamwalker" their ways.
 
The head of Sec-Ops, the RDA's [[private military company|private security force]], Colonel Miles Quaritch ([[Stephen Lang (actor)|Stephen Lang]]), promises Jake that the company will help him walk again if he gathers [[Intelligence (information gathering)|intelligence]] about the Na'vi.<ref name='Script25'>{{cite web|url=http://www.foxscreenings.com/media/pdf/JamesCameronAVATAR.pdf |archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/5q2mqY36B |archivedate=May 27, 2010 |title=Avatar |page=25|accessdate=February 9, 2010 |last=Cameron |first=James |work=Avatar Screenings |publisher=Fox and its Related Entities}} [http://www.webcitation.org/5nQAunHrW Archived version {{Nowrap|February 9}}, 2010]</ref> Hometree is on top of the richest deposits of unobtanium for hundreds of miles. When Grace learns that Jake is passing information to Quaritch, she relocates herself, Jake, and Norm to a remote outpost. Over three months, Jake grows close to Neytiri and her people. After Jake is initiated into the tribe, he and Neytiri choose each other as mates. Jake reveals his change of allegiance when he attempts to disable a bulldozer that threatens to destroy a sacred Na'vi site. When Quaritch shows a videofootage of Jake's attack on the bulldozer to Administrator Parker Selfridge ([[Giovanni Ribisi]]), the leader of the RDA colony, along with <ref name="Script8and15">{{cite web|url=http://www.foxscreenings.com/media/pdf/JamesCameronAVATAR.pdf |archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/5q2mqY36B |archivedate=May 27, 2010 |title=Avatar |pages=8 and 15|accessdate=February 9, 2010 |last=Cameron |first=James |work=Avatar Screenings |publisher=Fox and its Related Entities}} [http://www.webcitation.org/5nQAunHrW Archived version {{Nowrap|February 9}}, 2010]</ref> one of Jake's video diary entries, in which Jake admits that the Na'vi will never abandon Hometree, Selfridge orders Hometree destroyed.
 
Despite Grace's argument that destroying Hometree could affect the bio-botanical [[Biological neural network|neural network]] to which Pandoran organisms are connected, Selfridge gives Jake and Grace one hour to convince the Na'vi to evacuate. When Jake reveals his original mission, Neytiri accuses him of betraying the entire tribe, and Jake and Grace's avatars are taken captive. Quaritch's forces destroy Hometree, killing Neytiri's father, as well as many others. Mo'at frees Jake and Grace, but they are unplugged from their avatars back at RDA headquarters and imprisoned. Trudy Chacón ([[Michelle Rodriguez]]), a pilot disgusted with Quaritch's brutal methods, breaks them out and flies them to the avatar link outpost. During the escape, Quaritch shoots and seriously wounds Grace.
 
The Na'vi are able to link mentally with some animals. To regain the Na'vi's trust, Jake takes a dangerous gamble and links with a Toruk, a powerful [[pterodactyl]]-like predator that has been tamed only five times in Na'vi history. Jake finds the refugees at the sacred [[Fictional universe in Avatar#The Tree of Souls|Tree of Souls]] and pleads with Mo'at to heal Grace. The clan attempts to transfer Grace<!-- NOTE: AFTER MUCH DISCUSSION, IT WAS DECIDED NOT TO USE THE WORDS "SOUL" OR "CONSCIOUSNESS" HERE, AS BOTH RAISED OBJECTIONS. --> from her human body into her avatar with the aid of the Tree, but she succumbs to her injuries before the process can be completed.
 
Supported by the new Omaticaya chief, Tsu'tey ([[Laz Alonso]]), Jake recruits thousands of warriors from neighboring clans. On the eve of battle, Jake prays to Eywa, via a neural connection to the Tree of Souls, to intercede on behalf of the Na'vi. Quaritch detects the mobilization of the Na'vi and convinces Selfridge to authorize a [[Preemptive war|preemptive strike]] against the Tree of Souls, believing that its destruction will demoralize the natives.
 
The Na'vi fight back but suffer heavy casualties, including Tsu'tey and Trudy. Just when all seems lost, [[Characters and wildlife in Avatar#Fauna|Pandoran wildlife]] unexpectedly join the attack and overwhelm the humans, which Neytiri interprets as Eywa answering Jake's prayer. Jake destroys a shuttle converted into a makeshift bomber before it can reach the Tree of Souls. Quaritch makes a narrow escape from his ship just as it is destroyed, and dons an [[mecha|AMP suit]]. He stumbles upon and breaches the avatar link unit containing Jake's human body, exposing Jake to Pandora's poisonous atmosphere. Neytiri kills Quaritch and gets to Jake in time to save him. They reaffirm their love as she sees his human body for the first time.
 
With the exception of Jake, Norm, Max, and several other scientists, all humans are expelled from Pandora. Jake is seen wearing the insignia of the Omaticaya leader. The clan performs the ritual dedicated to Eywa that permanently transfers Jake from his human body into his avatar.
 
==Cast==
{{See|Fictional universe of Avatar}}
;Humans
*{{anchor|Worthington}}[[Sam Worthington]] as Corporal Jake Sully. Sully is a [[Disability|disabled]] former Marine. He becomes part of the Avatar Program after his twin brother is killed. His military background helps the Na'vi warriors relate to him. Cameron cast the Australian actor after a worldwide search for promising young actors, preferring relative unknowns to keep the budget down.<ref>{{Cite episode |title=[[The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien]] |credits=[[Conan O'Brien]] |network=[[NBC]] |airdate=December 18, 2009 |season=1 |number=128|quote="I was cheap"}}</ref> Worthington, who was living in his car at the time,<ref>{{cite news|author=Kevin Williamson|url=http://www.lfpress.com/entertainment/movies/2009/12/15/12167326.html|title=Paraplegic role helps Worthington find his feet|work=lfpress.com|accessdate=January 1, 2010}}</ref> auditioned twice early in development,<ref name="QA2">{{cite news|author=Jeff Jensen|url=http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20007998_2,00.html| title=Great Expectations (page 2)|work=Entertainment Weekly|date=January 10, 2007|accessdate=January 17, 2010}}</ref> and he has signed on for possible sequels.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://popwatch.ew.com/2010/01/14/avatar-sequel-james-cameron/| title=This week's cover: James Cameron reveals plans for an 'Avatar' sequel| work=Entertainment Weekly|date=January 14, 2010|accessdate=January 24, 2010}}</ref> Cameron felt that because Worthington had not done a major film, he would give the character "a quality that is really real". Cameron said he "has that quality of being a guy you'd want to have a beer with, and he ultimately becomes a leader who transforms the world".<ref>{{cite news|author=John Horn|url=http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/la-et-faces-watch-2009-film-music-tv-web-pg,0,2140976.photogallery?index=11|title=Faces to watch 2009: film, TV, music and Web|work=Los Angeles Times|accessdate=December 28, 2008}}</ref>
*[[Stephen Lang (actor)|Stephen Lang]] as Colonel Miles Quaritch. Quaritch is the head of the mining operation's security detail. Fiercely loyal to his military code, he has a profound disregard for Pandora's inhabitants that is evident in both his actions and his language. Lang had unsuccessfully auditioned for a role in Cameron's ''[[Aliens (film)|Aliens]]'' (1986), but the director remembered Lang and sought him for ''Avatar''.<ref name=lang/> [[Michael Biehn]], who ''was'' in ''Aliens'', read the script and watched some of the 3-D footage with Cameron,<ref>{{cite web|last=Barnes|first=Jessica|url=http://www.cinematical.com/2007/03/26/michael-biehn-talks-avatar-cameron-not-using-cameras/|title=Michael Biehn Talks 'Avatar'&nbsp;– Cameron Not Using Cameras?|work=Cinematical|date= March 26, 2007}}</ref> but was ultimately not cast in the role.
*[[Sigourney Weaver]] as Dr. Grace Augustine. Augustine is an [[Astrobiologist|exobiologist]] and head of the Avatar Program. She mentors Sully and is an advocate of peaceful relations with the Na'vi, having set up a school to teach them English.<ref>{{cite news|author=Clint Morris |url=http://www.moviehole.net/news/20070802_sigouney_weaver_talks_avatar.html |title=Sigouney Weaver talks ''Avatar'' |work=Moviehole.net |date=August 2, 2007 |accessdate=August 2, 2007 |archivedate=September 27, 2007| archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20070929083436/http://www.moviehole.net/news/20070802_sigouney_weaver_talks_avatar.html}}
</ref><ref>{{cite news|author = Ryan Stewart|title = Exclusive: Sigourney Weaver Looks to the Future|work = [[Premiere (magazine)|Premiere]]|date=February 21, 2008|url = http://www.premiere.com/Feature/Exclusive-Sigourney-Weaver-Looks-to-the-Future|accessdate=February 21, 2008}}
</ref>
*[[Michelle Rodriguez]] as Trudy Chacón. Chacón is a combat pilot assigned to support the Avatar Program who is sympathetic to the Na'vi. Cameron had wanted to work with Rodriguez since seeing her in ''[[Girlfight]]''.<ref name=lang>{{cite news|author = Anne Thompson|title = Lang, Rodriguez armed for 'Avatar'|work = [[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|date = August 2, 2007|url = http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117969650.html?categoryid=13&cs=1|accessdate=August 3, 2007}}</ref>
*[[Giovanni Ribisi]] as Parker Selfridge. Selfridge is the corporate administrator for the RDA mining operation.<ref>{{cite news|author=Leslie Simmons|url=http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/news/e3i5bf6a751bdf67ff54ba0a195d9527992|title='Avatar' has new player with Ribisi|work=[[The Hollywood Reporter]]|date=September 21, 2007|accessdate=September 21, 2007 |archiveurl = http://web.archive.org/web/20071003223042/http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/news/e3i5bf6a751bdf67ff54ba0a195d9527992 <!-- Bot retrieved archive --> |archivedate = October 3, 2007}}</ref> While he is at first willing to destroy Na'avi civilization to preserve the company's [[bottom line]], he is reluctant to authorize the attacks on the Na'vi, doing so only after Quaritch persuades him that it is necessary, and the attacks will be humane. When the attacks are broadcast to the base, Selfridge displays discomfort at the violence.
*[[Joel David Moore]] as Dr. Norm Spellman. Spellman is a xenoanthropologist<ref name='Cameron2007P10'>{{cite web|url=http://www.foxscreenings.com/media/pdf/JamesCameronAVATAR.pdf |archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/5q2mqY36B |archivedate=May 27, 2010 |title=Avatar |accessdate=May 6, 2010 |last=Cameron |first=James |year=2007 |work=Avatar Screenings |publisher=Fox and its Related Entities|page=10}} [http://www.webcitation.org/5pVxzZPrq Archived version {{Nowrap|May 6}}, 2010]</ref> who studies plant and animal life as part of the Avatar Program.<ref name='Lux2009'>{{cite web|url=http://www.altpress.com/screening/joeldavidmoore.htm |title=Close-Up: Joel David Moore |accessdate=May 6, 2010 |last=Lux |first=Rachel |date=December 14, 2009 |work=altpress.com |publisher=Alternative Press Magazine, Inc}} [http://www.webcitation.org/5pVvDFOrF Archived version {{Nowrap|May 6}}, 2010]</ref> He arrives on Pandora at the same time as Sully and operates an avatar. Although he is expected to lead the diplomatic contact with the Na'vi, it turns out that Jake has the personality better suited to win the natives' respect.
*[[Dileep Rao]] as Dr. Max Patel, a scientist who works in the Avatar Program and comes to support Jake's rebellion against the RDA.<ref>{{cite news |author = Lewis Bazley |title = Drag Me to Hell Review |work = inthenews.co.uk |date = May 25, 2009|url = http://www.inthenews.co.uk/entertainment/reviews/film/non-fiction/drag-me-hell-$1298376.htm |accessdate=June 2, 2009}}</ref>
 
;Na'vi
*{{anchor|Saldana}}[[Zoe Saldana]] as Neytiri, the daughter of the leader of the Omaticaya, the Na'vi clan central to the story. She is attracted to Jake because of his bravery, though frustrated with him for what she sees as his naiveté and stupidity. She serves as both the film's main Na'vi protagonist and Jake's love interest.<ref name='Brennan2007'>{{cite web|url=http://jamescameron.blogspot.com/2007/02/avatar-scriptment-summary-review-and.html |title=Avatar Scriptment: Summary, Review, and Analysis |accessdate=April 29, 2010 |last=Brennan |first=David |date=February 11, 2007 |work=James Cameron's Movies & Creations}}</ref> The character, like all the Na'vi, was created using [[motion capture|performance capture]], and its visual aspect is entirely computer generated.<ref name="cnn">{{cite news|url=http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSN0840149120070111|title= "Titanic" director sets sci-fi epic for '09|work=[[Reuters]]|date=January 9, 2007|last = Thompson |first=Anne|accessdate=December 26, 2009}}</ref> Saldana has also signed on for potential sequels.<ref name="starts">{{cite news |author=20th Century Fox |url=http://www.comingsoon.net/news/avatarnews.php?id=18318|archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20080822104854/http://www.comingsoon.net/news/avatarnews.php?id=18318|archivedate=August 22, 2008|title=Cameron's ''Avatar'' Starts Filming in April|work=ComingSoon.net |date=January 9, 2007|accessdate=October 10, 2009}}</ref>
*[[C. C. H. Pounder]] as Mo'at. Mo'at is the Omaticaya's spiritual leader, Neytiri's mother, and consort to clan leader Eytukan.<ref>{{cite news|author=IGN Staff|url=http://movies.ign.com/articles/784/784591p1.html|title=Pounder Talks Avatar|date=April 30, 2007|accessdate=December 25, 2009}}</ref>
*[[Wes Studi]] as Eytukan. Eytukan is the Omaticaya's clan leader, Neytiri's father, and Mo'at's mate.
*[[Laz Alonso]] as Tsu'tey. Tsu'tey is heir to the chieftainship of the tribe, and at the beginning of the film's story he is [[betrothal|betrothed]] to Neytiri.
 
==Production==
===Origins===
<!--THIS ARTICLE IS BIG ENOUGH. RECONSIDER ADDING MORE TO THIS SECTION.-->
In 1994, director James Cameron wrote an 80-page [[scriptment]] for ''Avatar''.<ref name="QA" /> In {{Nowrap|August 1996}}, he announced that after completing ''[[Titanic (1997 film)|Titanic]]'', he would film ''Avatar'', which would make use of synthetic, or [[computer-generated imagery|computer-generated]], actors.<ref name="autogenerated1996"/> The project would cost $100&nbsp;million and involve at least six actors in leading roles "who appear to be real but do not exist in the physical world".<ref>{{cite news|author=Randy McMullen|coauthors=Joe Garofoli|title=People|work=[[Contra Costa Times]]|date=August 9, 1996|accessdate=December 22, 2006}}</ref> Visual effects house [[Digital Domain]], with whom Cameron has a partnership, joined the project, which was supposed to begin production in the summer of 1997 for a 1999 release.<ref name="autogenerated2"/> However, Cameron felt that the technology had not caught up with the story and vision that he intended to tell. He decided to concentrate on making documentaries and refining the technology for the next few years. It was revealed in a ''[[Bloomberg BusinessWeek]]'' cover story that 20th Century Fox had fronted $10&nbsp;million to Cameron to film a proof-of-concept clip for ''Avatar'', which he showed to Fox execs in {{Nowrap|October 2005}}.<ref name='businessweek'>{{cite news|last=Grover |first= R|coauthors= Lowry, T. and White, M. |title=King of the World (Again)|date=January 21, 2010|publisher=[[Bloomberg L.P.|Bloomberg]]|url =http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/10_05/b4165048396178.htm|work =[[Bloomberg BusinessWeek|BusinessWeek]]|pages = 1–4| accessdate = January 26, 2010|language =}}</ref>
 
In February 2006, Cameron revealed that his film ''Project 880'' was "a retooled version of ''Avatar''", a film that he had tried to make years earlier,<ref>{{cite news|author=Harry Knowles|url=http://www.aintitcool.com/display.cgi?id=22599|title=Harry talks to James Cameron, Cracks PROJECT 880, the BATTLE ANGEL trilogy & Cameron's live shoot on Mars!!!|work=[[Ain't It Cool News]]|date=February 28, 2006|accessdate=October 18, 2006}}</ref> citing the technological advances in the creation of the computer-generated characters [[Gollum]], [[King Kong (2005 film)|King Kong]], and [[Davy Jones (Pirates of the Caribbean)|Davy Jones]].<ref name="QA"/> Cameron had chosen ''Avatar'' over his project ''[[Battle Angel#Film|Battle Angel]]'' after completing a five-day camera test in the previous year.<ref name="latimes">{{cite news|author=John Horn|url=http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/la-et-cameron8jan08,0,1470846.story|title=Director Cameron to shoot again|work=Los Angeles Times|date=January 8, 2007|accessdate=}}</ref>
 
===Development===
<!--THIS ARTICLE IS BIG ENOUGH. RECONSIDER ADDING MORE TO THIS SECTION.-->
{{Wikinews|Elvish, Klingon and Na'vi: Constructed languages gain foothold in film}}
From January to April 2006, Cameron worked on the script and developed a culture for the film's aliens, the Na'vi. Their [[Na'vi language|language]] was created by Dr. [[Paul Frommer]], a linguist at [[University of Southern California|USC]].<ref name="QA"/> The Na'vi language has a vocabulary of about 1000 words, with some 30 added by Cameron. The tongue's [[phoneme]]s include [[ejective consonant]]s (such as the "kx" in "skxawng") that are found in the [[Amharic]] language of [[Ethiopia]], and the initial "ng" that Cameron may have taken from New Zealand [[Māori language|Māori]].<ref name="radionz1" /> Actress Sigourney Weaver and the film's [[Scenic design|set designers]] met with Jodie S. Holt, professor of [[plant physiology]] at [[University of California, Riverside]], to learn about the methods used by [[Botany|botanists]] to study and sample plants, and to discuss ways to explain the communication between Pandora's [[organism]]s depicted in the film.<ref>{{cite news | last1 = Kozlowski | first1 = Lori | date = January 2, 2010 | url = http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/herocomplex/2010/01/avatar-team-brought-in-uc-riverside-professor-to-dig-in-the-dirt-of-pandora.html | title = 'Avatar' team brought in UC Riverside professor to dig in the dirt of Pandora | work = [[Los Angeles Times]] | accessdate = January 3, 2010 }}</ref>
 
