There is little doubt one day after its release that ‘Avatar: The Sense of Water’ is the last great release of 2022 and, probably, the film that breathes the life —and the money— necessary into a box office that has been in red numbers last three months. But this idea is not only nourished by sensations and expectations created by its precedent, but by dizzying data regarding the number of copies destined for Spanish theaters.
A record premiere
As they have shared from the company itself, the new epic by James Cameron will be released in our country in 1,983 screens spread over 416 cinemas; figures that represent the largest premiere in the history of Disney in Spain, surpassing the 1,412 screens in 416 cinemas that ‘Avengers: Endgame’ held in 2019, and which represent 41.6% of the total. Almost nothing.
Of course, not everything is going to be so simple, because ‘Avatar: The Sense of Water’ will be presented in a whopping 21 different projection formats. Regarding the language, in addition to copies in the original version and dubbed into Spanish, we will have 40 copies dubbed into Catalan; but where the real crux of the matter is in the technical aspects.
In addition to the “standard” version —which in this case is not so much— in 2D, the feature film will arrive in the 3D format in which it was conceived. But this is not all, because in addition to the dimensional issue, there will also be variations in terms of the frame rate per second, existing the option to enjoy it at 24FPS of a lifetime or at 48FPS of the alternative in HFR.
Along with these versions, ‘Avatar 2’ will also be screened in IMAX 3D, 4DX, Screen X or ICE. But with all this on the table, what’s the proper way to view Master Cameron’s latest technical ingenuity? We will try to answer the question.
The ideal experience
To begin with, and as far as I’m concerned, in addition to recommending the original version above all else, would drastically rule out gimmicks such as the 4DX interactive rooms —three hours of wiggles and effects can be torture, especially if we consider the water factor—, the triple screens of Screen X or the supposed increases in peripheral vision of the ICE facilities.
Having clarified this, there is no doubt that in the depth section, the stereoscopic is the undisputed winner. The film was shot with Sony CineAlta VENICE 3D cameras and was conceived, like its predecessor, with three-dimensionality in mind, so the decision is obvious, just as the higher rate of frames per second of the HFR favors the perception of the 3D effect by removing the motion blur Associated with cinema shot at 23,976FPS.
It is clear that the winning combination is 3D HFR, but there is still one more battle to fight, and that is the scale. VENICE 3D is an IMAX-certified camera, so being able to enjoy 1.90:1 aspect ratio experience in stereoscopic, 4K resolution, and HFR would be ideal; but be careful, because not all IMAX rooms can project in these conditions —only those with a single laser—.
Now, if your concern is not the size of the screen, the winning option would be to see ‘Avatar: The Sense of Water’ in a Dolby Cinema room. In this case, part of the aspect ratio of the screen would be sacrificed —which can be 1.85:1 or 2.39:1—, but a projection with higher contrast will be gained thanks to the HDR —high dynamic range— and, most importantly, Dolby Atmos sound.
The alternatives laid out my final recommendation is that find out well about the projection conditions of your head room before taking the plunge and buying a ticket. Knowledge, after all, is power.