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He turned his back on traditional fuels...


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Principal photography for Avatar began in April 2007 in Los Angeles and=20
Wellington. Cameron described the film as a hybrid with a full live-action=
=20
shoot in combination with computer-generated characters and live environmen=
ts.=20
"Ideally at the end of the day the audience has no idea which they're looki=
ng=20
at," Cameron said. The director indicated that he had already worked four=
=20
months on nonprincipal scenes for the film.[66] The live action was shot wi=
th a=20
modified version of the proprietary digital 3-D Fusion Camera System, devel=
oped=20
by Cameron and Vince Pace.[67] In January 2007, Fox had announced that 3-D=
=20
filming for Avatar would be done at 24 frames per second despite Cameron's=
=20
strong opinion that a 3-D film requires higher frame rate to make strobing =
less=20
noticeable.[68] According to Cameron, the film is composed of 60%=20
computer-generated elements and 40% live action, as well as traditional=20
miniatures.[69] Motion-capture photography lasted 31 days at the Hughes=20
Aircraft stage in Playa Vista in Los Angeles.[54][70] Live action photograp=
hy=20
began in October 2007 at Stone Street Studios in Wellington and was schedul=
ed=20
to last 31 days.[71] More than a thousand people worked on the production.[=
70]=20
In preparation of the filming sequences, all of the actors underwent=20
professional training specific to their characters such as archery, horseba=
ck=20
riding, firearm use, and hand-to-hand combat. They received language and=20
dialect training in the Na'vi language created for the film.[72] Before=20
shooting the film, Cameron also sent the cast to the Hawaiian tropical=20
rainforests[73] to get a feel for a rainforest setting before shooting on t=
he=20
soundstage.[72] During filming, Cameron made use of his virtual camera syst=
em,=20
a new way of directing motion-capture filmmaking. The system shows the acto=
rs'=20
virtual counterparts in their digital surroundings in real time, allowing t=
he=20
director to adjust and direct scenes just as if shooting live action. Accor=
ding=20
to Cameron, "It's like a big, powerful game engine. If I want to fly throug=
h=20
space, or change my perspective, I can. I can turn the whole scene into a=
=20
living miniature and go through it on a 50 to 1 scale."[74] Using conventio=
nal=20
techniques, the complete virtual world cannot be seen until the motion-capt=
ure=20
of the actors is complete. Cameron said this process does not diminish the=
=20
value or importance of acting. On the contrary, because there is no need fo=
r=20
repeated camera and lighting setups, costume fittings and make-up touch-ups=
,=20
scenes do not need to be interrupted repeatedly.[75] Cameron described the=
=20
system as a "form of pure creation where if you want to move a tree or a=20
mountain or the sky or change the time of day, you have complete control ov=
er=20
the elements".[76] Cameron gave fellow directors Steven Spielberg and Peter=
=20
Jackson a chance to test the new technology.[65] Spielberg said, "I like to=
=20
think of it as digital makeup, not augmented animation ... Motion capture=
=20
brings the director back to a kind of intimacy that actors and directors on=
ly=20
know when they're working in live theater."[75] Spielberg and George Lucas =
were=20
also able to visit the set to watch Cameron direct with the equipment.[77] =
To=20
film the shots where CGI interacts with live action, a unique camera referr=
ed=20
to as a "simulcam" was used, a merger of the 3-D fusion camera and the virt=
ual=20
camera systems. While filming live action in real time with the simulcam, t=
he=20
CGI images captured with the virtual camera or designed from scratch, are=
=20
superimposed over the live action images as in augmented reality and shown =
on a=20
small monitor, making it possible for the director to instruct the actors h=
ow=20
to relate to the virtual material in the scene.[72] Due to Cameron's person=
al=20
convictions about climate change, he allowed only plant-based (vegan) food =
to=20
be served on set.=20


A number of innovative visual effects techniques were used during productio=
n.=20
According to Cameron, work on the film had been delayed since the 1990s to=
=20
allow the techniques to reach the necessary degree of advancement to adequa=
tely=20
portray his vision of the film.[13][14] The director planned to make use of=
=20
photorealistic computer-generated characters, created using new motion capt=
ure=20
animation technologies he had been developing in the 14 months leading up t=
o=20
December 2006.[74] Innovations include a new system for lighting massive ar=
eas=20
like Pandora's jungle,[80] a motion-capture stage or "volume" six times lar=
ger=20
than any previously used, and an improved method of capturing facial=20
expressions, enabling full performance capture. To achieve the face capturi=
ng,=20
actors wore individually made skull caps fitted with a tiny camera position=
ed=20
in front of the actors' faces; the information collected about their facial=
=20
expressions and eyes is then transmitted to computers.[81] According to=20
Cameron, the method allows the filmmakers to transfer 100% of the actors'=
=20
physical performances to their digital counterparts.[82] Besides the=20
performance capture data which were transferred directly to the computers,=
=20
numerous reference cameras gave the digital artists multiple angles of each=
=20
performance.[83] A technically challenging scene was near the end of the fi=
lm=20
when the computer-generated Neytiri held the live action Jake in human form=
,=20
and attention was given to the details of the shadows and reflected light=
=20
between them.[84] The lead visual effects company was Weta Digital in=20
Wellington, at one point employing 900 people to work on the film.[85] Beca=
use=20
of the huge amount of data which needed to be stored, cataloged and availab=
le=20
for everybody involved, even on the other side of the world, a new cloud=20
computing and Digital Asset Management (DAM) system named Gaia was created =
by=20
Microsoft especially for Avatar, which allowed the crews to keep track of a=
nd=20
coordinate all stages in the digital processing.[86] To render Avatar, Weta=
=20
used a 930 m2 (10,000 sq ft) server farm making use of 4,000 Hewlett-Packar=
d=20
servers with 35,000 processor cores with 104 terabytes of RAM and three=20
petabytes of network area storage running Ubuntu Linux, Grid Engine cluster=
=20
manager, and 2 of the animation software and managers, Pixar's RenderMan an=
d=20
Pixar's Alfred queue management system.[87][88][89][90] The render farm=20
occupies the 193rd to 197th spots in the TOP500 list of the world's most=20
powerful supercomputers. A new texturing and paint software system, called=
=20
Mari, was developed by The Foundry in cooperation with Weta.[91][92] Creati=
ng=20
the Na'vi characters and the virtual world of Pandora required over a petab=
yte=20
of digital storage,[93] and each minute of the final footage for Avatar=20
occupies 17.28 gigabytes of storage.[94] It would often take the computer=
=20
several hours to render a single frame of the film.[95] To help finish=20
preparing the special effects sequences on time, a number of other companie=
s=20
were brought on board, including Industrial Light & Magic, which worked=20
alongside Weta Digital to create the battle sequences. ILM was responsible =
for=20
the visual effects for many of the film's specialized vehicles and devised =
a=20
new way to make CGI explosions.[96] Joe Letteri was the film's visual effec=
ts=20
general supervisor.[97] Music and soundtrack Main article: Avatar: Music fr=
om=20
the Motion Picture James Horner =E2=80=93 "Jake Enters His Avatar World" 0:=
32 listen to=20
a clip from the score of the 2009 film Avatar. Problems playing this file? =
See=20
media help. Composer James Horner scored the film, his third collaboration =
with=20
Cameron after Aliens and Titanic.[98] Horner recorded parts of the score wi=
th a=20
small chorus singing in the alien language Na'vi in March 2008.[99] He also=
=20
worked with Wanda Bryant, an ethnomusicologist, to create a music culture f=
or=20
the alien race.[100] The first scoring sessions were planned to take place =
in=20
early 2009.[101] During production, Horner promised Cameron that he would n=
ot=20
work on any other project except for Avatar and reportedly worked on the sc=
ore=20
from four in the morning until ten at night throughout the process. He stat=
ed=20
in an interview, "Avatar has been the most difficult film I have worked on =
and=20
the biggest job I have undertaken."[102] Horner composed the score as two=
=20
different scores merged into one. He first created a score that reflected t=
he=20
Na'vi way of sound and then combined it with a separate "traditional" score=
 to=20
drive the film.[72] British singer Leona Lewis was chosen to sing the theme=
=20
song for the film, called "I See You". An accompanying music video, directe=
d by=20
Jake Nava, premiered December 15, 2009, on MySpace.