{{Wikinews|James Cameron to use Weta Digital for next film}}
From 2005 to 2007, Cameron worked with a handful of designers, including famed fantasy illustrator [[Wayne Barlowe]] and renowned concept artist [[Jordu Schell]], to shape the design of the Na'vi with paintings and physical sculptures when Cameron felt that 3-D brush renderings weren't capturing his vision,<ref>{{cite news | url = http://io9.com/5354315/avatar-concept-designer-reveals-the-secrets-of-the-navi|title = Avatar Concept Designer Reveals the Secrets of the Na'vi|work = [[io9]]|accessdate = April 20, 2010}}</ref> often working together in the kitchen of Cameron's [[Malibu, California|Malibu]] home.<ref>{{cite news | first1 = Neil | last1 = Kendricks|url = http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2010/mar/07/cameron-the-science-geek-who-became-a-movie-titan/|title = Cameron, the Science Geek Who Became a Movie Titan for the Ages|work = [[The San Diego Union-Tribune|Union-Tribune]]|date = March 7, 2010|accessdate = April 20, 2010}}</ref> In {{Nowrap|July 2006}}, Cameron announced that he would film ''Avatar'' for a mid 2008 release and planned to begin principal photography with an established cast by {{Nowrap|February 2007}}.<ref name="extravaganza">{{cite news|first1=Sheigh | last1= Crabtree|url= http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr/columns/film_reporter_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1002801137 |title= Cameron comes back with CG extravaganza|publisher=[[The Hollywood Reporter]] |date=July 7, 2006|accessdate= October 18, 2006 |archiveurl = http://web.archive.org/web/20060814194411/http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr/columns/film_reporter_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1002801137 <!-- Bot retrieved archive --> |archivedate = August 14, 2006}}</ref> The following August, the visual effects studio [[Weta Digital]] signed on to help Cameron produce ''Avatar''.<ref>{{cite news|first1=Lynn | last1 = Smith|title=Special-Effects Giant Signs on for 'Avatar'|work=Los Angeles Times|date=August 4, 2006|accessdate=December 22, 2006}}</ref> [[Stan Winston]], who had collaborated with Cameron in the past, joined ''Avatar'' to help with the film's designs.<ref>{{cite book|last=Duncan|first=Jody|coauthors=James Cameron|title=The Winston Effect|publisher=[[Titan Books]]|year=2006|month=October|isbn=1845761502|accessdate=December 22, 2006}}</ref> [[Production design]] for the film took several years. The film had two different production designers, and two separate art departments, one of which focused on the [[flora]] and [[fauna]] of Pandora, and another that created human machines and human factors.<ref name=io9jamsession>{{cite web|title=Avatar Started As A Four-Month, Late-Night Jam Session At James Cameron's House|url= http://io9.com/5423458/avatar-started-as-a-four+month-late+night-jam-session-at-james-camerons-house|date=December 10, 2009}}</ref> In {{Nowrap|September 2006}}, Cameron was announced to be using his own [[Digital cinematography cameras#Fusion Camera System|Reality Camera System]] to film in 3-D. The system would use two high-definition cameras in a single camera body to create depth perception.<ref>{{cite news|first1 =Jen | last1 = Waters|url= http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2006/sep/27/20060927-094134-2760r/ |title=Technology adds more in-depth feeling to the movie experience|work=[[The Washington Times]]|date=September 28, 2006|accessdate=December 22, 2006}}</ref>
 
Fox was wavering because of its painful experience with cost overruns and delays on Cameron's previous picture, ''Titanic'', even though Cameron rewrote ''Avatar's'' script to combine several characters together and offered to cut his fee in case the film flopped.<ref name="businessweek" /> Cameron installed a traffic light with the amber signal lit outside of co-producer [[Jon Landau (film producer)|Jon Landau]]'s office to represent the film's uncertain future.<ref name="businessweek" /> In mid-2006, Fox told Cameron "in no uncertain terms that they were passing on this film," so he began shopping it around to other studios, and showed his proof-of-concept to [[Dick Cook]] (then chairman of [[The Walt Disney Company]]).<ref name="businessweek" /> However, when Disney attempted to take over, Fox exercised its [[right of first refusal]].<ref name="businessweek" /> In {{Nowrap|October 2006}}, Fox finally agreed to commit to making ''Avatar'' after Ingenious Media agreed to back the film, which reduced Fox's financial exposure to less than half of the film's official $237&nbsp;million budget.<ref name="businessweek" /> After Fox accepted ''Avatar'', one skeptical Fox executive shook his head and told Cameron and Landau, "I don't know if we're crazier for letting you do this, or if you're crazier for thinking you ''can'' do this&nbsp;..."<ref>{{cite book |title= The Making of Avatar |last=Duncan |first=Jody |coauthors=Lisa Fitzpatrick|year= 2010|publisher= [[Abrams Books]]|location= United States |isbn=0-8109-9706-1 |page=52}}</ref>
 
{{ external media
| topic = James Cameron interviewed by [[F. X. Feeney]] on writing Avatar.
| audio1 = [http://media.wgaw.org/audio/Cameron_Feeney.mp3 Interview], from here<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.wga.org/writtenby/writtenby.aspx |title=Written By homepage |accessdate=20 November 2010}}</ref>
}}
In December 2006, Cameron described ''Avatar'' as "a futuristic tale set on a planet 200&nbsp;years hence&nbsp;... an old-fashioned jungle adventure with an environmental conscience [that] aspires to a mythic level of storytelling".<ref name="king" /> The {{Nowrap|January 2007}} press release described the film as "an emotional journey of redemption and revolution" and said the story is of "a wounded former Marine, thrust unwillingly into an effort to settle and exploit an exotic planet rich in [[biodiversity]], who eventually crosses over to lead the indigenous race in a battle for survival". The story would be of an entire world complete with an ecosystem of [[wikt:phantasmagoria|phantasmagorical]] plants and creatures, and a native people with a rich culture and language.<ref name="starts" />
 
Estimates put the cost of the film at about $280–310&nbsp;million to produce and an estimated $150&nbsp;million for marketing, noting that about $30&nbsp;million in [[tax credit]]s will lessen the financial impact on the studio and its financiers.<ref name="www.nytimes.com" /><ref name="latimes budget" /><ref name="vanityfair">{{cite news |last=Keegan | first =R. |title=How Much Did Avatar Really Cost? |url= http://www.vanityfair.com/online/oscars/2009/12/how-much-did-avatar-really-cost.html |date=December 3, 2009 |publisher=Vanity Fair |accessdate=December 23, 2009}}</ref> A studio spokesperson, said that the budget "is $237&nbsp;million, with $150&nbsp;million for promotion, end of story".<ref name="Patten (2009)">{{cite news |last=Patten | first = D. |title='Avatar's' True Cost&nbsp;– and Consequences|url= http://www.thewrap.com/article/true-cost-and-consequences-avatar-11206?page=1 |date=December 3, 2009 |publisher=The Wrap |accessdate=December 12, 2009 | archiveurl = http://www.webcitation.org/5m4EySibe | archivedate = December 16, 2009 }}</ref>
 
===Themes and inspirations===
{{Main|Themes in Avatar}}
<!--THIS ARTICLE IS BIG ENOUGH. CONSIDER ADDING MORE TO MAIN ARTICLE INSTEAD.-->
<!--Please note that this section is for the filmmakers' themes and inspirations. Critics interpretations are in the Critical reception section. -->
 
''Avatar'' is primarily an action-adventure journey of self-discovery, in the context of [[imperialism]] and [[deep ecology]].<ref name='themes'>{{cite news|first=Michael|last=Ordoña|title=Eye-popping 'Avatar' pioneers new technology|date=December 13, 2009|publisher=Hearst communications Inc|url =http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/12/11/PK4B1B0EHD.DTL&type=movies|work =San Francisco Chronicle|accessdate = April 29, 2010|language =}} [http://www.webcitation.org/5pLMKz92a Archived version {{Nowrap|April 29}}, 2010]</ref>
Cameron said his inspiration was "every single science fiction book I read as a kid", and that he was particularly striving to update the style of [[Edgar Rice Burroughs|Edgar Rice Burroughs's]] ''[[John Carter (character)|John Carter]]'' series.<ref name="QA2"/> The director has acknowledged that ''Avatar'' shares themes with the films ''[[At Play in the Fields of the Lord]]'', ''[[The Emerald Forest]]'', and ''[[Princess Mononoke]]'', which feature clashes between cultures and civilizations, and with ''[[Dances With Wolves]]'', where a battered soldier finds himself drawn to the culture he was initially fighting against.<ref name="latimesblogs.latimes.com">{{cite news|url=http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/herocomplex/2009/08/james-cameron-the-new-trek-rocks-but-transformers-is-gimcrackery.html |title=James Cameron: Yes, 'Avatar' is 'Dances with Wolves' in space&nbsp;... sorta &#124; Hero Complex &#124 |work= Los Angeles Times |publisher=Latimesblogs |date=August 14, 2009 |accessdate=December 21, 2009}}</ref><ref name='sankei'>{{cite web|url=http://sankei.jp.msn.com/entertainments/entertainers/091225/tnr0912250750004-n2.htm|title=新作「アバター」宮崎アニメにオマージュ Ｊ・キャメロン監督)|title_trans=New Film ''Avatar'' Homage to Miyazaki's Animated Film: J. Cameron|accessdate=March 10, 2010 |last=Ito |first=Norihiro |date=December 25, 2009 |work=[[Sankei Shimbun]]|language=Japanese}}</ref>
 
In a 2007 interview with ''Time'' magazine, Cameron was asked about the meaning of the term ''[[Avatar (Hinduism)|avatar]]'', to which he replied, "It's an incarnation of one of the [[Hindu deities|Hindu gods]] taking a flesh form. In this film what that means is that the human technology in the future is capable of injecting a human's intelligence into a remotely located body, a biological body."<ref name=Time>{{cite news|url=http://www.time.com/time/arts/article/0,8599,1576622,00.html#ixzz0a69HUhNB|title=Q&A with James Cameron|work=Time Magazine|last=Winters Keegan|first=Rebecca|date=January 11, 2007|accessdate=December 26, 2009}}</ref>
 
[[File:Avatarjakeneytiri.jpg|thumb|right|Jake's avatar and Neytiri. One of the inspirations for the look of the Na'vi came from a dream that Cameron's mother had told him about.<ref name="themes" />]]
 
The look of the Na'vi—the humanoids indigenous to Pandora—was inspired by a dream that Cameron's mother had, long before he started work on ''Avatar''. In her dream, she saw a blue-skinned woman 12 feet ({{Nowrap|4 m}}) tall, which he thought was "kind of a cool image".<ref name="themes" /> Also he said, "I just like blue. It's a good color&nbsp;... plus, there's a connection to the Hindu deities,<ref>In Hinduism, the human manifestations of several deities, including [[Vishnu]], [[Krishna]] and [[Rama]], have blue-colored skin. See [[Blue#Religion|Blue:Religion]]. {{cite web|url=http://www.cnngo.com/mumbai/play/avatar-hindu-perspective-961455 |title=The religious backdrop to James Cameron's 'Avatar' |accessdate=January 18, 2010 |last=Wadhwani |first=Sita |date=December 24, 2009 |work=CNN Mumbai |publisher=Cable News Network Turner Broadcasting System, Inc}}</ref> which I like conceptually."<ref name='ew.comQ1'>{{cite web|url=http://www.ew.com/ew/gallery/0,,20336893,00.html|title='Avatar:' 11 Burning Questions|work=Entertainment Weekly|last=Svetkey|first=Benjamin|date=January 15, 2010|accessdate=January 16, 2010}}</ref> He included similar creatures in his first screenplay (written in 1976 or 1977), which featured a planet with a native population of "gorgeous" tall blue aliens. The Na'vi were based on them.<ref name="themes" />
 
For the love story between characters Jake and Neytiri, Cameron applied a [[star-crossed]] love theme, and acknowledged its similarity to the pairing of Jack and Rose from his film ''Titanic.'' Both couples come from radically different cultures that are contemptuous of their relationship and are forced to choose sides between the competing communities.<ref name="www.MTV.Com">{{cite web|author=Eric Ditzian, with reporting by Josh Horowitz|title=James Cameron Compares His 'Avatar' And 'Titanic' Couples. The director notes the similarities between Sully and Neytiri, and Jack and Rose.|publisher=MTV|date=January 7, 2010|accessdate=January 9, 2010|url=http://www.mtv.com/movies/news/articles/1629226/story.jhtml}}</ref> He felt that whether or not the Jake and Neytiri love story would be perceived as believable partially hinged on the physical attractiveness of Neytiri's alien appearance, which was developed by considering her appeal to the all-male crew of artists.<ref name="io9.com">{{cite web|first=Meredith|last=Woerner|title=James Cameron Fought the Studio to Keep His Aliens Weird in "Avatar"|publisher=[[io9]]|date=July 24, 2009|accessdate=January 11, 2010|url=http://io9.com/5322486/james-cameron-fought-the-studio-to-keep-his-aliens-weird-in-avatar}}</ref> Though Cameron felt Jake and Neytiri do not fall in love right away, their portrayers ([[#Worthington|Worthington]] and [[#Saldana|Saldana]]) felt the characters do. Cameron said the two actors "had a great chemistry" during filming.<ref name=www.MTV.Com/>
 
[[File:HuangShan.JPG|thumb|left|Pandora's floating "Hallelujah Mountains" were inspired in part by the Chinese [[Mount Huang|Huang Shan]] mountains (pictured).<ref>{{fr}}[http://french.peopledaily.com.cn/Culture/6851396.html James Cameron en Chine pour faire la publicité de son film « Avatar »]''People daily'', 24.12.2009</ref>|alt=A gray mountain in the middle of a forest.]]
 
For the film's floating "Hallelujah Mountains", the designers drew inspiration from "many different types of mountains, but mainly the [[Karst topography|karst limestone]] formations in China."<ref name=1o9speak/> According to production designer Dylan Cole, the fictional floating rocks were inspired by [[Mount Huang]] (also known as Huangshan), [[Guilin]], [[Zhangjiajie]], among others around the world.<ref name=1o9speak>{{cite web|url=http://io9.com/5444960/avatars-designers-speak-floating-mountains-amp-suits-and-the-dragon|title=Avatar's Designers Speak: Floating Mountains, AMP Suits And The Dragon|date=January 14, 2010|last=Anders|first=Charlie Jane}}</ref> Director Cameron had noted the influence of the Chinese peaks on the design of the floating mountains.<ref name=Renjie2010>{{cite web|work=Global Times|title=Stunning Avatar|url=http://life.globaltimes.cn/entertainment/2009-12/494242_2.html|date=December 24, 2009|last=Renjie|first=Mao|accessdate=January 25, 2010}}</ref>
 
To create the interiors of the human mining colony on Pandora, production designers visited the ''[[Noble Corporation|Noble]] Clyde Boudreaux''<ref name='NobleClydeBoudreaux'>{{cite web|url=http://www.noblecorp.com/Fleet/RigDetail.asp?RigAbbrev_CH=NCB |title=Noble Clyde Boudreaux| accessdate=January 31, 2010 |publisher=[[Noble Corporation]]}}</ref> oil platform in the [[Gulf of Mexico]] during {{Nowrap|June 2007}}. They photographed, measured and filmed every aspect of the platform, which was later replicated on-screen with photorealistic [[Computer-generated imagery|CGI]] during post-production.<ref name='DrillingRig'>{{cite web|url=http://www.comingsoon.net/news/avatarnews.php?id=40855 |archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20080605085745/http://www.comingsoon.net/news/avatarnews.php?id=40855 |archivedate=June 5, 2008 |title=Avatar Designs Based on Drilling Rig |accessdate=January 26, 2010 |date=January 12, 2008 |work=ComingSoon.net |publisher=[[CraveOnline]] Media, LLC}}</ref>
 
Cameron said that he wanted to make "something that has this spoonful of sugar of all the action and the adventure and all that" but also have a conscience "that maybe in the enjoying of it makes you think a little bit about the way you interact with nature and your fellow man". He added that "the Na'vi represent something that is our higher selves, or our aspirational selves, what we would like to think we are" and that even though there are good humans within the film, the humans "represent what we know to be the parts of ourselves that are trashing our world and maybe condemning ourselves to a grim future".<ref name="Avatar Friday">{{cite news|last=Press |first=Associated |url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/film-news/6047137/Avatar-Friday-fans-will-be-shown-preview-of-James-Camerons-3-D-film.html |title='Avatar Friday': fans will be shown preview of James Cameron's 3-D film |publisher=telegraph.co.uk |date=August 18, 2009 |accessdate=February 20, 2010|location=London}} [http://www.webcitation.org/5pNQl8RRK Archived version {{Nowrap|April 30}}, 2010]</ref>
 
Cameron acknowledges that ''Avatar'' implicitly criticizes the United States' role in the [[Iraq War]] and the impersonal nature of [[mechanized warfare]] in general. In reference to the use of the term ''[[shock and awe]]'' in the film, Cameron said, "We know what it feels like to launch the missiles. We don't know what it feels like for them to land on our home soil, not in America."<ref name='Hoyle2009' /> He said in later interviews, "... I think it's very patriotic to question a system that needs to be corralled&nbsp;..."<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/13/movies/13avatar.html?_r=3&pagewanted=all|author=John Anderson|title=Alternate World, Alternate Technology|work=The New York Times|date=December 18, 2009}}</ref> and, "The film is definitely not anti-American."<ref name='nytimesqa'>{{cite news|url=http://carpetbagger.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/12/21/a-few-questions-for-james-cameron/ |title=A Few Questions for James Cameron
|accessdate=January 9, 2010 |last=Murphy |first=Mekado |date=December 21, 2009 |work=The New York Times}}</ref>
A scene in the film portrays the violent destruction of the towering Na'vi Hometree, which collapses in flames after a missile attack, coating the landscape with ash and floating embers. Asked about the scene's resemblance to the [[September&nbsp;11 attacks]] on the [[World Trade Center]], Cameron said he had been "surprised at how much it did look like {{Nowrap|September 11}}".<ref name='Hoyle2009'>{{cite news|first=Ben|last=Hoyle |title=War on Terror backdrop to James Cameron's Avatar|date=December 11, 2009|publisher=News Limited|url =http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/arts/war-on-terror-backdrop-to-james-camerons-avatar/story-e6frg8pf-1225809286903|work =The Australian|accessdate = December 24, 2009}}</ref>
 
