James Cameron really, really wants you to watch his new film “Alita: Battle Angel” in theaters. In fact, he goes so far as to say it’s the ONLY way to watch his new sci-fi film in a new “trailer” for the film.
The purpose of the new MomentsWorthPaying4 trailer for ‘Alita’ is to show that the film is a cutting-edge, beautiful science-fiction film that deserves to be seen on the biggest screen with the best possible sound. And as we are film fans, we wholeheartedly believe that for most films, the best way to experience the artists’ vision is at the theater. However, we can’t but be a little cynical with James Cameron’s latest attempt to sell ‘Alita.’
READ MORE: James Cameron Uses ‘Avatar’ Update Video To Implore Fans To Watch ‘Alita: Battle Angel’
This isn’t the first time that Cameron has stepped in front of the camera to hock his latest production. Keep in mind, the filmmaker is only the co-writer and producer on ‘Alita,’ as the director duties went to collaborator Robert Rodriguez (of “Sin City” fame). That being said, Cameron is the biggest cheerleader for the film, as ‘Alita’ has been his passion project for over a decade. And because of his deep love for the film, Cameron has gone to great lengths to avoid ‘Alita’ being the big bust that many industry pundits are predicting it possibly will be.
The first time we saw him on camera promoting the film was back in November, when he used an “Avatar Update” video to sneak in a trailer for ‘Alita.’ And now, to avoid potential doom at the box office, he’s imploring fans to spend the money to see the film on the big screen, otherwise risking a subpar experience at home.
All this to say, ‘Alita’ seems to be in a bit of trouble, box office wise. The buzz around the film seems to be non-existent. The trailers have seemingly done nothing to get Cameron’s fans excited about the film. Sure, it looks well-made and exciting, but ‘Alita’ just hasn’t found a way to really hook film fans and make the action-adventure a “must-see” when it’s released in just one short month.
When you look at the February release of ‘Alita,’ a couple things immediately jump out. First, “LEGO Movie 2” hits theaters just one week before Cameron’s film, and is sure to be a massive blockbuster, barring anything catastrophic. And arriving in theaters on the same day as ‘Alita’ is “Happy Death Day 2U,” which surprised everyone in 2017 and earned over $100 million at the box office. Long story short, we could be looking at a box office that features ‘Alita’ debuting at #3, which is not good. So yeah, maybe Cameron should be making a few more of these videos, huh?
“Alita: Battle Angel” arrives on February 14 in theaters.
Update: here’s a new Super Bowl TV spot.