At times, our affiliate partners reach out to the Editors at Smart People M=
ail=20
with special opportunities for our readers. The message below is one we thi=
nk=20
you should take a close, serious look at.


=E2=80=8A


Avatar is primarily an action-adventure journey of self-discovery, in the=
=20
context of imperialism, and deep ecology.[104] Cameron said his inspiration=
 was=20
"every single science fiction book I read as a kid" and that he wanted to=
=20
update the style of Edgar Rice Burroughs' John Carter series.[11] He=20
acknowledged that Avatar shares themes with the films At Play in the Fields=
 of=20
the Lord, The Emerald Forest, and Princess Mononoke, which feature clashes=
=20
between cultures and civilizations, and with Dances with Wolves, where a=20
battered soldier finds himself drawn to the culture he was initially fighti=
ng=20
against.[105][106] He also cited Hayao Miyazaki's anime films such as Princ=
ess=20
Mononoke as an influence on the ecosystem of Pandora.[106] In 2012, Cameron=
=20
filed a 45-page legal declaration that intended to "describe in great detai=
l=20
the genesis of the ideas, themes, storylines, and images that came to be=20
Avatar."[107] In addition to historical events (such as European colonizati=
on=20
of the Americas), his life experiences and several of his unproduced projec=
ts,=20
Cameron drew connections between Avatar and his previous films. He cited hi=
s=20
script and concept art for Xenogenesis, partially produced as a short film,=
 as=20
being the basis for many of the ideas and visual designs in Avatar. He stat=
ed=20
that Avatar's "concepts of a world mind, intelligence within nature, the id=
ea=20
of projecting force or consciousness using an avatar, colonization of alien=
=20
planets, greedy corporate interests backed up by military force, the story =
of a=20
seemingly weaker group prevailing over a technologically superior force, an=
d=20
the good scientist were all established and recurrent themes" from his earl=
ier=20
films including Aliens, The Abyss, Rambo: First Blood Part II, The Terminat=
or=20
and Terminator 2: Judgment Day. He specifically mentioned the "water tentac=
le"=20
in The Abyss as an example of an "avatar" that "takes on the appearance of.=
..an=20
alien life form...in order to bridge the cultural gap and build trust."[108=
]=20
Cameron also cited a number of works by other creators as "reference points=
 and=20
sources of inspiration" for Avatar. These include two of his "favorite" fil=
ms,=20
2001: A Space Odyssey, where mankind experiences an evolution after meeting=
=20
alien life, and Lawrence of Arabia, where "an outsider...encounters and=20
immerses into a foreign culture and then ultimately joins that group to fig=
ht=20
other outsiders." Cameron said he became familiar with the concept of a hum=
an=20
operating a "synthetic avatar" inside another world from George Henry Smith=
's=20
short story "In the Imagicon" and Arthur C. Clarke's novel The City and the=
=20
Stars. He said he learned of the term "avatar" by reading the cyberpunk nov=
els=20
Neuromancer by William Gibson and Islands in the Net by Bruce Sterling. The=
=20
idea of a "world mind" originated in the novel Solaris by Stanislaw Lem.=20
Cameron mentioned several other films about people interacting with "indige=
nous=20
cultures" as inspiring him, including Dances with Wolves, The Man Who Would=
 Be=20
King, The Mission, The Emerald Forest, Medicine Man, The Jungle Book and=20
FernGully. He also cited as inspiration the John Carter and Tarzan stories =
by=20
Edgar Rice Burroughs and other adventure stories by Rudyard Kipling and H.=
=20
Rider Haggard.[108] In a 2007 interview with Time magazine, Cameron was ask=
ed=20
about the meaning of the term Avatar, to which he replied, "It's an incarna=
tion=20
of one of the Hindu gods taking a flesh form. In this film what that means =
is=20
that the human technology in the future is capable of injecting a human's=
=20
intelligence into a remotely located body, a biological body."[10] Cameron =
also=20
cited the Japanese cyberpunk manga and anime Ghost in the Shell, in terms o=
f=20
how humans can remotely control, and transfer their personalities into, ali=
en=20
bodies.[109][110] For the love story between characters Jake and Neytiri,=
=20
Cameron applied a star-crossed love theme, which he said was in the traditi=
on=20
of Romeo and Juliet.[108] He acknowledged its similarity to the pairing of =
Jack=20
and Rose from his film Titanic. An interviewer stated, "Both couples come f=
rom=20
radically different cultures that are contemptuous of their relationship an=
d=20
are forced to choose sides between the competing communities."[113] Cameron=
=20
described Neytiri as his "Pocahontas," saying that his plotline followed th=
e=20
historical story of a "white outsider [who] falls in love with the chief's=
=20
daughter, who becomes his guide to the tribe and to their special bond with=
=20
nature."[108] Cameron felt that whether or not the Jake and Neytiri love st=
ory=20
would be perceived as believable partially hinged on the physical=20
attractiveness of Neytiri's alien appearance, which was developed by=20
considering her appeal to the all-male crew of artists.[114] Although Camer=
on=20
felt Jake and Neytiri do not fall in love right away, their portrayers=20
(Worthington and Saldana) felt the characters did. Cameron said the two act=
ors=20
"had a great chemistry" during filming.[113] A gray mountain in the middle =
of a=20
forest. Pandora's floating "Hallelujah Mountains" were inspired in part by =
the=20
Chinese Huangshan mountains (pictured).[115] Zhangjiajie National Forest Pa=
rk=20
For the film's floating "Hallelujah Mountains", the designers drew inspirat=
ion=20
from "many different types of mountains, but mainly the karst limestone=20
formations in China."[116] According to production designer Dylan Cole, the=
=20
fictional floating rocks were inspired by Huangshan (also known as Yellow=
=20
Mountain), Guilin, Zhangjiajie, among others around the world.[116] Cameron=
 had=20
noted the influence of the Chinese peaks on the design of the floating=20
mountains.[117] To create the interiors of the human mining colony on Pando=
ra,=20
production designers visited the Noble Clyde Boudreaux[118] oil platform in=
 the=20
Gulf of Mexico during June 2007. They photographed, measured and filmed eve=
ry=20
aspect of the platform, which was later replicated on-screen with=20
photorealistic CGI during post-production.