===Filming===
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[[Principal photography]] for ''Avatar'' began in {{Nowrap|April 2007}} in [[Los Angeles]] and [[Wellington]], [[New Zealand]]. Cameron described the film as a hybrid with a full live-action shoot in combination with computer-generated characters and live environments. "Ideally at the end of the day the audience has no idea which they're looking at," Cameron said. The director indicated that he had already worked four months on nonprincipal scenes for the film.<ref>{{cite news|author=Sharon Waxman|url=http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/08/movies/08cnd-cameron.html|title='Titanic' Director Joins Fox on $200&nbsp;Million Film|work=The New York Times|date=January 8, 2007|accessdate=}}</ref> The live action was shot with a modified version of the proprietary digital 3-D [[Fusion Camera System]], developed by Cameron and Vince Pace.<ref name="popularmechanics">{{cite news|author=Anne Thompson|url=http://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/industry/4339455.html?page=2|title= How James Cameron's Innovative New 3D Tech Created ''Avatar''|work=[[Popular Mechanics]]|date=January 2010|accessdate=December 15, 2009}}</ref> In {{Nowrap|January 2007}}, Fox had announced that [[3-D film|3-D]] filming for ''Avatar'' would be done at 24 frames per second despite Cameron's strong opinion that a 3-D film requires higher [[frame rate]] to make [[strobing]] less noticeable.<ref>{{cite news|last=Cohen|first=David S.|date=April 10, 2008|accessdate=December 26, 2009|url=http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117983864.html?categoryid=1043&cs=1|title=James Cameron supercharges 3-D|work=Variety}}</ref> According to Cameron, the film is composed of 60% computer-generated elements and 40% live action, as well as traditional [[miniature effect|miniatures]].<ref name="epic1">{{cite news|author=Anne Thompson|url=http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/film/news/e3i1c5a3d24ccc0c11be5f736c8e625bd90|archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20070110054929/http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/film/news/e3i1c5a3d24ccc0c11be5f736c8e625bd90|archivedate=2007-01-10|title=Cameron sets live-action, CG epic for 2009|work=[[The Hollywood Reporter]]|date=January 9, 2007|accessdate=February 23, 2010}}</ref>
 
Motion-capture photography lasted 31&nbsp;days at the [[Hughes Aircraft]] stage in [[Playa Vista, Los Angeles, California|Playa Vista]] in Los Angeles.<ref name="latimes" /><ref name=quittner/> Live action photography began in {{Nowrap|October 2007}} at Stone Street Studios in Wellington, New Zealand, and was scheduled to last 31 days.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.stuff.co.nz/entertainment/27960| title=$200m Avatar starts filming in Wellington|work=The Dominion Post| date=October 17, 2007|accessdate=February 5, 2010}}</ref> More than a thousand people worked on the production.<ref name=quittner>{{cite news|author=[[Josh Quittner]]|title=3-D: The Future of Movies|work=Time|date=March 19, 2009|url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1886541-3,00.html|accessdate=March 19, 2009}}</ref> In preparation of the filming sequences, all of the actors underwent professional training specific to their characters such as archery, horseback riding, firearm use, and hand-to-hand combat. They received language and dialect training in the Na'vi language created for the film.<ref name="makingofavatar">{{Cite video| people = James Cameron and production team| title = 'Avatar' Creating the World of Pandora| medium = Online web-based video| publisher= [[Yahoo.com]]|url = http://video.yahoo.com/watch/6813289/17711648| date =January 19, 2010}}</ref> Prior to shooting the film, Cameron also sent the cast to the [[Hawaiian tropical rainforests]]<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.starpulse.com/news/index.php/2009/11/09/james_cameron_s_jungle_expedition_for_av| title=James Cameron's Jungle Expedition For 'Avatar' Stars|work=Starpulse.com| date=November 9, 2009|accessdate=January 2, 2010}}</ref> to get a feel for a rainforest setting before shooting on the soundstage.<ref name="makingofavatar" />
 
[[File:Avatarvirtualcamera.jpg|thumb|left|The virtual camera system in use on the set of the film. The motion-capture stage known as "The Volume" can be seen in the background.]]
During filming, Cameron made use of his [[virtual camera system]], a new way of directing motion-capture filmmaking. The system is showing the actors' virtual counterparts in their digital surroundings in real time, allowing the director to adjust and direct scenes just as if shooting live action. According to Cameron, "It's like a big, powerful [[game engine]]. If I want to fly through space, or change my perspective, I can. I can turn the whole scene into a living miniature and go through it on a 50 to 1 scale."<ref name=Waxmantimes>{{cite news|author = Sharon Waxman|title = Computers Join Actors in Hybrids On Screen|work =The New York Times|date = January 9, 2007|url= http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/09/movies/09came.html?ei=5088&en=a04547b0447818e8&ex=1325998800&adxnnl=1&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss&adxnnlx=1188209207-Eot0a/VzVL5PO0muPKzKNA|accessdate=August 22, 2007}}</ref> Using conventional techniques, the complete virtual world cannot be seen until the motion-capture of the actors is complete. Cameron said this process does not diminish the value or importance of acting. On the contrary, because there is no need for repeated camera and lighting setups, costume fittings and make-up touch-ups, scenes do not need to be interrupted repeatedly.<ref name="chicagotribune.com">{{cite news|url=http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/sc-ent-0224-avatar-actors-20100224,0,1272757.story|author=Rachel Abramowitz|title=Do the 'Avatar' actors deserve recognition?|work=[[Chicago Tribune]]|publisher=Chicago Tribune|date=February 19, 2009|accessdate=February 24, 2010}}</ref> Cameron described the system as a "form of pure creation where if you want to move a tree or a mountain or the sky or change the time of day, you have complete control over the elements".<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/145382|author=Henry Fitzherbert|title=Avatar: Director James Cameron's crowning glory |work=[[Daily Express]]|date=December 11, 2009|accessdate=January 24, 2010}}</ref>
 
Cameron gave fellow directors [[Steven Spielberg]] and [[Peter Jackson]] a chance to test the new technology.<ref name="king">{{cite news|author=James Rampton|url=http://enjoyment.independent.co.uk/film/features/article2087309.ece|title=James Cameron: King of all he surveys|work=[[The Independent]]|date=December 20, 2006|accessdate=December 20, 2006|location=London}}</ref> Spielberg said, "I like to think of it as digital makeup, not augmented animation&nbsp;... Motion capture brings the director back to a kind of intimacy that actors and directors only know when they're working in live theater."<ref name=chicagotribune.com/> Spielberg and [[George Lucas]] were also able to visit the set to watch Cameron direct with the equipment.<ref name="media-freaks.com">{{cite web|first=Aldric|last=Chang|title=Reading Between the Lines: First Image of James Cameron’s Avatar|publisher=media-freaks.com|date=August 20, 2009|accessdate=January 27, 2010–01|url=http://blog.media-freaks.com/reading-lines-image-james-camerons-avatar/}}</ref>
 
To film the shots where CGI interacts with live action, a unique camera referred to as a "simulcam" was used, a merger of the 3-D fusion camera and the virtual camera systems. While filming live action in real time with the simulcam, the CGI images captured with the virtual camera or designed from scratch, are superimposed over the live action images as in [[augmented reality]] and shown on a small monitor, making it possible for the director to instruct the actors how to relate to the virtual material in the scene.<ref name="makingofavatar"/>
 
===Visual effects===
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[[File:Avatarmotioncapture.jpg|thumb|right|Cameron pioneered a specially designed camera built into a 6-inch boom that allowed the facial expressions of the actors to be captured and digitally recorded for the animators to use later.<ref>{{cite journal| last =Duncan| first=Jody| date = January 2010 issue (Cinefex Issue No. 120), cover story| title = ''Avatar''| journal = [[Cinefex|Cinefex magazine]]| location = Riverside, CA| page = p. 86| publisher = [[Cinefex]]}}</ref>|alt=The left image shows the blue cat-like alien Neyitiri shouting. The right image shows the actress who portrays her, Zoe Saldana, with motion-capture dots across her face and a small camera in front of her eyes.]]
 
A number of innovative [[visual effects]] techniques were used in the production of ''Avatar''. According to Cameron, work on the film had been delayed since the 1990s to allow the techniques to reach the necessary degree of advancement to adequately portray his vision of the film.<ref name="autogenerated2"/><ref name="autogenerated1996"/> The director planned to make use of photorealistic computer-generated characters, created using new [[motion capture|motion-capture]] animation technologies he had been developing in the 14 months leading up to {{Nowrap|December 2006}}.<ref name=Waxmantimes/>
 
Innovations include a new system for lighting massive areas like Pandora's jungle,<ref name="news.cnet.com">[http://news.cnet.com/8301-13772_3-10444621-52.html 'Avatar' Oscars could make Weta household name]</ref> a [[Motion capture stage|motion-capture stage]] or "volume" six times larger than any previously used, and an improved method of capturing facial expressions, enabling full [[performance capture]]. To achieve the face capturing, actors wore individually made [[wikt:skullcap#Noun|skull caps]] fitted with a tiny camera positioned in front of the actors' faces; the information collected about their facial expressions and eyes is then transmitted to computers.<ref>{{cite news|author = Aili McConnon|title = James Cameron on the Cutting Edge|work =BusinessWeek|date = April 2, 2007|url = http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/07_14/b4028005.htm|accessdate=September 23, 2009}}</ref> According to Cameron, the method allows the filmmakers to transfer 100% of the actors' physical performances to their digital counterparts.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thewrap.com/ind-column/jackson-cameron-saddened-state-film-industry_4578|title=Jackson, Cameron Saddened by State of Film Industry (Video)|date= July 25, 2009|last=Kaufman|first=Amy|accessdate=January 25, 2010}}</ref>
Besides the performance capture data which were transferred directly to the computers, numerous reference cameras gave the digital artists multiple angles of each performance.<ref>[http://www.moviemaker.com/directing/article/avatar_james_cameron_jon_landau_20100119/ James Cameron Mixes It Up With Avatar]</ref> A technically challenging scene was near the end of the film when the computer-generated Neytiri held the live action Jake in human form, and attention was given to the details of the shadows and reflected light between them.<ref>{{cite news|author = Larry Gelten|title = 2nd look: 'Avatar'| work =[[NY Post]]|date = January 31, 2010|url = http://www.nypost.com/p/entertainment/movies/nd_look_avatar_xPBTCSy7CMMzNPhZYE4LnM| accessdate=January 31, 2010}}</ref>
 
The lead visual effects company was [[Weta Digital]] in [[Wellington]], New Zealand, at one point employing 900 people to work on the film.<ref>{{cite news|author = Philip Wakefield|title = Close encounters of the 3D kind|work = [[The Listener (magazine)|The Listener]]|date = December 19, 2009|url = http://www.listener.co.nz/issue/3632/features/14597/close_encounters_of_the_3d_kind_.html|accessdate=February 4, 2010}}</ref> Because of the huge amount of data which needed to be stored, cataloged and available for everybody involved, even on the other side of the world, a new [[cloud computing]] and [[Digital Asset Management]] (DAM) system named Gaia was created by Microsoft especially for ''Avatar'', which allowed the crews to keep track of and coordinate all stages in the digital processing.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.microsoft.com/microsoftservices/en/us/article_Microsoft_Role_In_Avatar.aspx|title=Cameron Says Microsoft's Role in 'Avatar' Was Key|publisher=Microsoft|date=5 February 2010|accessdate=21 December 2010}}</ref> To render ''Avatar'', Weta used a {{convert|10000|sqft|m2|abbr=on|lk=on}} [[server farm]] making use of 4,000 [[Hewlett-Packard]] servers with 35,000 processor cores running [[Ubuntu (operating system)|Ubuntu]] [[Linux]] and the [[Sun Grid Engine|Grid Engine]] cluster manager.<ref>{{cite news|author = Jim Ericson|title = Processing AVATAR| work =[[SourceMedia]] |publisher= Information Management magazine|date = December 21, 2009|url = http://www.information-management.com/newsletters/avatar_data_processing-10016774-1.html|accessdate=February 2, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title = Cloudy with a chance of Linux: Canonical aims to cash in|date = March 26, 2010|url = http://arstechnica.com/open-source/news/2010/03/ubuntu-gaining-traction-on-servers-and-in-the-cloud.ars|accessdate=March 28, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title = The Day the Earth Stood Still|date = March 1, 2009|url = http://www.linuxjournal.com/article/10301|accessdate=March 28, 2010}}</ref> The [[render farm]] occupies the 193rd to 197th spots in the [[TOP500]] list of the world's most powerful [[supercomputer]]s. A new texturing and paint software system called Mari, was developed by The Foundry in cooperation with Weta.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://features.cgsociety.org/story_custom.php?story_id=5670|title=Jack Greasley, developer and Product Manager at The Foundry, takes CGSociety for a look around Mari, the new texture application.|publisher=CG Society|date=25 May 2010|accessdate=21 December 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.fxguide.com/article604.html|title=Exclusive: Foundry NAB Preview|publisher=FX Guide|date=29 March 2010|accessdate=21 December 2010}}</ref> Creating the Na'vi characters and the virtual world of Pandora required over a [[petabyte]] of digital storage,<ref>{{cite news|author = Tim Masters|title = Will Avatar crown James Cameron 'King of the Universe'?| work =BBC News|date = December 16, 2009|url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/8414223.stm|accessdate=January 12, 2010}}</ref> and each minute of the final footage for ''Avatar'' occupies 17.28 [[gigabytes]] of storage.<ref name=datacenterknowledge>{{cite web|url=http://www.datacenterknowledge.com/archives/2009/12/22/the-data-crunching-powerhouse-behind-avatar/|title= The Data-Crunching Powerhouse Behind 'Avatar'|date=December 22, 2009|accessdate=January 21, 2010}}</ref> To help finish preparing the special effects sequences on time, a number of other companies were brought on board, including [[Industrial Light & Magic]], which worked alongside Weta Digital to create the battle sequences. ILM was responsible for the visual effects for many of the film's specialized vehicles and devised a new way to make CGI explosions.<ref>{{cite news|author=by Daniel Terdiman|url=http://news.cnet.com/8301-13772_3-10419046-52.html|title=ILM steps in to help finish 'Avatar' visual effects|work=[[CNet]]|date=December 19, 2009|accessdate=}}</ref> [[Joe Letteri]] was the film's visual effects general supervisor.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0504784/#visualX20effects|accessdate=February 9, 2010|title=Joe Letteri|work=IMDB.com}}</ref>
 
===Music and soundtrack===
{{Main|Avatar: Music from the Motion Picture}}
{{listen
|filename=Jameshorneravatarclip.ogg
|title=James Horner - "Jake Enters His Avatar World"
|description=listen to a clip from the score of the 2009 film ''Avatar''.
}}
Composer [[James Horner]] scored the film, his third collaboration with Cameron after ''[[Aliens (film)|Aliens]]'' and ''[[Titanic (1997 film)|Titanic]]''.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.filmmusicweekly.com/issues/FM_Weekly_061907.pdf
|archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20071129050902/http://www.filmmusicweekly.com/issues/FM_Weekly_061907.pdf|archivedate=November 29, 2007|title=Fox confirms Horner on Cameron's 'Avatar'|accessdate=January 25, 2010}}</ref> Horner recorded parts of the score with a small chorus singing in the alien language Na'vi in {{Nowrap|March 2008}}.<ref>{{cite news|author = Dorey, Jim|title = Na'vi Alien Language Incorporated In 'Avatar' Music Soundtrack|work = MarketSaw Blog|date = April 2, 2008|url = http://marketsaw.blogspot.com/2008/04/navi-alien-language-incorporated-in.html|accessdate=April 21, 2008 |archivedate=January 24, 2010|archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/5n2I8pPmL}}</ref>
He also worked with Wanda Bryant, an [[Ethnomusicology|ethnomusicologist]], to create a music culture for the alien race.<ref>{{cite news|author = Lucas, Ann|title = Alumni News|publisher = UCLA Department of Ethnomusicology|date = Fall 2007|url = http://www.ethnomusic.ucla.edu/publications/newsletters/newsletterfall07.pdf|archiveurl = http://www.webcitation.org/5mpzpE6Od|archivedate = January 17, 2010|accessdate=July 24, 2008|format=PDF}}</ref>
The first scoring sessions were planned to take place in spring 2009.<ref>{{cite news|author = Carlsson, Mikael|title = Top-10 Most Anticipated Scores of 2009|work = Upcoming Film Scores|publisher=IMDb News|date = January 3, 2009|url = http://www.imdb.com/news/ni0640218/l|accessdate=January 7, 2009|archivedate=January 24, 2010|archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/5n2HcblaU}}</ref> During production, Horner promised Cameron that he would not work on any other project except for ''Avatar'' and reportedly worked on the score from four in the morning till ten at night throughout the process. He stated in an interview, "''Avatar'' has been the most difficult film I have worked on and the biggest job I have undertaken."<ref>{{cite news|author = Owen Vaughan|title = James Horner: 'Scoring Avatar has been the most difficult job I've done'| publisher=Times Online|date = November 30, 2009|url = http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/film/article6936869.ece| accessdate=February 8, 2010|location=London}}</ref> Horner composed the score as two different scores merged into one. He first created a score that reflected the Na'vi way of sound and then combined it with a separate "traditional" score to drive the film.<ref name="makingofavatar" />
British singer [[Leona Lewis]] was chosen to sing the theme song for the film, called "[[I See You (Leona Lewis song)|I See You]]". An accompanying music video, directed by [[Jake Nava]], premiered {{Nowrap|December 15}}, 2009, on [[MySpace]].<ref>{{cite news|author = Fukushima, Glenn|title = Atlantic Unveils "AVATAR: MUSIC FROM THE MOTION PICTURE"; Official Companion Album to James Cameron's Upcoming Epic Adventure Features Music Composed & Conducted by Oscar-Winner James Horner, Plus "I See You (Theme From Avatar)," Performed by Leona Lewis|publisher = marketwire|date = November 16, 2009|url = http://www.marketwire.com/press-release/Atlantic-Records-1076978.html|accessdate=November 22, 2009}}</ref>
 
==Marketing==
===Promotions===
[[File:JamesCameronCCJuly09.jpg|thumb|right|upright|Cameron at the 2009 [[San Diego Comic-Con International|San Diego Comic-Con]] promoting the film|alt=A man in a blue jacket, with a gray shirt underneath, in front of a microphone. The eye logo for the San Diego Comic-Con is seen in the background.]]
 
