James Cameron’s Avatar: The Way of Water will have a longer runtime than the original movie, with the sequel going over three hours. The second installment is set to arrive in theaters this December, more than a decade after its first release in 2009. The original film had two hours and 41 minutes runtime.
Avatar is Cameron’s most successful film and still stands strong despite many other blockbuster movies that came out after its premiere. The sequel is expected to conquer the box office again alongside its predecessor, followed by Marvel Studios’ Avengers: Endgame and Titanic.
What To Expect From Avatar: The Way Of Water
Avatar is set on the planet of Pandora, a mystical and exotic land rich in natural resources yet in danger of human exploitation. The natives Na’vi are a race of sapient extraterrestrial humanoids facing conflict with invaders. Some humans chose to protect the planet using state-of-the-art technology and transfer consciousness to the natives in order for them to interact with the planet’s flora and fauna.
The sequel will follow fifteen years after the first movie, and it will star Sam Worthington as Jake Sully and Zoe Saldaña as Neytiri, now parents of five Na’vi kids. It will also include franchise newcomers Kate Winslet and Vin Diesel. From the title alone, fans can assume the story will take place in the waters of Pandora.
In September, Cameron showcased several scenes from Avatar 2 at the D23 event, which he produced alongside Jon Landau. Most of the clips were footage of immersive underwater scenes. Fans could also remember that Disney and 20th Century released a remastered version of the first Avatar film. According to The Hollywood Reporter, it earned about $76 million worldwide, gaining a total gross of $2.92 billion. Avatar remains the highest-grossing movie of all time.
Fans Aren’t Happy With The Movie’s Official Runtime
The official runtime has not been released, but according to THR, the duration of the film was leaked right after it received its PG-13 rating. Although this is not a surprise anymore, given that we have films that ran for over three hours, such as Avengers: Endgame, some fans did not like the idea of sitting for such a long time.
They took to Twitter to their sentiments regarding Avatar: The Way of Water’s runtime. Check out what they have to say:
if it’s not marvel then i’m not about to sit for 3 hours and watch a movie
— zaevian 🦍 (@zaeviann) October 28, 2022
Sorry, that's me out.
‘Avatar: The Way of Water’ Runtime Sails Past Three Hours https://t.co/njsXts3586— Look- (Stop Me If You've Heard This One) (@Dene71) October 29, 2022
Admitting we can go to the bathroom at anytime and not miss anything sure is..admitting that your movie is so bland you can miss a portion of it and not be lost.
— Darkwing Disco Duck (@TwistedNubbins) July 5, 2022
I ain't watching a 3 hour long cartoon about blue cat people dude. Especially not in a movie theater
— yankmaze (@yankmaze) July 5, 2022
Cameron wrote the script for the film with Josh Friedman and is planning to have two more sequels. The director said in his interview with IGN:
“I guarantee you, you won’t be able to predict it. What people hate the most is to go and see a movie and say ‘oh… predictable.’ This is not predictable, I don’t think. I defy anybody to predict where this story goes.”
Now, that is one way to hype up fans, so go and mark your calendars because Avatar: The Way of Water will hit theaters this December 16, 2022.