The first photo of the film was released on August 14, 2009,[124] and Empir=
e=20
released exclusive images from the film in its October issue.[125] Cameron,=
=20
producer Jon Landau, Zoe Saldana, Stephen Lang, and Sigourney Weaver appear=
ed=20
at a panel, moderated by Tom Rothman, at the 2009 San Diego Comic-Con on Ju=
ly=20
23. Twenty-five minutes of footage was screened[126] in Dolby 3D.[127] Weav=
er=20
and Cameron appeared at additional panels to promote the film, speaking on =
the=20
23rd[128] and 24th[129][130] respectively. James Cameron announced at the=
=20
Comic-Con Avatar Panel that August 21 will be 'Avatar Day'. On this day, th=
e=20
trailer was released in all theatrical formats. The official game trailer a=
nd=20
toy line of the film were also unveiled on this day.[131] The 129-second=20
trailer was released online on August 20, 2009.[132] The new 210-second tra=
iler=20
was premiered in theaters on October 23, 2009, then soon after premiered on=
line=20
on Yahoo! on October 29, 2009, to positive reviews.[133][134] An extended=
=20
version in IMAX 3D received overwhelmingly positive reviews.[132] The Holly=
wood=20
Reporter said that audience expectations were colored by "the [same]=20
establishment skepticism that preceded Titanic" and suggested the showing=
=20
reflected the desire for original storytelling.[135] The teaser has been am=
ong=20
the most viewed trailers in the history of film marketing, reaching the fir=
st=20
place of all trailers viewed on Apple.com with 4 million views.[136] On Oct=
ober=20
30, to celebrate the opening of the first 3-D cinema in Vietnam, Fox allowe=
d=20
Megastar Cinema to screen exclusive 16 minutes of Avatar to a number of=20
press.[137] The three-and-a-half-minute trailer of the film premiered live =
on=20
November 1, 2009, during a Dallas Cowboys football game at Cowboys Stadium =
in=20
Arlington, Texas, on the Diamond Vision screen, one of the world's largest=
=20
video displays, and to TV audiences viewing the game on Fox. It is said to =
be=20
the largest live motion picture trailer viewing in history.[138] The Coca-C=
ola=20
Company collaborated with Fox to launch a worldwide marketing campaign to=
=20
promote the film. The highlight of the campaign was the website AVTR.com.=
=20
Specially marked bottles and cans of Coca-Cola Zero, when held in front of =
a=20
webcam, enabled users to interact with the website's 3-D features using=20
augmented reality (AR) technology.[139] The film was heavily promoted in an=
=20
episode of the Fox series Bones in the episode "The Gamer In The Grease"=20
(Season 5, Episode 9). Avatar star Joel David Moore has a recurring role on=
 the=20
program, and is seen in the episode anxiously awaiting the release of the=
=20
film.[140] A week prior to the American release, Zoe Saldana promoted the f=
ilm=20
on Adult Swim when she was interviewed by an animated Space Ghost.[141]=20
McDonald's had a promotion mentioned in television commercials in Europe ca=
lled=20
"Avatarize yourself", which encouraged people to go to the website set up b=
y=20
Oddcast, and use a photograph of themselves to change into a Na'vi.[142] Bo=
oks=20
Avatar: A Confidential Report on the Biological and Social History of Pando=
ra,=20
a 224-page book in the form of a field guide to the film's fictional settin=
g of=20
the planet of Pandora, was released by Harper Entertainment on November 24,=
=20
2009.[143] It is presented as a compilation of data collected by the humans=
=20
about Pandora and the life on it, written by Maria Wilhelm and Dirk Mathiso=
n.=20
HarperFestival also released Wilhelm's 48-page James Cameron's Avatar: The=
=20
Reusable Scrapbook for children.[144] The Art of Avatar was released on=20
November 30, 2009, by Abrams Books. The book features detailed production=
=20
artwork from the film, including production sketches, illustrations by Lisa=
=20
Fitzpatrick, and film stills. Producer Jon Landau wrote the foreword, Camer=
on=20
wrote the epilogue, and director Peter Jackson wrote the preface.[145] In=
=20
October 2010, Abrams Books also released The Making of Avatar, a 272-page b=
ook=20
that detailed the film's production process and contains over 500 color=20
photographs and illustrations.[146] In a 2009 interview, Cameron said that =
he=20
planned to write a novel version of Avatar after the film was released.[147=
] In=20
February 2010, producer Jon Landau stated that Cameron plans a prequel nove=
l=20
for Avatar that will "lead up to telling the story of the movie, but it wou=
ld=20
go into much more depth about all the stories that we didn't have time to d=
eal=20
with", saying that "Jim wants to write a novel that is a big, epic story th=
at=20
fills in a lot of things".[148] In August 2013 it was announced that Camero=
n=20
hired Steven Gould to pen four standalone novels to expand the Avatar=20
universe.[149] ance Post released a special limited edition stamp based on=
=20
Avatar, coinciding with the film's worldwide release.