The first photo of the film was released on {{Nowrap|August 14}}, 2009,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://thefilmstage.com/2009/08/14/first-official-photo-for-james-camerons-avatar/ |title=First Official Photo For James Cameron's 'Avatar' |accessdate=September 19, 2009 |work=Filmstage.com|date=August 14, 2009|last=Raup|first=Jordan}}</ref> and ''[[Empire (magazine)|Empire]]'' magazine released exclusive images from the film in its October issue.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.empireonline.com/news/story.asp?NID=25654 |title=New Empire Avatar Cover! |publisher=Empireonline.com |accessdate=December 6, 2009}}</ref> Cameron, producer [[Jon Landau (film producer)|Jon Landau]], [[Zoe Saldana]], [[Stephen Lang (actor)|Stephen Lang]], and [[Sigourney Weaver]] appeared at a panel, moderated by [[Tom Rothman]], at the 2009 [[San Diego Comic-Con International|San Diego Comic-Con]] on {{Nowrap|July 23}}. Twenty-five minutes of footage was screened<ref>{{cite news|title=James Cameron Previews 'Avatar'|work=Variety|date=July 23, 2009|last=Rettig|first=Kristina|url=http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118006435.html?categoryid=13&cs=1|accessdate=July 26, 2009}}</ref> in [[Dolby 3D]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Dolby 3D is the Official 3D Provider for Comic-Con International 2009|work=BusinessWire|date=July 23, 2009|url=http://investor.dolby.com/releasedetail.cfm?ReleaseID=398557|accessdate=July 26, 2009}}</ref>
Weaver and Cameron appeared at additional panels to promote the film, speaking on the 23rd<ref name="Comic-Con Main">{{cite web |url=http://www.comic-con.org/cci2009/cci09_prog_thu.php |title=Programming for Thursday, July&nbsp;23 |publisher=San Diego Comic-Con International |format=php |accessdate=January 26, 2010}}</ref> and 24th<ref name="Comic-Con">{{cite web |url=http://www.comic-con.org/cci2009/cci09_prog_fri.php |title=Programming for Friday, July&nbsp;24 |publisher=San Diego Comic-Con International |format=php |accessdate=January 26, 2010}}</ref> respectively. James Cameron announced at the Comic-Con Avatar Panel that {{Nowrap|August 21}} will be 'Avatar Day'. On this day the trailer for the film was released in all theatrical formats. The official game trailer and toy line of the film were also unveiled on this day.<ref>{{cite news|title=Official 'Avatar Day' Press Release|work=SciFiScoop.com|date=July 23, 2009|url=http://www.scifiscoop.com/news/official-avatar-day-press-release/|accessdate=July 23, 2009|archivedate=January 24, 2010|archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/5n2GwTz8c}}</ref>
 
The 129-second trailer was released online on {{Nowrap|August 20}}, 2009.<ref name="usatoday1">{{cite news|last=Clark |first=Cindy |url=http://www.usatoday.com/life/movies/news/2009-08-23-avatar-preview_N.htm |title='Avatar' preview dazzles audiences |publisher=Usatoday.Com |date=August 24, 2009 |accessdate=December 6, 2009}}</ref>
The new 210-second trailer was premiered in theatres on {{Nowrap|October 23}}, 2009, then soon after premiered online on Yahoo! on {{Nowrap|October 29}}, 2009, to positive reviews.<ref>{{cite web|author=Michael Bodey |url=http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/arts/titanic-director-james-cameron-grabs-films-holy-grail-in-new-film-avatar/story-e6frg8pf-1225766563195 |title=Titanic director James Cameron grabs film's holy grail in new film Avatar &#124; The Australian |publisher=Theaustralian.news.com.au |date=August 27, 2009 |accessdate=December 6, 2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20091002/forbes_stars_091003/20091003?hub=EntertainmentV2 |title=CTV News &#124; Stars gear up for a risky season in Hollywood |publisher=Ctv.ca |date=October 3, 2009 |accessdate=December 6, 2009}}</ref>
An extended version in [[IMAX 3D]] received overwhelmingly positive reviews.<ref name="usatoday1"/> ''The Hollywood Reporter'' said that audience expectations were coloured by "the [same] establishment skepticism that preceded ''Titanic''" and suggested the showing reflected the desire for original storytelling.<ref>{{cite news|last = Kilday|first = Gregg|title = A chip off the ol' iceberg? 'Avatar' run-up recalls another Cameron-captained ship|work = The Hollywood Reporter|date = August 25, 2009|page = 6|url = http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/features/columns/take-two/e3ia3f0e0ee831a6936ff50092f00f4f8e3|archiveurl = http://www.webcitation.org/5q2koLSYY|archivedate = 2010-05-27|accessdate = August 29, 2009}}
</ref> The teaser has been among the most viewed trailers in the history of film marketing, reaching the first place of all trailers viewed on Apple.com with 4&nbsp;million views.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://geektyrant.com/2009/08/avatar-movie-teaser-is-the-most-viewed-trailer-ever-on-applecom/ |title=AVATAR Movie Teaser is the Most Viewed Trailer Ever on Apple.com |publisher=GeekTyrant |accessdate=December 6, 2009}}</ref>
On October 30, to celebrate the opening of the first 3-D cinema in Vietnam, Fox allowed Megastar Cinema to screen exclusive 16 minutes of Avatar to a number of press.<ref>{{cite news |title=Through a glass starkly |author=Pham Thu Nga; Trong Kha |newspaper=[[Thanh Nien News]] |date=November 13, 2009 |url=http://www.thanhniennews.com/entertaiments/?catid=6&newsid=53639 |accessdate=January 5, 2010 |archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/5mZ9RRzvS |archivedate=January 5, 2010}}</ref> The three-and-a-half-minute trailer of the film premiered live on {{Nowrap|November 1}}, 2009, during a [[Dallas Cowboys]] football game at [[Cowboys Stadium]] in Arlington, Texas, on the Diamond Vision screen, one of the world's largest video display, and to TV audiences viewing the game on [[NFL on Fox|Fox]]. It is said to be the largest live motion picture trailer viewing in history.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.reuters.com/article/pressRelease/idUS214196+29-Oct-2009+BW20091029 |title=AVATAR Trailer Gets World's Largest Live Trailer Viewing on November&nbsp;1 |publisher=Reuters |date= October 29, 2009|accessdate=December 6, 2009}}</ref>
 
[[The Coca-Cola Company]] collaborated with Twentieth Century Fox to launch a worldwide marketing campaign to promote the film. The highlight of the campaign was the website AVTR.com. Specially marked bottles and cans of [[Coca-Cola Zero]], when held in front of a webcam, enabled users to interact with the website's 3-D features using augmented reality (AR) technology.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.progressivegrocer.com/top-story-coca_cola_zero_immerses_itself_in_the_world_of___8216_avatar__8217_-26327.html |title=Coca-Cola Zero Immerses in the World of Avatar |publisher=Progressive Grocer |date=November 24, 2009 |accessdate=January 19, 2010}}</ref> The film was heavily promoted in an episode of the [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox Network]] series ''[[Bones (TV series)|Bones]]'' in the episode "The Gamer In The Grease" (Season 5, Episode 9). ''Avatar'' star [[Joel David Moore]] has a recurring role on the program, and is seen in the episode anxiously awaiting the release of the film.<ref>{{cite web|author=user |url=http://www.fox.com/fod/play.php?sh=bones&ep=8002 |title=FOX on Demand |publisher=Fox.com |accessdate=December 6, 2009}}</ref> A week prior to American release, Zoe Saldana promoted the film on [[Adult Swim]] when she was interviewed by an animated [[Space Ghost]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://news.turner.com/article_display.cfm?article_id=4877 |title=Space Ghost to Come out of Retirement For Interview with Avatar Star Zoë Saldana |publisher=[[Adult Swim]] |date=December 7, 2009|accessdate=February 18, 2010}}</ref>
 
===Books===
''Avatar: A Confidential Report on the Biological and Social History of Pandora'', a 224-page book in the form of a field guide to the film's fictional setting of the planet of Pandora, was released by [[Harper Entertainment]] on {{Nowrap|November 24}}, 2009.<ref name=Confidentialreport>''Avatar: A Confidential Report on the Biological and Social History of Pandora''. ISBN 978-0-06-189675-0</ref>
It is presented as a compilation of data collected by the humans about Pandora and the life on it, written by Maria Wilhelm and Dirk Mathison. HarperFestival also released Wilhelm's 48-page ''James Cameron's Avatar: The Reusable Scrapbook'' for children.<ref>''James Cameron's Avatar: The Movie Scrapbook''. ISBN 978-0-06-180124-2</ref> ''[[The Art of Avatar: James Cameron's Epic Adventure]]'' was released on {{Nowrap|November 30}}, 2009, by [[Abrams Books]]. The book features detailed production artwork from the film, including production sketches, illustrations by Lisa Fitzpatrick, and film stills. Producer [[Jon Landau (film producer)|Jon Landau]] wrote the foreword, Cameron wrote the epilogue, and director [[Peter Jackson]] wrote the preface.<ref>''The Art of Avatar: James Cameron's Epic Adventure''. ISBN 978-0-8109-8286-4</ref> In {{Nowrap|October 2010}}, Abrams Books also released ''The Making of Avatar'', a 272 page book that detailed the film's production process and contains over 500 color photographs and illustrations.<ref>''The Making of Avatar''. ISBN 0-8109-9706-1</ref>
 
In a 2009 interview, Cameron said that he planned to write a novel version of ''Avatar'' after the film was released.<ref>{{cite news|first=David|last=Germain|title=''Avatar'' creator Cameron shares alien shop talk| url=http://www.theinsider.com/news/3126001__Avatar_creator_Cameron_shares_alien_shop_talk| agency=Associated Press|date=December 21, 2009|accessdate=January 26, 2010}}</ref> In {{Nowrap|February 2010}}, producer Jon Landau stated that Cameron plans a [[prequel]] novel for ''Avatar'' that will "lead up to telling the story of the movie, but it would go into much more depth about all the stories that we didn't have time to deal with", saying that "Jim wants to write a novel that is a big, epic story that fills in a lot of things".<ref>{{cite news|author=Larry Carroll| url=http://www.mtv.com/movies/news/articles/1631859/story.jhtml|title=James Cameron Writing 'Avatar' Prequel – But Not For The Big Screen| publisher=MTV |date=February 12, 2010|accessdate=February 15, 2010}}</ref>
 
===Video games===
{{Main|James Cameron's Avatar: The Game}}
Cameron chose [[Ubisoft Montreal]] to create an ''Avatar'' game for the film in 2007. The filmmakers and game developers collaborated heavily, and Cameron decided to include some of Ubisoft's vehicle and creature designs into the film.<ref name=e3>{{cite news|title=James Cameron's Na'vi Banshees Take Flight In The Avatar Video Game|work=[[io9]]|date=June 2, 2009|url=http://io9.com/5275122/james-camerons-navi-banshees-take-flight-in-the-avatar-video-game|accessdate=June 2, 2009|last=Woerner|first=Meredith}}</ref>
''James Cameron's Avatar: The Game'' was released on {{Nowrap|December 1}}, 2009,<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/avatar-in-four-different-formats-1839073.html|title='Avatar' in four different formats|work=[[The Independent]]|accessdate=December 13, 2009|location=London|date=December 12, 2009}}</ref> for most home video game consoles ([[PS3]], [[Xbox 360]], [[Wii]], [[Nintendo DS]], [[iPhone OS|iPhone]]), [[Microsoft Windows]] and {{Nowrap|December 8}} for [[PlayStation Portable|PSP]].
 
===Action figures and postage stamps===
[[Mattel Toys]] announced in December 2009 that it would be introducing a line of ''Avatar'' action figures.<ref name="licensing.biz">[http://www.licensing.biz/news/4429/Fox-Licensing-unveils-Avatar-licensing-programme Fox Licensing unveils Avatar licensing programme], Licensing.biz. Retrieved {{Nowrap|December 13}}, 2009.</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Mattel is Master Toy Licensee for Cameron's Avatar|work=ComingSoon.net|date=February 13, 2009|url=http://www.comingsoon.net/news/movienews.php?id=52860|accessdate=February 13, 2009}}</ref>
Each action figure will be made with a 3-D web tag, called an i-TAG, that consumers can scan using a [[web camera|web cam]], revealing unique on-screen content that is special to each specific action figure.<ref name="licensing.biz"/> A series of toys representing six different characters from the film were also distributed in [[McDonald's]] [[Happy Meal]]s in Argentina, Brazil, Canada, China, [[Colombia]], the United States and [[Venezuela]].<ref name="Avatar toys">{{cite web |url=http://www.happymeal.com/en_US/standalone.html?s=Intro&bgc=%23000000&ID=&swfH=450&swfW=772&bs=toys&swf=/en_US/swf3/sections/toys/intro/intro.swf#Intro |title=Avatar Happy Meal Toys |publisher=happymeal.com |accessdate=December 24, 2009}}</ref>
 
In December 2009, [[La Poste (France)|France Post]] released a special limited edition stamp based on ''Avatar'', coinciding with the film's worldwide release.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life/people/Stamp-ed/articleshow/5538582.cms|title=Stamp-ed!|date=February 17, 2010|last=Sharma|first=Garima|accessdate=February 17, 2010|work=[[The Times of India]]}}</ref>
 
==Release==
===Initial screening===
<!--THIS ARTICLE IS BIG ENOUGH. RECONSIDER ADDING MORE TO THIS SECTION.-->
''Avatar'' premiered in London on {{Nowrap|December 10}}, 2009, and was released theatrically worldwide from {{Nowrap|December 16}} to 18.<ref name="release-dates">{{cite web|url=http://microsites2.foxinternational.com/ww/avatar/release_dates.html |title=Avatar International Release Dates |accessdate=October 31, 2009 |work=foxinternational.com}}</ref> The film was originally set for release on {{Nowrap|May 22}}, 2009, during filming,<ref>{{cite news|author=Dave McNary|url=http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117968535.html?categoryid=13&cs=1&nid=2564|title=Hollywood films' dating game|publisher=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|date=July 13, 2007|accessdate=July 17, 2007}}</ref> but was pushed back to allow more post-production time (the last shots were delivered in November),<ref name="news.cnet.com"/> and to give more time for theatres worldwide to install 3-D projectors.<ref>{{cite news|author = Pamela McClintock, Michael Fleming|title = Fox shifts 'Avatar,' 'Museum'|work = [[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|date = December 11, 2007|url = http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117977544.html |accessdate=December 12, 2007}}</ref> Cameron stated that the film's [[aspect ratio (image)|aspect ratio]] would be 1.78:1 for 3-D screenings and that a 2.39:1 image would be extracted for 2-D screenings.<ref>{{cite news|title=James Cameron Q & A Podcast from Aliens / The Abyss Event!|work=MarketSaw|date=May 30, 2009|url=http://marketsaw.blogspot.com/2009/05/james-cameron-q-podcast-from-aliens.html|accessdate=June 2, 2009}}
</ref> However, a 3-D 2.39:1 extract was approved for use with constant-image-height screens (i.e. screens which increase in size to display 2.39:1 films).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0499549/technical|title=Avatar (2009) - Technical specifications|publisher=IMDB|accessdate=21 December 2010}}</ref> During a 3-D preview showing in Germany on {{Nowrap|December 16}}, the movie's [[Digital rights management|DRM]] 'protection' system failed, and some copies delivered could not be watched at all the theaters. The problems were fixed in time for the public premiere, however.<ref name="drm difficulties">{{cite web|url=http://www.heise.de/newsticker/meldung/DRM-Chaos-verhindert-3D-Vorpremieren-von-Avatar-2-Update-888309.html|title=DRM-Chaos verhindert 3D-Vorpremieren von Avatar |accessdate=January 28,|work=www.heise.de}}</ref> ''Avatar'' was released in a total of 3,457 theatres in the US, of which 2,032 theatres ran it in 3-D. In total 90% of all advance ticket sales for ''Avatar'' were for 3-D screenings.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cinemablend.com/new/Over-350-Avatar-Screenings-Already-Sold-Out-16198.html |last=Gwin|first=Scott|title= Cinema Blend: Over 350 Avatar Screenings Already Sold Out|date=December 18, 2009}}</ref>
 
Internationally, ''Avatar'' opened on a total of 14,604 screens in 106 territories, of which 3,671 were showing the film in 3-D (producing 56% of the first weekend gross).<ref name="'Avatar' dominates int'l boxoffice">{{cite web|url=http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/news/e3ia0d444a2a4b3e35aeacb98430b6004f5|archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/5q2koLSci|archivedate=2010-05-27 |title= 'Avatar' dominates int'l boxoffice|date=December 20, 2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.screendaily.com/news/distribution/avatar-is-king-of-the-world-with-1652m-overseas-launch/5009219.article |title= Avatar is king of the world with $165.2m overseas launch|date=December 20, 2009}}</ref> The film was simultaneously presented in [[IMAX 3D]] format, opening in 178 theaters in the United States on {{Nowrap|December 18}}. The international IMAX release included 58 theaters beginning on {{Nowrap|December 16}}, and 25 more theaters were to be added in the coming weeks.<ref name="IMAXrecord2">{{cite news|url=http://finance.yahoo.com/news/James-Camerons-Avatar-Posts-pz-1148917843.html?x=0&.v=1 |title= James Cameron's Avatar Posts Record Opening Weekend Box Office Results in IMAX(R) Theatres| date=December 21, 2009|accessdate=October 13, 2010|work=[[Yahoo!]]}}</ref> The IMAX release was the company's widest to date, a total of 261 theaters worldwide. The previous IMAX record opening was ''[[Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (film)|Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince]]'', which opened in 161 IMAX theatres in the US, and about 70 international.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://blog.bigmoviezone.com/?p=5080 |title= ScreenCrave: Avatar Breaks IMAX's Wide Release Record|date=December 16, 2009}}</ref> In summer 2009, 20th Century Fox Korea adapted and later released ''Avatar'' in [[4-D film|4-D version]], which included "moving seats, smells of explosives, sprinkling water, laser lights and wind".<ref name="4-D">{{cite news|author=Han Sunhee |url=http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118014803.html |title= 'Avatar' goes 4D in Korea|date=February 5, 2010 |accessdate=February 8, 2010|work=Variety}}</ref>
 
