Typically, when a film sequel arrives, people just assume they know what they’re going to get. Especially nowadays, there are sequels around every corner. But in the case of “Avatar” and the upcoming sequel, ‘The Way of Water,’ there are so many questions about the film. Is it too late for a sequel, as it’s been 13 years since the original? Will it break records at the box office? And do people even care about 3D cinema anymore? Obviously, we don’t know the answers to the first two questions, but James Cameron definitely believes the answer to the third question is a resounding “Yes.”
READ MORE: James Cameron Is Realistic About The ‘Avatar’ Sequels Not Breaking Records
According to a recent interview for the new re-release of “Avatar” (via /Film), James Cameron talked about 3D film technology and how he believes that it’s not a passing fad. The filmmaker thinks “Avatar” might have kicked off the most recent resurgence of 3D filmmaking, but that doesn’t mean the format is already dead 13 years later.
“I would say that the 3D was generally embraced for a period of time,” explained Cameron about the impact of the original film. “’Avatar’ won the best cinematography with a 3D digital camera. No digital camera had ever won the best cinematography Oscar before. Then two out of the three subsequent years, the same cameras were used by the cinematographers that won the Oscar. So you got 3 out of 4 years where the Academy embraced digital cinematography. And all 3 of those films were in 3D.”
Of course, over the last decade, we’ve seen fewer and fewer blockbusters get high-profile 3D releases. We’ve also seen 3D releases not really bump up the box office of a film in any significant way in a number of years. That said, Cameron doesn’t think this is a sign that people don’t care about 3D anymore.
“3D appears to most people to sort of be ‘over.’ But it’s really not over. It’s just been accepted,” said the filmmaker. “It’s just now a part of your choices when you go to the theater to see a big blockbuster movie … I liken it to color. When color films first came out, it was a big deal. People would go to see movies because they were in color. I think around the time of ‘Avatar,’ people used to go to see movies because they were in 3D … I think it had an impact on how films were presented that’s now just sort of accepted and part of the zeitgeist and how it’s done.”
Will “Avatar: The Way of Water” succeed where other recent 3D releases haven’t? Will James Cameron, yet again, prove naysayers wrong? We’ll find out when ‘The Way of Water’ hits theaters on December 16.