 <https://www.bropom.com/bahcec/sterlingwhg@gmail.com/044SPM/B/BAEC7v>  Bid=
en=20
canceled the Keystone pipeline, froze oil drilling permits and canceled coa=
l.=20
He turned his back on traditional fuels, and gambled $1 trillion =E2=80=94 =
and the=20
future of AmericaAThe Vision is a superhero appearing in American comic boo=
ks=20
published by Marvel Comics. Created by Roy Thomas and artist John Buscema, =
the=20
character first appeared in The Avengers #57 (published in August=20
1968).[1][2][3] The Vision is loosely based on the Timely Comics character =
of=20
the same name who was an alien from another dimension. The character is an=
=20
android (sometimes called a "synthezoid") built by the villainous robot Ult=
ron=20
created by Hank Pym. Originally intended to act as Ultron's "son" and destr=
oy=20
the Avengers, Vision instead turned on his creator and joined the Avengers =
to=20
fight for the forces of good. Since then, he has been depicted as a frequen=
t=20
member of the team, and, for a time, was married to his teammate, the Scarl=
et=20
Witch. He also served as a member of the Defenders. The Vision was created =
from=20
a copy of the original Human Torch, a synthetic man created by Phineas T.=
=20
Horton. Ultron took this inert android and added more advanced technology t=
o=20
it, as well as new programming of his own design and a copy of human brainw=
ave=20
patterns. The result was the Vision, a synthezoid driven by logic but=20
possessing emotions and able to achieve emotional growth. As an android, th=
e=20
Vision has a variety of abilities and super-powers. In the 1989 story "Visi=
on=20
Quest", Vision was dismantled, then rebuilt with a chalk-white appearance a=
nd=20
now lacking the capacity for emotions. A greater understanding of emotions =
was=20
regained in 1991, his original red appearance was restored in 1993, and his=
=20
full personality and emotional connections to memories were restored in 199=
4 in=20
his first self-titled limited series, Vision. Another four-issue limited=20
series, Avengers Icons: The Vision, was published in late 2002. From 2015 t=
o=20
2016, Vision had his own series again, during which he attempted to live in=
 the=20
suburbs with an android family. Since his conception, the character has bee=
n=20
adapted into several forms of media outside comics. Paul Bettany plays Visi=
on=20
in the Marvel Cinematic Universe films Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015), Capt=
ain=20
America: Civil War (2016), and Avengers: Infinity War (2018), the televisio=
n=20
miniseries WandaVision (2021), and the animated series What If...? (2021).=
=20
Publication history While working as the writer of the superhero-team serie=
s=20
Avengers, Roy Thomas wanted to add a new character to the roster. A great f=
an=20
of Golden Age heroes, he first thought to bring back Aarkus, a 1940s hero w=
ho=20
had been called the Vision due to his spectral appearance and smoke-based=
=20
abilities. This original Vision had appeared in stories published by Timely=
=20
Comics, the company that later rebranded as Marvel Comics. Roy Thomas discu=
ssed=20
the matter with Marvel editor Stan Lee, who co-created the Avengers team wi=
th=20
artist Jack Kirby. Lee enjoyed the idea of a new member, but did not want i=
t to=20
be an alien or visitor from another dimension. After he suggested creating =
a=20
new character entirely and that it could be an android instead, Thomas=20
compromised by creating a new android character who resembled Aarkus and al=
so=20
called himself Vision.[4] The character has a capacity for emotions but is=
=20
primarily driven by logic and curiosity. Unused to emotions and how they co=
uld=20
influence his behavior, he would be at times guarded or unsure how to expre=
ss=20
himself. His personality has been compared with Spock from Star Trek, but=
=20
Thomas said he was barely aware of the TV series at the time[5] and was=20
influenced by the Adam Link character created by Otto Binder, one of the fi=
rst=20
fictional robots treated as a sympathetic character rather than only a=20
mechanical tool or a monster.[5] Artist John Buscema designed the character=
 by=20
adjusting the appearance of Aarkus. Originally, Thomas wanted the character=
 to=20
be colored chalk-white, befitting his ghostly name. Printing limitations of=
 the=20
time would have rendered him colorless by leaving that portion of the page=
=20
un-inked rather than using white ink, meaning it would be more vulnerable t=
o=20
smudges and that images and text on the other side of the page would possib=
ly=20
be visible and seem to overlap the character. Thomas and Buscema settled on=
=20
giving the character a colorful costume and red skin. The original Vision,=
=20
Aarkus, had been depicted with light green or sometimes light blue skin in =
his=20
original comics. Red was chosen for the new android character because Thoma=
s=20
believed Marvel readers had gotten used to blue skin indicating a member of=
 the=20
Atlantean race, while green skin could bring comparisons to the Hulk.[6] Th=
e=20
android Vision first appeared in The Avengers #57 (published in August 1968=
 but=20
with a cover date indicating October). The cover of the issue was an homage=
 to=20
the first page of the first comic story to feature Aarkus. When Thomas crea=
ted=20
Ultron, he gave the robot an origin of having been created by Dr. Hank Pym =
and=20
then turning on his creator. Thomas mirrored this by having Ultron create t=
he=20
Vision to be his son and ally, only to then have the new android join his=
=20
enemies, the Avengers. To cement the character was not truly as cold and=20
emotionless as he might appear, and that the stories would not treat him as=
 if=20
he were, The Avengers #58 included a scene where, after realizing he has be=
en=20
accepted by the Avengers not only as a new teammate but as a person, Vision=
=20
excuses himself and silently cries. In The Avengers #75 (1970), Wanda Maxim=
off=20
(the Scarlet Witch) rejoins the team with her brother Pietro (Quicksilver).=
=20
Over time, Wanda became a love interest for Vision. Thomas recounted, "I fe=
lt=20
that a romance of some sort would help the character development in The=20
Avengers, and the Vision was a prime candidate because he appeared only in =
that=20
mag... as did Wanda, for that matter. So they became a pair, for just such=
=20
practical considerations. It would also, I felt, add to the development I w=
as=20
doing on the Vision's attempting to become 'human.'"[4] Originally, Thomas=
=20
considered the Vision to be an android entirely created by Ultron. Later,=
=20
Ultron had built the Vision from the body of the original Human Torch, who =
had=20
been described in his Golden Age stories as a perfect, synthetic replica of=
 a=20
human being. Thomas only planted a vague clue to this in The Avengers #93=
=20
before leaving the series as writer. This aspect of the Vision's origin was=
=20
finally revealed in The Avengers #134=E2=80=93135 (1975). Writer Steve Engl=
ehart=20
explained, "That plot was well known in-house for years, and since Roy [Tho=
mas]=20
and Neal [Adams] hadn't had a chance to do it, I did it on my watch with Ro=
y's=20
blessing."[7] After learning that he had once been the original Human Torch=
 in=20
another life, Vision felt a stronger sense of identity. Englehart then had=
=20
Vision and Scarlet Witch marry in Giant-Size Avengers #4 (June 1975). Howev=
er,=20
in a story written for the "What If...." anthology but intended to be in=20
continuity,[8] Thomas suggested that the Vision was actually built by Ultro=
n=20
from a different android that, like the Human Torch, had been designed and=
=20
built by Phineas Horton, known as Adam II.[9] Years later, the couple starr=
ed=20
in their first limited series called The Vision and the Scarlet Witch #1=E2=
=80=934=20
(Nov. 1982 =E2=80=93 Feb. 1983), by writer Bill Mantlo and penciller Rick L=
eonardi. The=20
mini-series showed Vision and Wanda moving into a house in Leonia, New Jers=
ey,=20
hoping to strengthen their marriage by enjoying a life and experiences outs=
ide=20
of the Avengers. This was followed by a second limited series that lasted 1=
2=20
issues (Oct. 1985 =E2=80=93 Sept. 1986), written by Steve Englehart and pen=
ciled by=20
Richard Howell. Despite their previous home being burned down by people who=
=20