===Box office===
====General====
{{main|List of box office records set by Avatar}}
''Avatar'' earned $3,537,000 from midnight screenings [[Domestic box office|domestically]] (United States and Canada), with the initial 3-D release limited to 2,200 screens.<ref>{{cite web
|url=http://www.the-numbers.com/interactive/newsStory.php?newsID=4686
|title=The Numbers News—Avatar Scores $3.5&nbsp;Million at Midnight Screenings, Big Opening Day in Australia
|work=[http://www.the-numbers.com/about.php The-Numbers]
|publisher=Nash Information Services
|date=
|accessdate=December 21, 2009}}</ref> The film earned $27&nbsp;million on its opening day, and $77&nbsp;million over its opening weekend, making it the second largest December opening ever behind ''[[I Am Legend (film)|I Am Legend]]'',<ref name="Boxofficemojo">{{cite web
|first=
|last=
|title=''Avatar'' 2009 box office
|work=Box Office Mojo
|publisher=[[Internet Movie Database|IMDb]]
|url= http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=avatar.htm
|accessdate=January 7, 2010}}</ref><ref name=www.comingsoon.net/> the largest domestic opening weekend for a film not based on a franchise (topping ''[[The Incredibles (film)|The Incredibles]]''), and the 25th largest national United States weekend opening,<ref name="Boxofficemojo" /> despite [[North American blizzard of 2009|a blizzard]] which blanketed the [[East Coast of the United States]] and reportedly hurt its opening weekend results.<ref name="www.nytimes.com"/><ref name="www.comingsoon.net" /><ref name="www.reuters.com" /> The IMAX opening also broke box office records, with 178 theaters generating approximately $9.5&nbsp;million, 13% of the film's $73&nbsp;million (at the time) domestic gross on less than 3% of the screens.<ref name="IMAXrecord2" />
 
International markets generating opening weekend tallies of at least $10&nbsp;million were Russia ($20.8&nbsp;million), France ($20.3&nbsp;million), the UK ($14.1&nbsp;million), Germany ($13.2&nbsp;million), Australia ($11.9&nbsp;million), South Korea ($11.4&nbsp;million) and Spain ($10.9&nbsp;million).<ref name="'Avatar' dominates int'l boxoffice" /> ''Avatar'''s worldwide gross was an estimated [[U.S. dollar|$]]232,180,000 after five days,<ref name="Boxofficemojo" /><ref name="www.reuters.com" /> the ninth largest opening-weekend gross of all time, and the largest for a non-franchise, non-sequel and original film.<ref name="Boxofficemojo" />
58 international IMAX screens generated an estimated $4.1&nbsp;million during the opening weekend.<ref name="IMAXrecord2" />
[[File:Avatar.gross.png|thumb|left|Global box office receipts of ''Avatar'']]
The film's revenues decreased by 1.8% in its second weekend in domestic markets, marking a rare occurrence,<ref name="www.marketwatch.com" /> earning $75,617,183, to remain in first place at the box office<ref>{{cite web
| url=http://boxofficemojo.com/weekend/chart/?view=&yr=2009&wknd=52&p=.htm
| title=Weekend Box Office Results for December&nbsp;25–27, 2009
| publisher = [[IMDb]]
| work = Box Office Mojo
| accessdate=December 27, 2009}}</ref> and recording the biggest second weekend of all time.<ref>{{cite web
| url=http://boxofficemojo.com/alltime/weekends/moreweekends.htm?page=2&p=.htm
|title=Top Grossing Movies in Their 2nd Weekend at the Box Office
| publisher = IMDb
| work = Box Office Mojo
| accessdate=December 12, 2009}}</ref> The film experienced another small decrease in revenue in its third weekend, dropping 9.4% to $68,490,688 domestically, though remaining in first place at the box office,<ref>{{cite web
|url=http://boxofficemojo.com/weekend/chart/?view=&yr=2010&wknd=01&p=.htm
| title=Weekend Box Office Results for January&nbsp;1–3, 2010
| publisher = IMDb
| work = Box Office Mojo
| accessdate=January 3, 2010}}</ref> to set another weekend record.<ref>{{cite web
| url=http://boxofficemojo.com/alltime/weekends/moreweekends.htm?page=3&p=.htm
| title=Top Grossing Movies in Their 3rd Weekend at the Box Office
| publisher = IMDb
| work = Box Office Mojo
| accessdate=January 11, 2010}}</ref> On the 19th day of the film's international release, it crossed the $1&nbsp;[[1,000,000,000|billion]] mark worldwide, making it the fastest film ever to do so<ref name="boxoffice3">{{cite web
|title=''Avatar'' fastest film to break {{Nowrap|$1 billion}} mark
|work=[[Hindustan Times]]
|url=http://www.hindustantimes.com/rssfeed/cinema/Avatar-fastest-film-to-break-1-billion-mark/Article1-494182.aspx|date=January 5, 2010
|accessdate=February 18, 2010}}</ref> and also making it the highest-grossing release of 2009 worldwide.<ref name="2009 worldwide">{{cite web
|title= 2009 Worldwide Grosses
|work=Box Office Mojo
|publisher=[[Internet Movie Database|IMDb]]
|url= http://www.boxofficemojo.com/yearly/chart/?view2=worldwide&yr=2009&p=.htm
|accessdate=January 3, 2010}}</ref> In its fourth weekend, ''Avatar'' continued to lead the box office domestically, setting a new all-time fourth-weekend record of $50,306,217,<ref>{{cite web
| url=http://boxofficemojo.com/alltime/weekends/moreweekends.htm?page=4&p=.htm
| title=Top Grossing Movies in Their 4th Weekend at the Box Office
| publisher = IMDb
| work = Box Office Mojo
| accessdate=January 12, 2010}}</ref> and becoming the highest-grossing 2009 release in the United States.<ref name="WWW.marketwatch.com">{{cite web
|first=Andria|last=Cheng
|title=Avatar becomes top-grossing U.S. film released in 2009|work=[[MarketWatch]]
|publisher=[[Dow Jones & Company]]
|date=January 10, 2010
|accessdate=January 10, 2010
|url=http://www.marketwatch.com/story/avatar-top-grossing-us-film-released-in-2009-2010-01-10?reflink=MW_news_stmp}}</ref>
In the film's fifth weekend, it set the [[Martin Luther King Day]] four-day weekend record, grossing $54,401,446,<ref>{{cite web| url= http://boxofficemojo.com/alltime/weekends/mlk.htm?page=MLK&p=.htm
| title=Top Grossing Movies for Martin Lurther King Holiday Weekends
| publisher = IMDb
| work = Box Office Mojo
| accessdate=January 19, 2010}}</ref> and set another three-day weekend record with a take of $42,785,612.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://boxofficemojo.com/alltime/weekends/moreweekends.htm?page=5&p=.htm|title=Top Grossing Movies in Their 5th Weekend at the Box Office
| publisher = IMDb
| work = Box Office Mojo
| accessdate=January 19, 2010}}</ref> It held to the top spot to set the sixth and seventh weekend records earning $34,944,081<ref>{{cite web
| url=http://boxofficemojo.com/alltime/weekends/moreweekends.htm?page=6&p=.htm
| title=Top Weekends – 6th
| publisher = IMDb
| work = Box Office Mojo
| accessdate=February 1, 2010}}</ref> and $31,280,029<ref>{{cite web
| url=http://boxofficemojo.com/alltime/weekends/moreweekends.htm?page=7&p=.htm
| title=Top Weekends – 7th
| publisher = IMDb
| work = Box Office Mojo
| accessdate=February 1, 2010}}</ref> respectively. On {{Nowrap|January 31}} it became the first film to earn over {{Nowrap|$2 billion}},<ref name='Deprez2010'>{{cite news|first=Esme E.|last=Deprez|title=‘Avatar’ Tops Box Office, Passes $2&nbsp;Billion Worldwide (Update1)|date=January 31, 2010|publisher=Bloomberg L. P.|url =http://www.businessweek.com/news/2010-01-31/-avatar-tops-box-office-passes-2-billion-worldwide-update1-.html|work =Business Week|accessdate = April 22, 2010 |archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/5pBiriyeR|archivedate= April 22, 2010}}</ref> and on {{Nowrap|February 27}}, after 72 days of domestic release, it became the first film to gross over {{Nowrap|$700 million}}.<ref>{{cite web
|title=Avatar (2009) – Dail Box Office Results
| publisher = IMDb
| work = Box Office Mojo
|url= http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?page=daily&id=avatar.htm
|accessdate=September 6, 2010}}</ref> It remained in the number one spot at the domestic box office for seven consecutive weeks—the most consecutive No. 1 weekends since ''Titanic'' spent 15 weekends at No. 1 in 1997–'98<ref>{{cite web
| url=http://boxofficemojo.com/news/?id=2646&p=.htm
| title=Weekend Report: 'Avatar' Reigns with Record MLK Gross
| publisher = IMDb
| work = Box Office Mojo
| accessdate=January 19, 2010}}</ref>—and also spent 11 consecutive weekends at the top of the box office outside the United States and Canada.<ref>{{cite web
| first=Brandon
| last=Gray
| url= http://www.boxofficemojo.com/news/?id=2683&p=.htm
| title=Weekend Report: ‘Shutter Island’ Hangs On, ‘Cop Out,’ ‘Crazies’ Debut Decently
| publisher = IMDb
| work = Box Office Mojo
| date=March 1, 2010
| accessdate=March 2, 2010
}}</ref> By the end of its first theatrical release ''Avatar'' had grossed $749,766,139 in Canada and the U.S.,<ref name="Avatar Releases">
{{cite web
|title=Avatar (2009) – Release Summary
|date=August 27, 2010
|work=Box Office Mojo
|publisher=IMDb
|url=http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?page=releases&id=avatar.htm
|accessdate=August 27, 2010}}</ref> and $1,990,639,582 in other territories,<ref name="Avatar Foreign">
{{cite web
|title=Avatar (2009) – International Box Office Results
|date=August 4, 2010
|work=Box Office Mojo
|publisher=IMDb
|url=http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?page=intl&id=avatar.htm
|accessdate=August 27, 2010
|archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/5sKmHbbLk
|archivedate=August 28, 2010}}</ref> for a worldwide total of $2,740,405,721.
 
Including the revenue from a [[#Extended theatrical re-release|re-release of ''Avatar'']] featuring extended footage, ''Avatar'' has grossed over $760&nbsp;million in the U.S. and Canada, and $2.021&nbsp;billion in other territories for a worldwide total of over<!--WHEN UPDATING THE WORLDWIDE GROSS, DON'T FORGET TO UPDATE DOMESTIC AND FOREIGN NUMBERS RIGHT ABOVE THIS. THANKS.--> {{Nowrap|$2.782 billion}},<ref name="Boxofficemojo" /><ref name="boxoffice2"/> with over 72.7% of its total worldwide gross in international markets.<ref name="Boxofficemojo" /><ref name="boxoffice2" /> ''Avatar'' has set a number of box office records during its release: on {{Nowrap|January 25}}, 2010, it surpassed ''Titanic'''s worldwide gross to become the [[List of highest-grossing films|highest-grossing film of all time worldwide]] 41 days after its international release,<ref>{{cite news
|url=http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/27/movies/awardsseason/27record.html
|title=He Doth Surpass Himself: ‘Avatar’ Outperforms ‘Titanic’|work=The New York Times
|last=Cieply|first=Michael
|date=January 26, 2010
|accessdate=January 27, 2010}}</ref><ref name="www.hollywoodreporter.com">{{cite news
|first=Frank|last=Segers
|title='Avatar' breaks 'Titanic' worldwide record
|work=The Hollywood Reporter
|publisher=Nielsen Business Media
|date=January 25, 2010
|accessdate=December 4, 2010
|url=http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/avatar-breaks-titanic-worldwide-record-19914}}</ref><ref>{{cite web
|title=All Time Worldwide Box Office Grosses
| publisher = IMDb
| work = Box Office Mojo
|url= http://www.boxofficemojo.com/alltime/world/
|accessdate=January 3, 2010}}</ref> just two days after taking the foreign box office record,<ref name="Gray (February 3, 2010)">{{cite web
|first=Brandon|last=Gray
|title=‘Avatar’ Claims Highest Gross of All Time
| publisher = IMDb
| work = Box Office Mojo
|url=http://www.boxofficemojo.com/news/?id=2667&p=l.htm
|date=February 3, 2010
|accessdate=February 20, 2010}}</ref> and on {{Nowrap|February 2}}, 47 days after its domestic release, ''Avatar'' overtook ''Titanic'' to become the [[List of highest-grossing films in Canada and the United States|highest-grossing film of all time]] in Canada and the United States.<ref>{{cite news
| url=http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/35222062/ns/entertainment-movies/
| title=‘Avatar’ passes ‘Titanic’ in domestic earnings
| agency=Associated Press
| publisher=[[MSNBC]]
| date=February 3, 2010
| accessdate=March 2, 2010}}</ref> It became the highest-grossing film of all time in at least 30 other countries<ref name="boxoffice4">{{cite web|first=Brandon|last=Gray
|title='Avatar' Is New King of the World
|url=http://www.boxofficemojo.com/news/?id=2657&p=.htm
| publisher = IMDb
| work = Box Office Mojo
|date=January 26, 2010
|accessdate=January 26, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|first=Brandon|last=Gray
|title=Weekend Report: ‘Dear John’ Delivers, ‘Avatar’ Flies High Again
|url=http://www.boxofficemojo.com/news/?id=2670&p=.htm
| publisher = IMDb
| work = Box Office Mojo
|date= February 8, 2010
|accessdate=January 14, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|first=Brandon|last=Gray
|title=Weekend Report: ‘Shutter Island’ Lights Up
|url=http://www.boxofficemojo.com/news/?id=2682&p=.htm
| publisher = IMDb
| work = Box Office Mojo
|date=February 21, 2010
|accessdate=February 22, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|first=Michelle|last=Hutton
|title=AVATAR Becomes Biggest Blockbuster Ever in Korea
|publisher=Alt Film Guide
|url=http://www.altfg.com/blog/box-office/avatar-biggest-blockbuster-korea-43432/
|date=February 28, 2010
|accessdate=February 28, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|author= [[Irish Film and Television Network]]
|title='Avatar' Sinks 'Titanic' To Take Irish Box Office Crown
|publisher=Irish Film Research
|url=http://www.iftn.ie/?act1=record&only=1&aid=73&rid=4282897&tpl=archnewshome
|date=March 2, 2010
|accessdate=March 8, 2010}}</ref> and is the first film to earn over $2&nbsp;billion in foreign box office receipts.<ref name="boxofficemojoalltime" />
IMAX ticket sales account for $228&nbsp;million of its worldwide gross,<ref>{{cite news| author=Strowbridge, C. S.
| title=IMAX: Avatar Reaches International Milestone
| publisher=The Numbers
| date=April 20, 2010
| accessdate=May 10, 2010
|url=http://www.the-numbers.com/interactive/newsStory.php?newsID=5047}}</ref> more than double the previous record.<ref name="imaxrecord">{{cite news| first=Richard|last=Corliss
| title=Another Avatar Weekend: Pandorans Defeat Vampires
| work=Time Magazine
| publisher=[[Time Inc.]]
| date=January 10, 2010
| accessdate=January 10, 2010
|url=http://www.time.com/time/arts/article/0,8599,1952794,00.html}}</ref>
 
[[Box Office Mojo]] estimates that after adjusting for the rise in average ticket prices, ''Avatar'' would be the 14th-highest-grossing film of all time in the U.S. and Canada.<ref>"*Adjusted to the estimated 2010 average ticket price of $7.46"{{cite web
|accessdate=May 2, 2010
|url= http://www.boxofficemojo.com/alltime/adjusted.htm?adjust_yr=2010&p=.htm
|title=All Time Box Office Adjusted for Ticket Price Inflation | publisher = IMDb
| work = Box Office Mojo
}}</ref>
Box Office Mojo also observes that the higher ticket prices for 3-D and IMAX screenings have had a significant impact on ''Avatar's'' gross; it estimated, on {{Nowrap|April 21}}, 2010, that ''Avatar'' had sold approximately {{Nowrap|75 million}} tickets in North American theatres, more than any other film since 1999's ''[[Star Wars Episode&nbsp;I: The Phantom Menace]]''.<ref name="Ray Subers (2010-04-21)">{{cite web
|first=Ray
|last=Subers
|title='Avatar' Strikes DVD on Earth Day
|publisher=Box Office Mojo
|url=http://www.boxofficemojo.com/news/?id=2728&p=.htm
| publisher = IMDb
| work = Box Office Mojo
|date=April 21, 2010
|accessdate=April 21, 2010}}</ref> On a worldwide basis, ''Avatar'' ranks third after adjusting for inflation, behind ''[[Gone with the Wind (film)|Gone with the Wind]]'' and ''Titanic'',<ref>{{cite web
|first=Tom
|last=Shone
|title=Oscars 2010: How James Cameron took on the world
|work=[[Telegraph.co.uk]]
|date=February 3, 2010
|url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/oscars/7144424/Oscars-2010-How-James-Cameron-took-on-the-world.html
|accessdate=October 20, 2010}}</ref> although some reports place it ahead of Titanic.<ref>{{cite web|first=Frank|last=Segers
| title="Avatar" top film overseas for 10th weekend|publisher=ABC News
|url=http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE61L0XF20100222
|work=Reuters News Service|date=February 22, 2010 |accessdate=February 25, 2010}}</ref>
 