consider the marriage of an android and a mutant to be unnatural, Vision an=
d=20
Wanda move back to Leonia and again attempt to live a suburban life outside=
 of=20
their duties as superheroes. The series cemented that the Vision and Simon=
=20
Williams (Wonder Man) now regarded each other as twin brothers, since part =
of=20
Vision's programming was based on the brainwave pattern of Simon. Early in =
the=20
series, the Scarlet Witch is a colony of sorcerers during a deadly, magical=
=20
ritual. The Scarlet Witch temporarily taps into this powerful magical energ=
y=20
and is able to grant herself a wish for a family. She becomes pregnant and =
nine=20
months later gives birth to twin boys, Thomas and William ("Billy"). Engleh=
art=20
later took over as writer for the Avengers spin-off series West Coast Aveng=
ers,=20
featuring a new branch of the team that was based in Los Angeles. Having gr=
own=20
fond of Vision and Wanda, he added them to the Avengers West team. Later on=
,=20
John Byrne took over as writer/penciller for West Coast Avengers (which wou=
ld=20
soon be retitled Avengers West Coast). Byrne believed it was a mistake to g=
ive=20
an android character emotions and to give him and Wanda a family. His "Visi=
on=20
Quest" story in West Coast Avengers #42=E2=80=9345 (March =E2=80=93 June 19=
89) had the Vision=20
dismantled, his human brain patterns wiped out, and his artificial skin=20
rendered chalk-white (modern printing techniques and paper meant it was now=
=20
more feasible to give a character chalk-white skin or costumes). Rather tha=
n=20
portray the Vision as a synthetic man, Byrne depicted his parts as purely=
=20
robotic and his skin as a costume-like shell. Journalist Karen Walker later=
=20
commented, "This image alone has probably done more to shape how future wri=
ters=20
(and readers) perceive the character than anything before or since. Once se=
en=20
broken down into component parts, it's hard to truly move past that image a=
nd=20
think of Vision as a synthetic man, not a machine."[4] Vision's memories we=
re=20
restored but not his emotions. As such, he could no longer reciprocate Wand=
a's=20
feelings or even express love for his children, which led to the annulment =
of=20
their marriage. Byrne then went further, undoing the Vision's origin by=20
revealing he was not the original Torch. The same issue depicted the origin=
al=20
Human Torch being reactivated and meeting the Vision face to face. Followin=
g=20
this, Byrne revealed that the children of Vision and Wanda were not real,=
=20
explaining that Scarlet Witch had suffered a "hysterical pregnancy" and her=
=20
temporarily increased power had projected this desire for children into=20
creating imaginary constructs. The children were then wiped from existence.=
=20
Further trauma led to Wanda becoming catatonic soon afterward. Rather than=
=20
nurse his wife, Vision left Avengers West, concluding he could not help Wan=
da=20
further and his presence would be more useful as a member of the NYC based=
=20
team. Byrne also had Vision refuse an offer by Wonder Man to restore human=
=20
brain patterns to his mind, possibly restoring his capacity for emotions in=
 the=20
process. In Avengers Spotlight #40 (1991), Vision realized a human brainwav=
e=20
pattern was necessary for his operation and gained one based on deceased=20
research scientist Alex Lipton. This restored some of Vision's for emotion =
and=20
empathy. The same story featured Vision gaining a personal holographic=20
projector so he could assume the guise of an average person and mingle with=
=20
humanity more to learn a greater understanding of people. This identity was=
=20
called "Victor Shade." Marvel later decided to restore the Vision's origina=
l=20
red-skinned appearance. To do this, an emotional and villainous Vision from=
 a=20
parallel timeline was introduced as member of the Gatherers, a new group of=
=20
enemies to the Avengers. This alternate Vision (sometimes called Anti-Visio=
n)=20
infiltrated the Avengers team by exchanging his mind with the heroic=20
Vision.[10] After another battle with the Gatherers, the Anti-Vision escape=
d,=20
still housed in the chalk-white body. The heroic Vision returned to the=20
Avengers, now once again with red-colored skin.[11] This occurred in The=20
Avengers #360-363, by writer Bob Harras and artists Steve Epting and Tom Pa=
lmer.
 =E2=80=94 on clean energy instead. Now it has backfired =E2=80=A6 and put =
our entire nation at=20
risk. Click here to see why.=20
<https://www.bropom.com/bahcec/sterlingwhg@gmail.com/044SPM/B/BAEC7v>=20

Initial screening Avatar premiered in London on December 10, 2009, and was=
=20
released theatrically worldwide from December 16 to 18.[156] The film was=
=20
originally set for release on May 22, 2009, during filming[157] but was pus=
hed=20
back to allow more post-production time (the last shots were delivered in=
=20
November)[80] and give more time for theaters worldwide to install 3D=20
projectors.[158] Cameron stated that the film's aspect ratio would be 1.78:=
1=20
for 3D screenings and that a 2.39:1 image would be extracted for 2D=20
screenings.[159][160] However, a 3D 2.39:1 extract was approved for use wit=
h=20
constant-image-height screens (i.e., screens that increase in width to disp=
lay=20
2.39:1 films).[161] During a 3D preview showing in Germany on December 16, =
the=20
movie's DRM "protection" system malfunctioned, and some copies delivered=20
weren=E2=80=99t watched at all in the theaters. The problems were fixed in =
time for the=20
public premiere.[162] Avatar was released in a total of 3,457 theaters in t=
he=20
US, of which 2,032 theaters showed it in 3D. In total, 90% of all advance=
=20
ticket sales for Avatar were for 3D screenings.[163] Internationally, Avata=
r=20
opened on a total of 14,604 screens in 106 territories, of which 3,671 were=
=20
showing the film in 3D (producing 56% of the first weekend gross).[164][165=
]=20
The film was simultaneously presented in IMAX 3D format, opening in 178=20
theaters in the United States on December 18. The international IMAX releas=
e=20
included 58 theaters beginning on December 16, and 25 more theaters were to=
 be=20
added in the coming weeks.[166] The IMAX release was the company's widest t=
o=20
date, a total of 261 theaters worldwide. The previous IMAX record opening w=
as=20
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, which opened in 161 IMAX theaters i=
n=20
the US, and about 70 international.[167] 20th Century Fox Korea adapted and=
=20
later released Avatar in 4D version, which included "moving seats, smells o=
f=20
explosives, sprinkling water, laser lights and wind".[20] Post-original rel=
ease=20
In July 2010, Cameron confirmed that there would be an extended theatrical=
=20
rerelease of the film on August 27, 2010, exclusively in 3D theaters and IM=
AX=20
3D.[168] Avatar: Special Edition includes an additional nine minutes of=20
footage, all of which is CG,[169] including an extension of the sex scene[1=
70]=20
and various other scenes that were cut from the original theatrical film.[1=
69]=20
This extended re-release resulted in the film's run time approaching the=20
then-current IMAX platter maximum of 170 minutes, thereby leaving less time=
 for=20
the end credits. Cameron stated that the nine minutes of added scenes cost =
more=20
than $1 million a minute to produce and finish.[171] During its 12-week=20
re-release, Avatar: Special Edition grossed an additional $10.74 million in=
=20
North America and $22.46 million overseas for a worldwide total of $33.2=20
million.[5] The film was later re-released in China in March 2021, allowing=
 it=20
to surpass Avengers: Endgame to become the highest-grossing film of all=20
time.[24] Avatar was re-released in theaters on September 23, 2022, by Walt=
=20
Disney Studios Motion Pictures for a limited two week engagement, with the =
film=20
being remastered in 4K high-dynamic range, with select scenes at a high fra=
me=20
rate of 48-frames-per-second.[172] The reissue was prior to the December 20=
22=20
premiere of its sequel, Avatar: The Way of Water.[173] Prior to this, Camer=
on=20
previously teased a re-release of the film back in 2017 when promoting the=
=20
Dolby Cinema re-release of Titanic, stating that there were plans in the wo=
rks=20
to remaster the film with Dolby Vision and re-release it in Dolby Cinema.