====Commercial analysis====
Before its release, various film critics and [[Fan (person)#Fanboy/fangirl|fan communities]] predicted the film would be a [[Box office bomb|significant disappointment at the box office]], in line with predictions made for Cameron's previous blockbuster ''Titanic''.<ref name="www.slate.com">{{cite web|first=Josh|last=Levin|title=Here Come the Cats With Human Boobs. Is Avatar destined to flop?|work=[[Slate (magazine)|Slate]]|publisher=[[The Washington Post Company]]|date=December 10, 2009|accessdate=December 20, 2009|url=http://www.slate.com/id/2238079/}}</ref><ref name="cnn.com">{{cite news|first=Jason|last=Carroll|title=CNN's Jason Carroll interviews director James Cameron about his new film "Avatar". (Video.)|work=CNN|publisher=[[Turner Broadcasting System]]|date=November 23, 2009|accessdate=December 20, 2009|url= http://edition.cnn.com/video/data/2.0/video/showbiz/2009/11/22/int.cameron.carroll.long.cnn.html}}</ref> This criticism ranged from ''Avatar'''s film budget, to its concept and use of 3-D "blue cat people".<ref name="www.slate.com" /><ref name="cnn.com" />
''[[Slate (magazine)|Slate]]'' magazine's Daniel Engber complimented the 3-D effects, but criticized them for reminding him of certain CGI characters from the ''[[Star Wars]]'' prequel films and for having the "[[uncanny valley]]" effect.<ref name="Slate Engber">{{cite web|first=Daniel|last=Engber|title=Avatar = "Apocalypto" + George Lucas|work=[[Slate (magazine)|Slate]]|publisher=The Washington Post Company|date=August 22, 2009|accessdate=December 22, 2009|url=http://www.slate.com/blogs/blogs/browbeat/archive/2009/08/22/i-avatar-i-i-apocalypto-i-george-lucas.aspx}}</ref> ''The New York Times'' noted that 20th Century Fox executives had decided to release ''[[Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel]]'' alongside ''Avatar'', calling it a "secret weapon" to cover any unforeseeable losses at the box-office.<ref>{{cite news| first=Michael|last=Ceply|title=A Movie’s Budget Pops From the Screen |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=November 8, 2009 |accessdate=November 24, 2010|url= http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/09/business/media/09avatar.html }}</ref>
{{quote box|width=30%|align=left|quote=I think if everybody was embracing the film before the fact, the film could never live up to that expectation&nbsp;... Have them go with some sense of wanting to find the answer.|source=James Cameron on criticism of ''Avatar'' before its release.<ref name="cnn.com" />}}
Box office analysts, on the other hand, estimated that the film would be a box office success.<ref name="www.MTV.com">{{cite web|first=Adam|last=Rosenberg|title=How Will 'Avatar' Fare At The Box Office? Experts Weigh In. One box-office analyst says James Cameron's 3-D epic has a shot to break $100&nbsp;million this weekend.|work=MTV|publisher=[[Viacom]]|date=December 17, 2009|accessdate=December 20, 2009|url=http://www.mtv.com/movies/news/articles/1628513/story.jhtml}}</ref><ref name="www.slate.com" /> "The holy grail of 3-D has finally arrived," said an analyst for Exhibitor Relations. "This is why all these 3-D venues were built: for ''Avatar.'' This is the one. The behemoth."<ref name="www.MTV.com" /> The "cautionary estimate" was that ''Avatar'' would bring in around $60&nbsp;million in its opening weekend. Others guessed higher.<ref name="www.MTV.com" /><ref name="Hollywood Elsewhere">{{cite web|first= Jeffery|last= Wells|title= Avatar Adjustments|publisher=[http://hollywood-elsewhere.com/about/index.php Hollywood Elsewhere]|date=December 9, 2009|accessdate=December 22, 2009|url= http://hollywood-elsewhere.com/2009/12/avatar_adjustme.php}}</ref> Some analysts believed the film's three-dimensionality would help its box office performance, given that recent 3-D films had been successful.<ref name="www.slate.com" />
 
Cameron said he felt the pressure of the predictions, but that pressure is good for film-makers. "It makes us think about our audiences and what the audience wants," he stated. "We owe them a good time. We owe them a piece of good entertainment."<ref name="cnn.com" /> Although he felt ''Avatar'' would appeal to everyone and that the film could not afford to have a target [[Demographics|demographic]],<ref name="cnn.com" /> he especially wanted hard-core science-fiction fans to see it: "If I can just get 'em in the damn theater, the film will act on them in the way it's supposed to, in terms of taking them on an amazing journey and giving them this rich emotional experience."<ref name="SciFiWire">{{cite web|first=Iain|last=Blair|title=Avatar's Cameron shrugs off buzz—and promises a sequel|work=[[Sci Fi Wire|SciFiWIRE.com]]|publisher=Syfy Online Network|date=December 8, 2009|accessdate=January 1, 2010|url= http://scifiwire.com/2009/12/avatars-cameron-shrugs-of.php}}</ref> Cameron was aware of the sentiment that ''Avatar'' would need significant "repeat business" just to make up for its budget and achieve box office success, and believed ''Avatar'' could inspire the same "sharing" reaction as ''Titanic''. He said that film worked because, "When people have an experience that's very powerful in the movie theatre, they want to go share it. They want to grab their friend and bring them, so that they can enjoy it. They want to be the person to bring them the news that this is something worth having in their life."<ref name="cnn.com" />
 
After the film's release and unusually strong box office performance over its first two weeks, it was debated as the one film capable of surpassing ''Titanic'''s worldwide gross, and its continued strength perplexed box office analysts.<ref name="omg.yahoo.com">{{cite news|title='Avatar' Hits $1&nbsp;Billion Mark, Eyes 'Titanic' Record|work=[[omg!]]|publisher=[[Yahoo! News]]|date=January 3, 2010|accessdate=January 4, 2010|url=http://omg.yahoo.com/news/avatar-hits-1-billion-mark-eyes-titanic-record/33343|archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/5q2koLSij| archivedate= May 27, 2010}}
</ref><ref name="inmovies.ca">{{cite news|title=Avatar to sink Cameron's Titanic? Forecast predicts 'Avatar' may beat 'Titanic' as the highest-grossing movie of all time.|work=inmovies.ca|publisher=[[Bell Canada]]|date=January 4, 2010|accessdate=January 4, 2010|url=http://inmovies.ca/Home/ContentPosting?newsitemid=dishinformation.ca%2F2010%2F01%2F04%2Favatar-to-sink-camerons-titanic%2F&feedname=DISH_MOVIE_NEWS&show=False&number=0&showbyline=False&subtitle=&detect=&abc=abc&date=False}}
</ref> Other films in recent years had been cited as contenders for surpassing ''Titanic'', most recently ''[[The Dark Knight (film)|The Dark Knight]]'',<ref name="manolith.com">{{cite news|first=Stephen|last=Tramontana|title=Why Avatar will not beat Titanic|publisher=[http://www.manolith.com/about/ Manolith.com]|date=January 5, 2010|accessdate=January 6, 2010|url=http://www.manolith.com/2010/01/05/why-avatar-will-not-beat-titanic/}}</ref> but ''Avatar'' was considered the first film with a genuine chance to do so, and its numbers being aided by higher ticket prices for 3-D screenings<ref name="omg.yahoo.com" /> did not fully explain its success to box office analysts. "Most films are considered to be healthy if they manage anything less than a 50% drop from their first weekend to their second. Dipping just 11% from the first to the third is unheard of," relayed Paul Dergarabedian, president of box-office analysis for Hollywood.com. "This is just unprecedented," he said. "I had to do a double take. I thought it was a miscalculation."<ref name="www.marketwatch.com">{{cite news|first=Russ|last=Britt|title=Can Cameron break his own box-office record? 'Avatar' unprecedented in staying power, international sales|work=MarketWatch|publisher=Dow Jones & Company|date=January 4, 2010|accessdate=January 4, 2010|url=http://www.marketwatch.com/story/can-avatar-director-break-his-box-office-record-2010-01-04}}</ref> Analysts predicted second place for the film's worldwide gross, but most were uncertain about it surpassing ''Titanic'' because "Today's films flame out much faster than they did when ''Titanic'' was released."<ref name="www.marketwatch.com" />
Brandon Gray, president of Box Office Mojo, believed in the film's chances of becoming the highest-grossing film of all time, though he also believed it was too early to surmise because it had only played during the holidays. He said, "While ''Avatar'' may beat ''Titanic's'' revenue record, it will be tough, and the film is unlikely to surpass ''Titanic'' in attendance. Ticket prices were about $3 cheaper in the late 1990s."<ref name="www.marketwatch.com" /> Cameron said he did not think it was realistic to "try to topple ''Titanic'' off its perch" because it "just struck some kind of chord" and there had been other good films in recent years.<ref name="www.mtv.com">{{cite news| first=Eric|last=Ditzian|title=Will 'Avatar' Top James Cameron's 'Titanic' Box-Office Record?|work=MTV|publisher=Viacom|date=January 4, 2010|accessdate=January 8, 2010|url=http://www.mtv.com/movies/news/articles/1628991/story.jhtml}}</ref> He changed his prediction by mid-January. "It's gonna happen. It's just a matter of time," he said.<ref>{{cite news| first=Brian|last=Jacks|title=EXCLUSIVE: James Cameron Says 'Avatar' Will Beat 'Titanic' To Become Biggest Of All Time |work=[[MTV]] |publisher= [[Viacom]] |date=January 16, 2010|accessdate=January 17, 2010|url= http://moviesblog.mtv.com/2010/01/16/james-cameron-weighs-in-on-whether-avatar-will-outsell-titanic/ }}</ref>
{{quote box|width=40%|align=right|quote=You've got to compete head on with these other epic works of fantasy and fiction, the [[Tolkien#Writing|Tolkiens]] and the [[Star Wars]] and the [[Star Trek]]s. People want a persistent alternate reality to invest themselves in and they want the detail that makes it rich and worth their time. They want to live somewhere else. Like [[Fictional universe of Avatar#Astronomy and geology|Pandora]].|source=James Cameron on the success of ''Avatar''<ref>{{cite news|first=Geoff|last=Boucher|title=James Cameron: I want to compete with ‘Star Wars’ and Tolkien|work=[[LA Times]]|date=August 25, 2010|accessdate=October 26, 2010|url=http://herocomplex.latimes.com/2010/08/25/james-cameron-i-want-to-compete-with-star-wars-and-tolkien/}}</ref>}}
Though analysts have been unable to agree that ''Avatar'''s success is attributable to one primary factor, several explanations have been advanced. First, January is historically "the dumping ground for the year's weakest films", and this also applied to 2010.<ref name="www.newsweek.com">{{cite news| first=Sarah|last=Ball|title=Why 'Avatar' Could Out-Earn 'Titanic'. James Cameron is king of the box office again, but will his latest eclipse his Titanic success?|work=Newsweek|publisher=The Washington Post Company|date=January 6, 2010|accessdate=January 9, 2010|url=http://www.newsweek.com/id/229545}}</ref>
Cameron himself said he decided to open the film in December so that it would have less competition from then into January.<ref name="cnn.com" /> ''Titanic'' capitalized on the same January predictability, and earned most of its gross in 1998.<ref name="www.newsweek.com" /> Additionally, ''Avatar'' established itself as a "must-see" event. Gray said, "At this point, people who are going to see ''Avatar'' are going to see ''Avatar'' and would even if the slate was strong."<ref name="www.newsweek.com" /> Marketing the film as a "novelty factor" also helped. Fox positioned the film as a cinematic event that should be seen in the theatres. "It's really hard to sell the idea that you can have the same experience at home," stated David Mumpower, an analyst at BoxOfficeProphets.com.<ref name="www.newsweek.com" /> The "[[Academy Award|Oscar]] buzz" surrounding the film and international viewings helped. "Two-thirds of ''Titanic's'' haul was earned overseas, and ''Avatar'' [tracked] similarly&nbsp;... ''Avatar'' opened in 106 markets globally and was No. 1 in all of them", and the markets "such as Russia, where ''Titanic'' saw modest receipts in 1997 and 1998, are white-hot today" with "more screens and moviegoers" than before.<ref name="www.newsweek.com" /> Films in 3-D accumulated $1.3&nbsp;billion in 2009, according to ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]'', "a threefold increase over 2008 and more than 10% of the total 2009 box-office gross". The increased ticket price – an average of $2 to $3 per ticket in most markets – helped the film.<ref name="www.newsweek.com" /> Likewise, ''Entertainment Weekly'' attributed the film's success to 3-D glasses, but also to its "astronomic [[Word of mouth|word-of-mouth]]". Not only do some theaters charge up to $18.50 for IMAX tickets, but "the buzz" created by the new technology was the possible cause for sold-out screenings.<ref name="hollywoodinsider.ew.com">{{cite news| first=Adam B.|last=Vary|title=Box Office Report: 'Avatar' is No. 1 again, soars past $1&nbsp;billion worldwide|work=Entertainment Weekly|publisher=[[Time Warner]]|date=January 2, 2010|accessdate=January 9, 2010|url= http://hollywoodinsider.ew.com/2010/01/03/box-office-avatar-soars-past-1-billion-worldwide/|archiveurl= http://www.webcitation.org/5q2lIbBX4|archivedate= 2010-05-27}}</ref> Gray said ''Avatar'' having no basis in previously established material makes its performance remarkable and even more impressive. "The movie might be derivative of many movies in its story and themes," he said, "but it had no direct antecedent like the other top-grossing films: ''Titanic'' (historical events), the ''Star Wars'' movies (an established film franchise), or ''The Lord of the Rings'' (literature). It was a tougher sell&nbsp;..."<ref name="www.newsweek.com" />
 
===Critical reception===
{{Anchor|Critics}}
<!--THIS ARTICLE IS BIG ENOUGH. RECONSIDER ADDING MORE TO THIS SECTION.-->
:''See also: [[Themes in Avatar]] for more reviews''
The film was well-received by film critics. Review aggregator [[Rotten Tomatoes]] reports that 83% of 275 professional critics have given the film a positive review, with a rating average of 7.4 out of 10.<ref name="rottentomatoes">
{{cite web|url=http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/avatar/
|title=Avatar | work = Rotten Tomatoes | publisher = [[Flixster]] |accessdate=December 27, 2010}}</ref> Among Rotten Tomatoes' ''Top Critics'', which consists of popular and notable critics from the top newspapers, websites, television and radio programs,<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.rottentomatoes.com/pages/faq#creamofthecrop|title=Rotten Tomatoes FAQ: What is Cream of the Crop | work = Rotten Tomatoes | publisher = [[Flixster]] |accessdate=December 27, 2010}}</ref> the film holds an overall approval rating of 95%, based on a total of 39 reviews.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/avatar/?critic=creamcrop | title = Avatar Reviews: Top Critics | work = Rotten Tomatoes | publisher = [[Flixster]] |accessdate = December 27, 2010}}</ref> The site's consensus is that "It might be more impressive on a technical level than as a piece of storytelling, but ''Avatar'' reaffirms James Cameron's singular gift for imaginative, absorbing filmmaking."<ref name="rottentomatoes" />
[[Metacritic]], which assigns a [[weighted mean]] rating out of 100 reviews from film critics, the film has a rating score of 84% based on 35 reviews.<ref>
{{cite web|url= http://www.metacritic.com/film/titles/avatar|title=Avatar (2009): Reviews|work=[[Metacritic]] | publisher= [[CBS Interactive]] |accessdate=December 29, 2009}}</ref> [[CinemaScore]] polls conducted during the opening weekend revealed the average grade cinemagoers gave ''Avatar'' was A on an A+ to F scale. Every demographic surveyed was reported to give this rating. These polls also indicated that the main draw of the film was its use of [[3-D film|3-D]].<ref>{{cite web|first=Neil|last= Miller|title=Avatar Opens to Big Returns, But Staying Power is the Key|url= http://www.filmschoolrejects.com/news/avatar-opens-to-big-returns-but-staying-power-is-the-key.php |publisher=[[CraveOnline]] "FilmSchoolRejects.com"|date=December 21, 2009 |accessdate=January 29, 2010}}</ref>
 