Home media 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment released the film on DVD and=
=20
Blu-ray in the US on April 22, 2010,[175] and in the UK on April 26.[176] T=
he=20
US release was not on a Tuesday as is the norm, but was done to coincide wi=
th=20
Earth Day.[177] The first DVD and Blu-ray release does not contain any=20
supplemental features other than the theatrical film and the disc menu in f=
avor=20
of and to make space for optimal picture and sound. The release also preser=
ves=20
the film's native 1.78:1 (16:9) format as Cameron felt that was the best fo=
rmat=20
to watch the film.[178] The Blu-ray disc contains DRM (BD+ 5) which some=20
Blu-ray players might not support without a firmware update.[179][180] Avat=
ar=20
set a first-day launch record in the U.S. for Blu-ray sales at 1.5 million=
=20
units sold, breaking the record previously held by The Dark Knight (600,000=
=20
units sold). First-day DVD and Blu-ray sales combined were over four millio=
n=20
units sold.[181] In its first four days of release, sales of Avatar on Blu-=
ray=20
reached 2.7 million in the United States and Canada =E2=80=93 overtaking Th=
e Dark=20
Knight to become the best ever selling Blu-ray release in the region.[182][=
183]=20
The release later broke the Blu-ray sales record in the UK the following=20
week.[184] In its first three weeks of release, the film sold a total of 19=
.7=20
million DVD and Blu-ray discs combined, a new record for sales in that=20
period.[185] As of July 18, 2012, DVD sales (not including Blu-ray) totaled=
=20
over 10.5 million units sold with $190,806,055 in revenue.[186] Avatar reta=
ined=20
its record as the top-selling Blu-ray in the US market until January 2015, =
when=20
it was surpassed by Disney's Frozen.[187] The Avatar three-disc Extended=20
Collector's Edition on DVD and Blu-ray was released on November 16, 2010. T=
hree=20
different versions of the film are present on the discs: the original=20
theatrical cut (162 minutes), the special edition cut (170 minutes), and a=
=20
collector's extended cut (178 minutes). The DVD set spreads the film across=
 two=20
discs, while the Blu-ray set presents it on a single disc.[188] The collect=
or's=20
extended cut contains 8 more minutes of footage, thus making it 16 minutes=
=20
longer than the original theatrical cut. Cameron mentioned, "you can sit do=
wn,=20
and in a continuous screening of the film, watch it with the Earth opening"=
. He=20
stated the "Earth opening" is an additional 4+1=E2=81=842 minutes of scenes=
 that were=20
in the film for much of its production but were ultimately cut before the=
=20
film's theatrical release.[189] The release also includes an additional 45=
=20
minutes of deleted scenes and other extras.[188] Cameron initially stated t=
hat=20
Avatar would be released in 3D around November 2010, but the studio issued =
a=20
correction: "3-D is in the conceptual stage and Avatar will not be out on 3=
D=20
Blu-ray in November."[190] In May 2010, Fox stated that the 3D version woul=
d be=20
released some time in 2011.[185] It was later revealed that Fox had given=
=20
Panasonic an exclusive license for the 3D Blu-ray version and only with the=
=20
purchase of a Panasonic 3DTV. The length of Panasonic's exclusivity period =
is=20
stated to last until February 2012.[191] On October 2010, Cameron stated th=
at=20
the standalone 3D Blu-ray would be the final version of the film's home rel=
ease=20
and that it was "maybe one, two years out".[192] On Christmas Eve 2010, Ava=
tar=20
had its 3D television world premiere on Sky.[193][194][195] On August 13, 2=
012,=20
Cameron announced on Facebook that Avatar would be released globally on Blu=
-ray=20
3D.[196] The Blu-ray 3D version was finally released on October 16, 2012.[1=
97]=20
Reception Critical response On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, 82% of 31=
9=20
reviews are positive, and the average rating is 7.4/10. The site's consensu=
s=20
reads, "It might be more impressive on a technical level than as a piece of=
=20
storytelling, but Avatar reaffirms James Cameron's singular gift for=20
imaginative, absorbing filmmaking."[198] On Metacritic =E2=80=94 which assi=
gns a=20
weighted mean score =E2=80=94 the film has a score of 83 out of 100 based o=
n 35=20
critics, indicating "universal acclaim".[199] Audiences polled by CinemaSco=
re=20
gave the film an average grade of "A" on an A+ to F scale. Every demographi=
c=20
surveyed was reported to give this rating. These polls also indicated that =
the=20
main draw of the film was its use of 3D.[200] Roger Ebert of the Chicago=20
Sun-Times called the film "extraordinary" and gave it four stars out of fou=
r.=20
"Watching Avatar, I felt sort of the same as when I saw Star Wars in 1977,"=
 he=20
said, adding that like Star Wars and The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship =
of=20
the Ring, the film "employs a new generation of special effects" and it "is=
 not=20
simply a sensational entertainment, although it is that. It's a technical=
=20
breakthrough. It has a flat-out Green and anti-war message".[201] A. O. Sco=
tt=20
of At The Movies also compared his viewing of the film to the first time he=
=20
viewed Star Wars and he said "although the script is a little bit ... obvio=
us,"=20
it was "part of what made it work".[202][203] Todd McCarthy of Variety prai=
sed=20
the film, saying "The King of the World sets his sights on creating another=
=20
world entirely in Avatar, and it's very much a place worth visiting."[204] =
Kirk=20
Honeycutt of The Hollywood Reporter gave the film a positive review. "The=
=20
screen is alive with more action and the soundtrack pops with more robust m=
usic=20
than any dozen sci-fi shoot-'em-ups you care to mention," he stated.[205] P=
eter=20
Travers of Rolling Stone awarded Avatar a three-and-a-half out of four star=
=20
rating and wrote in his print review "It extends the possibilities of what=
=20
movies can do. Cameron's talent may just be as big as his dreams."[206] Ric=
hard=20
Corliss of Time magazine thought that the film was "the most vivid and=20
convincing creation of a fantasy world ever seen in the history of moving=
=20
pictures."[207] Kenneth Turan of the Los Angeles Times thought the film has=
=20
"powerful" visual accomplishments but "flat dialogue" and "obvious=20
characterization".[208] James Berardinelli of ReelViews praised the film an=
d=20
its story, giving it four out of four stars; he wrote "In 3-D, it's immersi=
ve =E2=80=93=20
but the traditional film elements =E2=80=93 story, character, editing, them=
e, emotional=20
resonance, etc. =E2=80=93 are presented with sufficient expertise to make e=
ven the 2-D=20
version an engrossing 2+1=E2=81=842-hour experience."[209] Avatar's underly=
ing social=20
and political themes attracted attention. Armond White of the New York Pres=
s=20
wrote that Cameron used "villainous American characters" to "misrepresent=
=20
facets of militarism, capitalism, and imperialism".[210][211] Russell D. Mo=
ore=20
of The Christian Post concluded that "propaganda exists in the film" and st=
ated=20
"If you can get a theater full of people in Kentucky to stand and applaud t=
he=20
defeat of their country in war, then you've got some amazing special=20
effects."[212] Adam Cohen of The New York Times was more positive about the=
=20
film, calling its anti-imperialist message "a 22nd-century version of the=
=20
American colonists vs. the British, India vs. the Raj, or Latin America vs.=
=20
United Fruit".[213] Ross Douthat of The New York Times opined that the film=
 is=20
"Cameron's long apologia for pantheism [...] Hollywood's religion of choice=
 for=20
a generation now",[214] while Saritha Prabhu of The Tennessean called the f=
ilm=20
a "misportrayal of pantheism and Eastern spirituality in general",[215] and=
=20
Maxim Osipov of The Hindustan Times, on the contrary, commended the film's=
=20
message for its overall consistency with the teachings of Hinduism in the=
=20
Bhagavad Gita.[216] Annalee Newitz of io9 concluded that Avatar is another =
film=20
that has the recurring "fantasy about race" whereby "some white guy" become=
s=20
the "most awesome" member of a non-white culture.[217] Michael Phillips of =
the=20
Chicago Tribune called Avatar "the season's ideological Rorschach blot",[21=
8]=20
while Miranda Devine of The Sydney Morning Herald thought that "It [was]=20
impossible to watch Avatar without being banged over the head with the=20
director's ideological hammer."[219] Nidesh Lawtoo believed that an essenti=
al,=20
yet less visible social theme that contributed to Avatar's success concerns=
=20