[[Roger Ebert]] of the ''[[Chicago Sun-Times]]'' called the film "extraordinary" and gave it four stars out of four. "Watching ''Avatar'', I felt sort of the same as when I saw ''[[Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope|Star Wars]]'' in 1977", he said. Like ''Star Wars'' and ''[[The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring|The Lord of the Rings]]'', the film "employs a new generation of special effects".<ref name="rogerebert.suntimes">{{Cite news |first=Roger|last=Ebert |authorlink = Roger Ebert |title=Avatar |url= http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20091211/REVIEWS/912119998 |work=RogerEbert.com |publisher=[[Chicago Sun-Times]] |date=December 11, 2009 |accessdate=December 17, 2009}}
{{Rating|4|4}}
</ref>
[[A. O. Scott]] of ''[[At the Movies (U.S. TV series)|At The Movies]]'' also compared his viewing of the film to the first time he viewed ''Star Wars'', and added that although "the script is a little bit&nbsp;... obvious," it was "part of what made it work".<ref name="A. O. Scott">{{cite web|first=A. O.|last=Scott | authorlink = A.O. Scott |title= Avatar film review|publisher=''[[At the Movies (U.S. TV series)|At The Movies]]''|date=December 20, 2009|accessdate=May 27, 2010|url= http://bventertainment.go.com/tv/buenavista/atm/reviews.html?sec=6&subsec=avatar}} {{Dead link|date=November 2010|bot=H3llBot}} See parts of video of this television review at 3:00 and 3:52.</ref>
Todd McCarthy of ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]'' praised the film. "The King of the World sets his sights on creating another world entirely in ''Avatar'', and it's very much a place worth visiting."<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117941773.html |title=Avatar Review|work=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|date=December 10, 2009|last=McCarthy|first=Todd|accessdate=December 13, 2009}}</ref>
Kirk Honeycutt of ''[[The Hollywood Reporter]]'' gave the film a positive review. "The screen is alive with more action and the soundtrack pops with more robust music than any dozen sci-fi shoot-'em-ups you care to mention" he stated.<ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/film-reviews/avatar-film-review-1004052868.story|archiveurl= http://www.webcitation.org/5q2lIbBZF|archivedate= 2010-05-27|title= Avatar- Film Review|work=The Hollywood Reporter|last= Honeycutt|first=Kirk| accessdate= December 13, 2009|date=December 10, 2009}}</ref>
''Rolling Stone'' film critic [[Peter Travers]] awarded ''Avatar'' three and a half out of four stars and wrote in his print review, "It extends the possibilities of what movies can do. Cameron's talent may just be as big as his dreams."<ref>{{cite web|last=Travers|first=Peter| publisher=Rolling Stone|date=December 14, 2009| title=''Avatar'' review|url=http://www.rollingstone.com/reviews/movie/18256153/review/31347207/avatar|archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/5q2n2aeWa|archivedate=2010-05-27| accessdate=January 3, 2010}}
{{Rating|3.5|4}}</ref>
[[Richard Corliss]] of ''Time'' magazine thought that the film was, "the most vivid and convincing creation of a fantasy world ever seen in the history of moving pictures."<ref>{{cite news|last=Corliss|first=Richard| publisher=Time|date=December 14, 2009| title= Corliss Appraises ''Avatar'': A World of Wonder
|url=http://www.time.com/time/arts/article/0,8599,1947438,00.html?iid=tsmodule| accessdate=January 3, 2010}}</ref>
[[Kenneth Turan]] of the ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'' felt the film has "powerful" visual accomplishments but "flat dialogue" and "obvious characterization".<ref name='Turan2009'>{{cite news|first=Kenneth|last=Turan|title=Review: 'Avatar'|date=December 17, 2009|publisher=Tribune Company|url =http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/la-et-avatar17-2009dec17,0,7823079.story|work =Los Angeles Times|accessdate = December 30, 2009|language =}}</ref>
[[James Berardinelli]], film critic for [[ReelViews]], praised the film and its story, giving it four out of four stars he wrote, "In 3-D, it's immersive—but the traditional film elements—story, character, editing, theme, emotional resonance, etc.—are presented with sufficient expertise to make even the 2-D version an engrossing 2½-hour experience."<ref>{{cite web|last=Berardinelli|first=James|publisher=ReelViews.net|date=December 17, 2009| title=''Avatar'' review|url= http://www.reelviews.net/php_review_template.php?identifier=1931| accessdate=January 3, 2010}}
{{Rating|4|4}}</ref>
 
''Avatar'''s underlying social and political themes attracted attention. [[Armond White]] of the ''[[New York Press]]'' wrote that Cameron used villainous American characters to misrepresent facets of [[militarism]], [[capitalism]], and [[imperialism]].<ref>{{cite web|last=White|first=Armond|date=December 15, 2009|url=http://www.nypress.com/article-20710-blue-in-the-face.html|title=Blue in the Face|work=[[New York Press]]|accessdate=December 15, 2009}}</ref><ref>See also last paragraph of the above section [[Avatar (2009 film)#Themes and inspirations|Avatar Themes and inspirations]].</ref> [[Evo Morales]], [[Bolivia]]'s first indigenous president, praised the film for its "profound show of resistance to capitalism and the struggle for the defense of nature".<ref>{{cite web | work = [[Huffington Post]] | date = January 12, 2010 | url = http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/01/12/evo-morales-praises-avata_n_420663.html | title = Evo Morales Praises Avatar | accessdate = Retrieved {{Nowrap|4 August}} 2010 }}</ref>
[[Russell D. Moore]] in ''[[The Christian Post]]'' concluded that [[propaganda]] exists in the film and stated, "If you can get a theater full of people in [[Kentucky]] to stand and applaud the defeat of their country in war, then you've got some amazing special effects."<ref>{{cite web|last=Moore|first =Russell D.|url= http://www.christianpost.com/article/20091221/avatar-rambo-in-reverse/index.html |title=Avatar: Rambo in Reverse|work=[[The Christian Post]]|date=December 21, 2009}}</ref> [[Adam Cohen]] of ''The New York Times'' was more positive about the film, calling its [[anti-imperialist]] message "a 22nd-century version of the [[American Revolution|American colonists vs. the British]], [[Indian independence movement|India]] vs. [[British Raj|the Raj]], or [[Latin America]] vs. [[United Fruit]]".<ref name="NYTeditorial">{{cite news|last=Cohen|first=Adam|date=December 25, 2009|title=Next-Generation 3-D Medium of 'Avatar' Underscores Its Message|url= http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/26/opinion/26sat4.html|accessdate=December 26, 2009|work=The New York Times}}</ref> [[Ross Douthat]] of ''The New York Times'' opined that the film is "Cameron's long [[apologia]] for [[pantheism]] ... Hollywood's religion of choice for a generation now",<ref>{{cite news|last=Douthat|first=Ross|date=December 21, 2009|url= http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/21/opinion/21douthat1.html?_r=1 |title=Heaven and Nature|work=New York Times|accessdate=December 21, 2009}}</ref> while Saritha Prabhu of ''[[The Tennessean]]'' called the film a misportrayal of pantheism and [[Eastern religion|Eastern spirituality]] in general,<ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.tennessean.com/article/20%20%20100122/COLUMNIST0108/1220308/1008/OPINION01|archiveurl= http://ia700107.us.archive.org/22/items/TheTennesseanMovieStorylineEchoesHistoricalRecord/MovieStorylineEchoesHistoricalRecord_Tennessean.com_TheTennessean.mht|archivedate=January 31, 2010|title=Movie storyline echoes historical record |accessdate=February 7, 2010 |last=Prabhu |first=Saritha |date=January 22, 2010 |work=[[The Tennessean]]}}</ref> and Maxim Osipov of ''[[The Hindustan Times]]'', on the contrary, commended the film's message for its overall consistency with the teachings of Hinduism in the [[Bhagavad Gita]].<ref>{{cite web|last=Osipov|first=Maxim|date=December 27, 2009|url= http://www.hindustantimes.com/cinema-news/sid411.aspx/What-on-Pandora-does-culture-or-civilisation-stand-for/Article1-491066.aspx#|title=What on Pandora does culture or civilisation stand for? |work=[[Hindustan Times]]|accessdate=February 25, 2011}}</ref> [[Annalee Newitz]] of [[io9]] concluded that ''Avatar'' is another film that has the recurring "fantasy about race" whereby "some white guy" becomes the "most awesome" member of a non-white culture.<ref name='Newitz2009'>{{cite web|url= http://io9.com/5422666/when-will-white-people-stop-making-movies-like-avatar |title=When Will White People Stop Making Movies Like "Avatar" |accessdate=December 27, 2009 |last=Newitz |first=Annalee |date=December 18, 2009 |work=io9}}</ref> [[Michael Phillips (critic)|Michael Phillips]] of the ''[[Chicago Tribune]]'' called ''Avatar'' "the season's ideological [[Rorschach test|Rorschach blot]]",<ref>{{cite web|url= http://featuresblogs.chicagotribune.com/talking_pictures/2010/01/why-is-avatar-a-film-of-titanic-proportions.html|title=Why is 'Avatar' a film of 'Titanic' proportions?|author=Phillips, Michael|publisher=Chicago Tribune|date=January 10, 2010|accessdate=January 10, 2009}}</ref> while [[Miranda Devine]] of ''[[The Sydney Morning Herald]]'' felt that, "It is impossible to watch Avatar without being banged over the head with the director's ideological hammer."<ref name='Devine2010'>{{cite news|first=Miranda|last=Devine|title= Hit by the leftie sledgehammer|date=January 2, 2010|publisher=Fairfax Media|url = http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/hit-by-the-leftie-sledgehammer-20100101-llpp.html|work =The Sydney Morning Herald|accessdate = April 7, 2010|language =}}</ref>
 
Critics and audiences have cited similarities with other films, literature or media, with several accounts concluding the matter as simple "borrowing" and others claiming outright plagiarism. [[Ty Burr]] of the ''[[Boston Globe]]'' called it "the same movie" as ''[[Dances with Wolves]]''.<ref name='Burr2009'>{{cite news|first=Ty|last=Burr|title=Avatar|date=December 17, 2009|publisher=NY Times Co|url =http://www.boston.com/ae/movies/articles/2009/12/17/avatar_is_an_out_of_body_experience/?page=2|work =The Boston Globe|accessdate = December 23, 2009}}</ref> Parallels to the concept and use of an avatar are in [[Poul Anderson|Poul Anderson's]] 1957 short story ''[[Call Me Joe]]'', in which a paralyzed man uses his mind remotely to control an alien body.<ref>Davis, Lauren ({{Nowrap|October 26}}, 2009) ''[http://io9.com/5390226/did-james-cameron-rip-off-poul-andersons-novella Did James Cameron Rip Off Poul Anderson's Novella?]'' io9. Retrieved {{Nowrap|November 4}}, 2009.</ref><ref name=Westfahl2009>{{cite web|url=http://www.locusmag.com/Reviews/2009/12/all-energy-is-borrowed-review-of-avatar.html|title=All Energy Is Borrowed: A Review of Avatar|author=Westfahl, Gary|work=Locus Publications|publisher=LocusMag.com |date=December 20, 2009|accessdate=December 29, 2009}}</ref> Cinema audiences in Russia have noted that ''Avatar'' has elements in common with the 1960s ''[[Noon Universe]]'' novels by [[Arkady and Boris Strugatsky]], which are set in the 22nd century on a forested world called Pandora with a sentient indigenous species called the Nave.<ref name='Harding'>{{cite news|first=Luke|last=Harding|title=James Cameron rejects claims Avatar epic borrows from Russians' sci-fi novels|date=January 13, 2010|publisher=Guardian News and Media|url =http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2010/jan/13/james-cameron-avatar-plagarism-claim|work =[[The Guardian]]|accessdate = February 25, 2010|location=London}}</ref> Various reviews have compared ''Avatar'' to the films ''[[FernGully: The Last Rainforest]]'',<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.ivillage.com/what-did-avatar-borrow-ferngully/1-e-71746 | publisher=[[IVillage]] | accessdate=January 17, 2011 | title=What Did 'Avatar' Borrow from 'FernGully'? | first=Joel | last=Schwartzberg | date=4 January 2010 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.theage.com.au/opinion/blogs/the-vulture/dont-just-watch-avatar-see-it/20091216-kx47.html | publisher=''[[The Age]]'' | accessdate=January 17, 2011 | title= Don't just watch Avatar, see it | date=17 December 2009 | first=Karl | last=Quinn }}</ref> ''[[Pocahontas (1995 film)|Pocahontas]]''<ref>{{cite web | date = August 6, 2009 | first1 = Bill | url = http://www.reelzchannel.com/movie-news/3537/avatar-to-follow-a-pocahontas-narrative |title=Movie News: Avatar to Follow a Pocahontas Narrative |publisher=Reelzchannel.com |accessdate=December 21, 2009}}</ref> and ''[[The Last Samurai]].''<ref>{{cite web|date = December 24, 2009|url=http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/willheaven/100020706/avatar-james-cameron-deserves-the-worst-lefty-award-2009/|publisher=telegraph.co.uk|title=Avatar: James Cameron deserves the Worst Lefty Award 2009 |format=Blog}}</ref> [[NPR]]'s ''[[Morning Edition]]'' has compared the film to a montage of [[Trope (literature)|tropes]], with one commentator stating that ''Avatar'' was made by mixing a bunch of film scripts in a blender.<ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=122261912 |title='Avatar' And Ke$ha: A Denominator In Common? |publisher=[[NPR]] [[Morning Edition]] |date=January 6, 2010 |accessdate=January 6, 2010|last=Neda Ulaby|first=Zoe Chace}}</ref> Some sources noted similarities to the artwork of [[Roger Dean (artist)|Roger Dean]], which featured [[Fantasy art|fantastic images]] of floating rock formations and dragons.<ref name="io9dean">{{cite web|url= http://io9.com/5426120/did-prog-rocks-greatest-artist-inspire-avatar-all-signs-point-to-yes/|title=Did Prog Rock's Greatest Artist Inspire Avatar? All Signs Point To Yes|date=December 14, 2009|work=io9}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.vanityfair.com/online/oscars/2009/10/avatars-unexpected-influences-psychedelic-cover-art-disney-and-furries.html|title=Avatar's Unexpected Influences: Psychedelic Cover Art, Disney, and&nbsp;... Furries?|last=Handy|first=Bruce|date=October 30, 2009|work= [[Vanity Fair (magazine)|Vanity Fair]] }}</ref>
 
''Avatar'' received compliments from filmmakers, with [[Steven Spielberg]] praising it as "the most evocative and amazing science-fiction movie since ''Star Wars''" and others calling it "audacious and awe inspiring", "master class", and "brilliant". On the other hand, [[Duncan Jones]] said: "It's not in my top three James Cameron films.&nbsp;... [A]t what point in the film did you have any doubt what was going to happen next?".<ref name='TheBuzz'>{{cite web|url= http://www.slashfilm.com/2009/12/21/the-buzz-filmmakers-react-to-avatar/ |title=The Buzz: Filmmakers react to Avatar|accessdate=December 30, 2009 |last=Sciretta |first=Peter |date=December 21, 2009}}</ref> ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'' ranked ''Avatar'' number 10 in their list of "Best Movies of the Decade"<ref>{{cite news | author = Ryan Stewart | title = Best Movies, TV, Books and Theater of the Decade | work = [[Time (magazine)|Time]] | date= |url=http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/completelist/0,29569,1949837,00.html | accessdate=February 2, 2010}}</ref> and [[IGN]] listed ''Avatar'' as number 22 on their list of the top 25 Sci-Fi movies of all time.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://movies.ign.com/articles/677/677739p1.html | title=Top 25 Sci-Fi Movies of All Time | work=[[IGN]] | date=September 17, 2010|accessdate=November 28, 2010}}</ref>
 
===Accolades===
{{Anchor|Awards}}
<!-- NOTE: Try not to add any more to this section. This section should be mostly detailed at the "List of awards and honors received by Avatar" article, briefly summarizing this topic here. -->
{{Main|List of accolades received by Avatar}}
''Avatar'' was nominated for nine [[Academy Award]]s, including [[Academy Award for Best Picture|Best Picture]] and [[Academy Award for Best Director|Best Director]].<ref name="List of Academy Award nominations"/> It won the awards for [[Academy Award for Best Art Direction|Art Direction]], [[Academy Award for Best Cinematography|Cinematography]], and [[Academy Award for Best Visual Effects|Visual Effects]]. The [[New York Film Critics Online]] honored the film with its Best Picture award.<ref>{{cite web | last1 = Davis | first1 = Don | date = December 14, 2009 | url = http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118012762.html | title = N.Y. Online Critics like 'Basterds' | work = [[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] | accessdate = December 15, 2009}}</ref>
The film also received nine nominations for the [[Critics' Choice Awards]] of the [[Broadcast Film Critics Association]], winning in the Best Action Film and several technical categories.<ref>{{cite news | last1 = Child | first1 = Ben | date = December 15, 2009 | url = http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2009/dec/15/tarantino-inglourious-basterds-critics-choice | title = Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds dominates Critics' Choice awards | work = guardian.co.uk | accessdate = December 15, 2009 }}</ref>
It won two of the St. Louis Film Critics awards: Best Visual Effects and Most Original, Innovative or Creative Film.<ref>Robinson, Anna ({{Nowrap|December 21}}, 2009). [http://www.altfg.com/blog/awards/st-louis-film-critics-awards-2009-948/ "St. Louis Film Critics Awards 2009"]. ''Alt Film Guide''. Retrieved {{Nowrap|December 22}}, 2009.</ref> ''Avatar'' also picked up four nominations for the [[67th Golden Globe Awards]], winning for [[Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture – Drama|Best Motion Picture&nbsp;– Drama]] and [[Golden Globe Award for Best Director|Best Director]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.moviefone.com/golden-globes/nominee-winner |title=Golden Globe 2010 Winners |publisher=Moviefone |date=January 17, 2010 |accessdate=January 17, 2010}}</ref> The film also received eight nominations from the [[British Academy of Film and Television Arts]] (BAFTA), including Best Film and Director, but won for only Production Design and Special Visual Effects.<ref>[http://www.chiff.com/art/movies/bafta-awards.htm "2010 BAFTA Awards"], chiff.com. Retrieved {{Nowrap|February 22}}, 2010.</ref> The film has additionally received various other awards, nominations and honors.
 
===Extended theatrical re-release===
In July 2010, Cameron confirmed that there would be a limited theatrical re-release of the film on {{Nowrap|August 27}}, 2010, exclusively in 3-D theaters and IMAX 3D.<ref>{{cite news|author=Gregg Kilday| url=http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/news/e3ic639ed027f3e13c96ebd549d904cb41a|title='Avatar: Special Edition' for 3D theaters| work=[[The Hollywood Reporter]] |date=July 8, 2010|accessdate=July 8, 2010}} {{Dead link|date=October 2010|bot=H3llBot}}</ref> Fox also posted the international re-release dates for ''Avatar: Special Edition'' on the film's official website.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.avatarmovie.com/re-releasedates/|title=Avatar international release dates| publisher=[[20th Century Fox]] | accessdate=July 8, 2010}}</ref> The re-release includes an additional nine minutes of footage, all of which is [[computer graphics|CG]],<ref name="MarketSaw">{{cite web|author=Jim Dorey| url=http://marketsaw.blogspot.com/2010/08/exclusive-james-cameron-interview-talks.html|title=EXCLUSIVE: James Cameron Interview! Talks AVATAR Re-release, Sequels, 3D Conversions & Working With Del Toro!| publisher=MarketSaw|date=August 7, 2010|accessdate=August 14, 2010}}</ref> including an extension of the sex scene<ref>{{cite web|author=Kara Warner| url=http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1645575/20100811/story.jhtml|title='Avatar' Director James Cameron Talks 'Alien Kink Scene'| publisher=MTV|date=August 11, 2010|accessdate= August 14, 2010}}</ref> and various other scenes that were cut from the original theatrical film.<ref name="MarketSaw" /> This extended re-release resulted in the film's run time approaching the current IMAX platter maximum of 170 minutes, thereby leaving less time for the end credits. Cameron stated that the nine minutes of added scenes cost more than {{Nowrap|$1 million}} a minute to produce and finish.<ref name=bandwagon />
 
===Home media===
{{Anchor|DVD|Video}}
[[20th Century Fox Home Entertainment]] released the film on [[DVD]] and [[Blu-ray]] in the US on {{Nowrap|April 22}}, 2010<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.foxconnect.com/avatar-blu-ray-2-disc-set.html|title=Avatar Blu-ray 2 Disc Set |publisher=[[20th Century Fox Home Entertainment]]|accessdate=April 8, 2010|archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/5q2koLSij|archivedate=May 27, 2010}}</ref> and in the UK on {{Nowrap|April 26}}.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.play.com/DVD/Blu-ray/4-/11089484/James-Cameron-Avatar-Combi-Pack/Product.html|title=James Cameron's Avatar: Combi Pack (Blu-ray & DVD) (2009) (Blu-ray)|publisher=Play.com|accessdate=May 25, 2010}}</ref> The US release was not on a Tuesday as is the norm, but was done to coincide with [[Earth Day]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/04/21/avatar-earth-day-release_n_546984.html|title=Avatar Earth Day RELEASE: James Cameron Film Comes Out On DVD, Inspires 'Home Tree' Earth Day 2010|publisher=Huffington Post|date=April 21, 2010|accessdate=May 25, 2010}}</ref> The first DVD and Blu-ray release does not contain any supplemental features other than the theatrical film and the disc menu in favor of and to make space for optimal picture and sound. The release also preserves the film's native 1.78:1 ([[16:9]]) format as Cameron felt that was the best format to watch the film.<ref>{{cite news|author=Juan Calonge|url= http://www.blu-ray.com/news/?id=4338|title=Makers of Avatar Unveil Blu-ray Launch|work=Blu-ray.com|date=March 25, 2010|accessdate=March 25, 2010}}</ref> The Blu-ray disc contains [[Digital rights management|DRM]] ([[BD+|BD+ 5]]) which some Blu-ray players might not support without a [[firmware]] update.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://movies.yahoo.com/feature/movie-talk-avatar-blu-ray-consumers-cant-watch-DVD.html|title=Some 'Avatar' Fans Struggle With Blu-Ray|work=[[Yahoo! Movies]]|date=April 30, 2010|accessdate=April 30, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.crunchgear.com/2010/04/23/this-is-why-early-adopting-sucks-avatar-doesnt-play-on-some-samsung-br-players/|title=This is why early adopting sucks: 'Avatar' doesn’t play on some Samsung BR players|work=CrunchGear|date=April 23, 2010|accessdate=April 30, 2010}}</ref>
 
[[File:Avatar 3 Disc.jpg|thumb|200px|right|Cover to the 2010 [[Blu-ray disc|Blu-ray]] Three-Disc Extended Collector's Edition]]
''Avatar'' set a first-day launch record in the U.S. for Blu-ray sales at 1.5 million units sold, breaking the record previously held by ''[[The Dark Knight (film)|The Dark Knight]]'' (600,000 units sold). First-day DVD and Blu-ray sales combined were over 4 million units sold.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/herocomplex/2010/04/avatar-shatters-sales-records-and-inspires-armed-heist-in-mexico-city.html|title='Avatar' shatters sales records -- and inspires an armed heist in Mexico City|work=[[Los Angeles Times]]|date=April 23, 2010|accessdate=April 23, 2010}}</ref> In its first four days of release, sales of ''Avatar'' on Blu-ray reached 2.7 million in the United States and Canada – overtaking ''The Dark Knight'' to become the best ever selling Blu-ray release in the region.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/herocomplex/2010/04/avatar-is-already-the-bestselling-bluray-ever.html|title='Avatar' is already the bestselling Blu-ray ever|last=Fritz|first=Ben|publisher=LA Times|date=April 25, 2010|accessdate=May 25, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://movies.yahoo.com/feature/movie-talk-james-cameron-king-of-DVD-sales.html|title=Movie Talk:James Cameron, King of DVD sales|last=King|first=Mike|publisher=Yahoo Movies|date=April 26, 2010|accessdate=May 25, 2010}}</ref> The release later broke the Blu-ray sales record in the UK the following week.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/8648272.stm|title=Avatar breaks UK Blu-ray sales record |work=[[BBC News]]|date=April 28, 2010|accessdate=May 2, 2010}}</ref> In its first three weeks of release, the film sold a total of {{Nowrap|19.7 million}} DVD and Blu-ray discs combined, a new record for sales in that period.<ref name=threedisc>{{cite news|url=http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/wireStory?id=10620426 |title=''Avatar'' Fastest Selling DVD After Three Weeks |archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/5q2koLSw6|archivedate=May 27, 2010 |work=[[ABC News]] |date=May 11, 2010 |accessdate=May 25, 2010}}</ref> As of {{Nowrap|January 9}}, 2011, DVD sales (not including Blu-ray) totaled over {{Nowrap|10.2 million}} units sold with {{Nowrap|$185 million}} in revenue.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.the-numbers.com/movies/2009/AVATR-DVD.php | title = Avatar - DVD Sales | work = The Numbers | date = March 12, 2011 }}</ref>
 
The ''Avatar'' Three-Disc Extended Collector's Edition on DVD and Blu-ray was released on {{Nowrap|November 16}}, 2010. Three different versions of the film are present on the discs; the original theatrical cut, the special edition cut, and a collector's extended cut<ref name=extendededition>{{cite web |first=Ryan|last= Fleming| url = http://www.digitaltrends.com/entertainment/avatar-three-disc-extended-collectors-set-due-in-november/?news=123| title = Avatar three-disc extended collectors set due in November|publisher=[[Digital Trends]]| date = October 7, 2010|accessdate=October 11, 2010 }}</ref> (all split into three parts on the DVD, but each in one part on the Blu-Ray). The collector's extended cut contains 6 more minutes of footage, thus making it 16 minutes longer than the original theatrical cut. Cameron mentioned, "you can sit down, and in a continuous screening of the film, watch it with the Earth opening". He stated the "Earth opening" is an additional 4 1/2 minutes of scenes that were in the film for much of its production but were ultimately cut before the film's theatrical release.<ref>{{cite web |first=Mike|last= Russell| url = http://www.oregonlive.com/movies/index.ssf/2010/08/interview_with_james_cameron_o.html | title = Interview with James Cameron on 'Avatar' re-release, BP oil spill -- and much more |publisher=OregonLive.com| work = [[The Oregonian]] | date = August 26, 2010|accessdate=August 29, 2010 }}</ref> The release also includes an additional 45 minutes of deleted scenes and other extras.<ref name=extendededition />
 
Cameron initially stated that ''Avatar'' would be released in 3-D around {{Nowrap|November 2010}}, but the studio issued a correction: "3-D is in the conceptual stage and ''Avatar'' will not be out on 3D Blu-ray in November."<ref name=3D>{{cite web|url=http://www.comingsoon.net/news/movienews.php?id=63460|title=Update: Cameron Talks Avatar Blu-ray/DVD Releases and Sequel |publisher=Comingsoon.net|date=February 19, 2010|accessdate=May 25, 2010}}</ref> In {{Nowrap|May 2010}}, Fox stated that the 3-D version would be released some time in 2011.<ref name=threedisc/> It was later revealed that Fox had given [[Panasonic]] an exclusive license for the 3-D Blu-ray version and only with the purchase of a Panasonic [[3DTV#TV sets|3DTV]]. The length of Panasonic's exclusivity period is stated to last until {{Nowrap|February 2012}}.<ref>{{cite web |first=Rich|last= Trenholm| url = http://crave.cnet.co.uk/televisions/avatar-gets-3d-blu-ray-release-comes-with-free-panasonic-3dtv-50001361/#ixzz14o9Tecxw | title = Avatar gets 3D Blu-ray release, comes with free Panasonic 3DTV|publisher=[[CNET]] UK| date = November 1, 2010|accessdate=November 12, 2010 }}</ref> On {{Nowrap|October 2010}}, Cameron stated that the standalone 3-D Blu-ray would be the final version of the film's home release and that it was, "maybe one, two years out".<ref>{{cite web |first=Juan|last= Calonge| url = http://www.blu-ray.com/news/?id=5330 | title = Cameron: Avatar CE Blu-ray Is Last Version - Save for 3D |publisher=Blu-ray.com| date = October 21, 2010|accessdate=November 11, 2010 }}</ref>
 
On Christmas Eve 2010, ''Avatar'' had its 3-D television world premiere on [[British Sky Broadcasting|Sky]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/digitaltv/news/a290793/sky-to-give-avatar-3d-world-premiere.html|title=Digital TV - News - Sky to give 'Avatar' 3D world premiere - Digital Spy|publisher=Digital Spy|date=1 December 2010|accessdate=21 December 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.pocket-lint.com/news/37063/avatar-3dtv-premiere-sky-3d|title=Avatar 3DTV world premiere on Sky 3D - Pocket-lint|publisher=Pocket-link.com|date=1 December 2010|accessdate=21 December 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.itproportal.com/2010/12/1/sky-secures-avatar-3d-tv-world-premier/|title=Sky Secures Avatar 3D TV World Premier | ITProPortal.com|publisher=IT Pro Portal|date=1 December 2010|accessdate=21 December 2010}}</ref>
 
==Sequels==
<!--THIS ARTICLE IS BIG ENOUGH. RECONSIDER ADDING MORE TO THIS SECTION.-->
In 2006, Cameron stated that if ''Avatar'' was successful, he hoped to make two [[sequel]]s to the film.<ref name="carroll2006">{{cite news|first=Larry|last=Carroll|title='Titanic' Mastermind James Cameron's King-Size Comeback: Two Sci-Fi Trilogies|url=http://www.mtv.com/movies/news/articles/1535402/06292006/story.jhtml|work=MTV|date=June 29, 2006|accessdate=October 18, 2006}}</ref> In 2010, he said the film's widespread success confirmed that he will.<ref name="sequel">{{cite news|first=Adam|last=Rosenberg|title='Avatar' Sequel Confirmed By James Cameron&nbsp;... And Here's What We'd Like To See|url=http://moviesblog.mtv.com/2010/01/08/avatar-sequel-confirmed-by-james-cameron-and-heres-what-wed-like-to-see/| work=MTV|date=January 8, 2010|accessdate=January 11, 2010}}</ref> The prospect of sequels was something he planned from the start, going so far as to include certain scenes in the film for future story followups.<ref name="carroll2006"/><ref name="movies.yahoo.com">{{cite web|url=http://movies.yahoo.com/feature/movie-talk-avatar-trilogy.html |title=James Cameron Planning 'Avatar' Trilogy|publisher=[[Yahoo.com]] |date=January 14, 2010 |accessdate=January 17, 2010}}</ref> Cameron said he wants to make the sequel "cheaper and faster" and that the story will be a continuation of the characters introduced in ''Avatar''.<ref name=3D /> When being interviewed by [[Associated Press|AP]] on the red carpet of the [[82nd Academy Awards]], Cameron stated "if I were to start ''Avatar 2'' tomorrow, it would still be three years away."<ref>{{cite news|author=Timothy Sykes| url=http://www.timothysykes.com/2010/03/james-cameron-on-red-carpet-says-avatar-sequel-3-years-away-if-i-start-tomorrow-so-i-shorted-the-stock/|title=James Cameron Live On Red Carpet Says Avatar Sequel "3 Years Away If I Start Tomorrow" So I Shorted The Stock |date=March 7, 2010|accessdate=March 10, 2010}}</ref> In an {{Nowrap|August 2010}} interview, Cameron stated that his plans are to shoot both sequels in the planned trilogy back-to-back and that he was waiting for deals to be made. He also mentioned, "what I'm working on primarily is the novel" and "presumably, once the novel is nailed down, work will begin in earnest on getting the sequel going."<ref name="trilogy">{{cite news|author=Adam Rosenberg| url=http://moviesblog.mtv.com/2010/08/07/avatar-sequel-update-james-cameron/|title=EXCLUSIVE: 'Avatar' Sequels Could Shoot Back-To-Back, Story Hints In Upcoming Novel| publisher=MTV |date=August 7, 2010|accessdate=August 7, 2010}}</ref> In an interview in [[The Sunday Times (Western Australia)|Perth's ''Sunday Times'']] on {{Nowrap|September 12}}, 2010, Cameron revealed his intention to capture footage for this sequel at the bottom of the [[Mariana Trench]]. For this purpose he has commissioned a deepwater submersible.<ref name='Harlow2010'>{{cite news | first = John | last = Harlow | title = James Cameron commissions deep sea sub to film footage for Avatar sequel | date = 2010-09-12 | publisher = News Limited | url = http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/world/james-cameron-commissions-deep-sea-sub-to-film-footage-for-avatar-sequel/story-e6frg6so-1225919474515 | work = The Australian | accessdate = 2010-09-18}}</ref> In {{Nowrap|October 2010}}, Cameron officially signed an agreement with Fox to direct two sequels to ''Avatar'', which are scheduled to be released in {{Nowrap|December 2014}} and {{Nowrap|December 2015}}. Both sequels will be produced by Cameron's own [[Lightstorm Entertainment]] in partnership with [[20th Century Fox]].<ref name="sequels2">{{cite news|author=Pamela McClintock| url=http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118026416|title=James Cameron sets 'Avatar' 2 & 3 as next films| publisher=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] |date=October 27, 2010|accessdate=October 27, 2010}}</ref>
 
Though plots for future sequels have not been laid out yet, Cameron stated that they are going to widen the universe while exploring other moons of Polyphemus.<ref name=3D /> The first sequel will focus on the ocean of Pandora but will also feature more of the rainforest from the original movie.<ref name='Day2010'>{{cite news|first=Patrick Kevin|last=Day|title=James Cameron: The 'Avatar' sequel will dive into the oceans of Pandora|date=April 20, 2010|url =http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/herocomplex/2010/04/james-cameron-talks-the-enironment-the-avatar-sequel-and-more.html|work =Los Angeles Times|accessdate = April 22, 2010|language =}} [http://www.webcitation.org/5pAYskMLb Archived version {{Nowrap|April 22}}, 2010]
</ref> It will continue to follow the characters of Jake and Neytiri.<ref>{{cite news|author=Eric Ditzian| url=http://www.mtv.com/movies/news/articles/1628605/story.jhtml|title=James Cameron Talks 'Avatar' Sequel Plans| publisher=MTV |date=December 21, 2009|accessdate=January 2, 2010}}</ref> Cameron implied that the humans would return as the antagonists of the story. "I expect that those nasty humans didn't go away forever," he said.<ref>{{cite news|author=Eric Ditzian| url=http://www.mtv.com/movies/news/articles/1632147/story.jhtml|title=James Cameron Says 'Everyone's Highly Motivated' For 'Avatar' Sequel| publisher=MTV |date=February 18, 2010|accessdate=February 21, 2010}}</ref> [[Sam Worthington]] and [[Zoe Saldana]] have signed on to reprise their roles in future sequels, and [[Stephen Lang (actor)|Stephen Lang]], who played Colonel Miles Quaritch, believes his character could make a return: "You think those two arrows in my chest are going to stop me from coming back?" Lang told ''Entertainment Weekly'', "Nothing's over so long as they've got my [[DNA]]."<ref name="movies.yahoo.com"/> In late {{Nowrap|February 2010}}, [[Sigourney Weaver]], who played Dr. Grace Augustine, announced the possibility of her return for a sequel in an interview for the ''Le Grand Journal TV Show'' in Paris.<ref>{{cite news|author=Peter Sciretta| url=http://www.slashfilm.com/2010/02/26/sigourney-weaver-returning-for-avatar-2/|title=Sigourney Weaver Returning for Avatar 2?| publisher=[[/Film]] |date=February 26, 2010|accessdate=March 2, 2010}}</ref>
 
==References==
{{Reflist|colwidth=30em}}
 
==Further reading ==
{{refbegin}}
* {{citation |last = Armstrong|first =Jeffrey |year =2010 |title =Spiritual Teachings of the Avatar: Ancient Wisdom for a New World
|url =http://books.google.ca/books?id=es1Xl2E3DAkC&lpg=PP1&dq=Spiritual%20Teachings%20of%20the%20Avatar%3A%20Ancient%20Wisdom%20for%20a%20New%20World&pg=PP1#v=onepage&q&f=true|publisher=Simon & Schuster (Atria Books) |isbn= 978-1-58270-281-0|place= New York, NY}} A detailed analysis of the film's parallels with the teachings of the [[Vedas]].
* {{citation |last = Mahoney|first =Kevin Patrick |coauthor= |year =2010 |title =The Ultimate Fan's Guide to Avatar, James Cameron's Epic Movie (Unauthorized)
|url = http://books.google.ca/books?id=-ZWhqcOYkwYC&lpg=PP1&dq=he%20Ultimate%20Fan's%20Guide%20to%20Avatar%2C%20James%20Cameron's%20Epic%20Movie%20(Unauthorized)&pg=PP1#v=onepage&q&f=true|publisher=Punked Books |isbn= 9780953317257 |accessdate = }}
* {{citation |last = Duncan|first =Jody |coauthor=Fitzpatrick, Lisa |year =2010 |title =The Making of Avatar|url = http://books.google.com/books?id=x9WKRAAACAAJ&dq=making+of+avatar&hl=en&ei=gANqTZu0BtSEtge4nrzmAg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CDYQ6AEwAA|publisher=[[Abrams Books]] |isbn=978-0810997066|accessdate = }}
{{refend}}
 
==External links==
{{Commons category}}
{{Portalbox|Film}}
* {{Official website|http://www.avatarmovie.com}}
* [http://www.webcitation.org/5q2mqY36B Official shooting script]
* {{IMDb title|0499549|Avatar}}
* {{Rotten-tomatoes|avatar|Avatar}}
* {{Metacritic film|avatar|Avatar}}
* {{Mojo title|avatar|Avatar}}
* [http://www.hd-report.com/2010/05/02/blurayreview-avatar2disc/ "''Avatar'' (2-Disc Set) Blu-ray Disc Review"] by HD Report
* [http://james-camerons-avatar.wikia.com/wiki/Avatar_Wiki James Cameron's Avatar Wiki]
 
{{Avatar (2009 film)}}
{{James Cameron films}}
{{GoldenGlobeBestMotionPictureDrama 2001-2020}}
 
{{Good article}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2010}}
 
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