contemporary fascinations with virtual avatars and "the transition from the=
=20
world of reality to that of virtual reality".[220] Critics and audiences ha=
ve=20
cited similarities with other films, literature or media, describing the=20
perceived connections in ways ranging from simple "borrowing" to outright=
=20
plagiarism. Ty Burr of The Boston Globe called it "the same movie" as Dance=
s=20
with Wolves.[221] Like Dances with Wolves, Avatar has been characterized as=
=20
being a "white savior" movie, in which a "backwards" native people is impot=
ent=20
without the leadership of a member of the invading white culture.[222][223]=
=20
Parallels to the concept and use of an avatar are in Poul Anderson's 1957=
=20
novelette "Call Me Joe", in which a paralyzed man uses his mind from orbit =
to=20
control an artificial body on Jupiter.[224][225] Cinema audiences in Russia=
=20
have noted that Avatar has elements in common with the 1960s Noon Universe=
=20
novels by Arkady and Boris Strugatsky, which are set in the 22nd century on=
 a=20
forested world called Pandora with a sentient indigenous species called the=
=20
Nave.[226] Various reviews have compared Avatar to the films FernGully: The=
=20
Last Rainforest,[227][228] Pocahontas[229] and The Last Samurai.[230] NPR's=
=20
Morning Edition has compared the film to a montage of tropes, with one=20
commentator stating that Avatar was made by "mixing a bunch of film scripts=
 in=20
a blender".[231] Gary Westfahl wrote that "the science fiction story that m=
ost=20
closely resembles Avatar has to be Ursula Le Guin's novella The Word for Wo=
rld=20
Is Forest (1972), another epic about a benevolent race of alien beings who=
=20
happily inhabit dense forests while living in harmony with nature until the=
y=20
are attacked and slaughtered by invading human soldiers who believe that th=
e=20
only good gook is a dead gook".[225] The science fiction writer and editor=
=20
Gardner Dozois said that along with the Anderson and Le Guin stories, the=
=20
"mash-up" included Alan Dean Foster's 1975 novel, Midworld.[232] Some sourc=
es=20
saw similarities to the artwork of Roger Dean, which features fantastic ima=
ges=20
of dragons and floating rock formations.[233][234] In 2013, Dean sued Camer=
on=20
and Fox, claiming that Pandora was inspired by 14 of his images. Dean sough=
t=20
damages of $50m.[235] Dean's case was dismissed in 2014, and The Hollywood=
=20
Reporter noted that Cameron had won multiple Avatar idea theft cases.[236]=
=20
Avatar received compliments from filmmakers, with Steven Spielberg praising=
 it=20
as "the most evocative and amazing science-fiction movie since Star Wars" a=
nd=20
others calling it "audacious and awe inspiring", "master class", and=20
"brilliant". Noted art director-turned-filmmaker Roger Christian is also a=
=20
noted fan of the film.[237] On the other hand, Duncan Jones said: "It's not=
 in=20
my top three James Cameron films. ... [A]t what point in the film did you h=
ave=20
any doubt what was going to happen next?".[238] For French filmmaker Luc=20
Besson, Avatar opened the doors for him to now create an adaptation of the=
=20
graphic novel series Val=C3=A9rian and Laureline that technologically suppo=
rts the=20
scope of its source material, with Besson even throwing his original script=
 in=20
the trash and redoing it after seeing the film.[239] TIME ranked Avatar num=
ber=20
3 in their list of "The 10 Greatest Movies of the Millennium (Thus Far)"[24=
0]=20
also earning it a spot on the magazine's All-Time 100 list,[241] and IGN li=
sted=20
Avatar as number 22 on their list of the top 25 Sci-Fi movies of all time.=
=20


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 After the film's release and unusually strong box office performance over =
its=20
first two weeks, it was debated as the one film capable of surpassing Titan=
ic's=20
worldwide gross, and its continued strength perplexed box office analysts.[=
294]=20
Other films in recent years had been cited as contenders for surpassing=20
Titanic, such as 2008's The Dark Knight,[295] but Avatar was considered the=
=20
first film with a genuine chance to do so, and its numbers being aided by=
=20
higher ticket prices for 3D screenings[294] did not fully explain its succe=
ss=20
to box office analysts. "Most films are considered to be healthy if they ma=
nage=20
anything less than a 50% drop from their first weekend to their second. Dip=
ping=20
just 11% from the first to the third is unheard of," said Paul Dergarabedia=
n,=20
president of box-office analysis for Hollywood.com. "This is just=20
unprecedented. I had to do a double take. I thought it was a=20
miscalculation."[296] Analysts predicted second place for the film's worldw=
ide=20
gross, but most were uncertain about it surpassing Titanic because "Today's=
=20
films flame out much faster than they did when Titanic was released."[296]=
=20
Brandon Gray, president of Box Office Mojo, believed in the film's chances =
of=20
becoming the highest-grossing film of all time, though he also believed it =
was=20
too early to surmise because it had only played during the holidays. He sai=
d,=20
"While Avatar may beat Titanic's record, it will be tough, and the film is=
=20
unlikely to surpass Titanic in attendance. Ticket prices were about $3 chea=
per=20
in the late 1990s."[296] Cameron said he did not think it was realistic to =
"try=20
to topple Titanic off its perch" because it "just struck some kind of chord=
"=20
and there had been other good films in recent years.[297] He changed his=20
prediction by mid-January. "It's gonna happen. It's just a matter of time,"=
 he=20
said.[298] You've got to compete head on with these other epic works of fan=
tasy=20
and fiction, the Tolkiens and the Star Wars and the Star Treks. People want=
 a=20
persistent alternate reality to invest themselves in and they want the deta=
il=20
that makes it rich and worth their time. They want to live somewhere else. =
Like=20
Pandora. James Cameron on the success of Avatar[299] Although analysts have=
=20
been unable to agree that Avatar's success is attributable to one primary=
=20
factor, several explanations have been advanced. First, January is historic=
ally=20
"the dumping ground for the year's weakest films", and this also applied to=
=20
2010.[300] Cameron himself said he decided to open the film in December so =
that=20
it would have less competition from then to January.[287] Titanic capitaliz=
ed=20
on the same January predictability, and earned most of its gross in 1998.[3=
00]=20
Additionally, Avatar established itself as a "must-see" event. Gray said, "=
At=20
this point, people who are going to see Avatar are going to see Avatar and=
=20
would even if the slate was strong."[300] Marketing the film as a "novelty=
=20
factor" also helped. Fox positioned the film as a cinematic event that shou=
ld=20
be seen in the theaters. "It's really hard to sell the idea that you can ha=
ve=20
the same experience at home," stated David Mumpower, an analyst at=20
BoxOfficeProphets.com.[300] The "Oscar buzz" surrounding the film and=20
international viewings helped. "Two-thirds of Titanic's haul was earned=20
overseas, and Avatar [tracked] similarly ...Avatar opened in 106 markets=20
globally and was No. 1 in all of them", and the markets "such as Russia, wh=
ere=20
Titanic saw modest receipts in 1997 and 1998, are white-hot today" with "mo=
re=20
screens and moviegoers" than before.[300] According to Variety, films in 3D=
=20
accumulated $1.3 billion in 2009, "a threefold increase over 2008 and more =
than=20
10% of the total 2009 box-office gross". The increased ticket price =E2=80=
=93 an=20
average of $2 to $3 per ticket in most markets =E2=80=93 helped the film.[3=
00]=20
Likewise, Entertainment Weekly attributed the film's success to 3D glasses =
but=20
also to its "astronomic word-of-mouth". Not only do some theaters charge up=
 to=20
$18.50 for IMAX tickets, but "the buzz" created by the new technology was t=
he=20
possible cause for sold-out screenings.[301] Gray said Avatar having no bas=
is=20
in previously established material makes its performance remarkable and eve=
n=20
more impressive. "The movie might be derivative of many movies in its story=
 and=20
themes," he said, "but it had no direct antecedent like the other top-gross=
ing=20
films: Titanic (historical events), the Star Wars movies (an established fi=
lm=20
franchise), or The Lord of the Rings (literature). It was a tougher sell=20
..."[300] The Hollywood Reporter estimated that after a combined production=
 and=20
promotion cost of between $387=E2=80=93437 million, the film turned a net p=
rofit of=20
$1.2 billion.
------=_Part_4004_768518128.1700655862642
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ble><table class=3D"row row-3" align=3D"center" width=3D"100%" border=3D"0"=
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ing: border-box; mso-table-lspace: 0; mso-table-rspace: 0;"><tbody style=3D=
"box-sizing: border-box;"><tr style=3D"box-sizing: border-box;"><td style=
=3D"box-sizing: border-box;"><table class=3D"row-content stack" align=3D"ce=
nter" border=3D"0" cellpadding=3D"0" cellspacing=3D"0" role=3D"presentation=
" style=3D"box-sizing: border-box; mso-table-lspace: 0; mso-table-rspace: 0=
; background-color: #fff; border-radius: 0; color: #000; width: 600px; marg=
in: 0 auto;" width=3D"600" bgcolor=3D"#fff"><tbody style=3D"box-sizing: bor=
der-box;"><tr style=3D"box-sizing: border-box;"><td class=3D"column column-=
1" width=3D"100%" style=3D"box-sizing: border-box; mso-table-lspace: 0; mso=
-table-rspace: 0; font-weight: 400; text-align: left; padding-bottom: 1px; =
padding-top: 2px; vertical-align: top; border-top: 0; border-right: 0; bord=
er-bottom: 0; border-left: 0;" align=3D"left" valign=3D"top"><table class=
=3D"html_block block-1" width=3D"100%" border=3D"0" cellpadding=3D"0" cells=
pacing=3D"0" role=3D"presentation" style=3D"box-sizing: border-box; mso-tab=
le-lspace: 0; mso-table-rspace: 0;"><tr style=3D"box-sizing: border-box;"><=
td class=3D"pad" style=3D"box-sizing: border-box;"><div style=3D"box-sizing=
: border-box; font-family: Arial,Helvetica Neue,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-=
align: center;" align=3D"center"><div style=3D"box-sizing: border-box; disp=
lay: none; width: 0px; max-height: 0px; overflow: hidden; mso-hide: all; he=
ight: 0; font-size: 0; max-height: 0; line-height: 0; margin: 0;">Principal=
 photography for Avatar began in April 2007 in Los Angeles and Wellington. =
Cameron described the film as a hybrid with a full live-action shoot in com=
bination 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.[66] The live action was shot with a m=
odified version of the proprietary digital 3-D Fusion Camera System, develo=
ped by Cameron and Vince Pace.[67] In January 2007, Fox had announced that =
3-D filming for Avatar would be done at 24 frames per second despite Camero=
n's strong opinion that a 3-D film requires higher frame rate to make strob=
ing less noticeable.[68] According to Cameron, the film is composed of 60% =
computer-generated elements and 40% live action, as well as traditional min=
iatures.[69] Motion-capture photography lasted 31 days at the Hughes Aircra=
ft stage in Playa Vista in Los Angeles.[54][70] Live action photography beg=
an in October 2007 at Stone Street Studios in Wellington and was scheduled =
to last 31 days.[71] More than a thousand people worked on the production.[=
70] In preparation of the filming sequences, all of the actors underwent pr=
ofessional training specific to their characters such as archery, horseback=
 riding, firearm use, and hand-to-hand combat. They received language and d=
ialect training in the Na'vi language created for the film.[72] Before shoo=
ting the film, Cameron also sent the cast to the Hawaiian tropical rainfore=
sts[73] to get a feel for a rainforest setting before shooting on the sound=
stage.[72] During filming, Cameron made use of his virtual camera system, a=
 new way of directing motion-capture filmmaking. The system shows the actor=
s' virtual counterparts in their digital surroundings in real time, allowin=
g 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 s=
cene into a living miniature and go through it on a 50 to 1 scale."[74] Usi=
ng conventional techniques, the complete virtual world cannot be seen until=
 the motion-capture of the actors is complete. Cameron said this process do=
es 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.[75=
] Cameron described the system as a "form of pure creation where if you wan=
t to move a tree or a mountain or the sky or change the time of day, you ha=
ve complete control over the elements".[76] Cameron gave fellow directors S=
teven Spielberg and Peter Jackson a chance to test the new technology.[65] =
Spielberg said, "I like to think of it as digital makeup, not augmented ani=
mation ... Motion capture brings the director back to a kind of intimacy th=
at actors and directors only know when they're working in live theater."[75=
] Spielberg and George Lucas were also able to visit the set to watch Camer=
on direct with the equipment.[77] To film the shots where CGI interacts wit=
h live action, a unique camera referred to as a "simulcam" was used, a merg=
er of the 3-D fusion camera and the virtual camera systems. While filming l=
ive action in real time with the simulcam, the CGI images captured with the=
 virtual camera or designed from scratch, are superimposed over the live ac=
tion 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 virt=
ual material in the scene.[72] Due to Cameron's personal convictions about =
climate change, he allowed only plant-based (vegan) food to be served on se=
t. </div></div></td></tr> </table></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbo=
dy></table><table class=3D"row row-4" align=3D"center" width=3D"100%" borde=
r=3D"0" cellpadding=3D"0" cellspacing=3D"0" role=3D"presentation" style=3D"=
box-sizing: border-box; mso-table-lspace: 0; mso-table-rspace: 0; backgroun=
d-size: auto;"><tbody style=3D"box-sizing: border-box;"><tr style=3D"box-si=
zing: border-box;"><td style=3D"box-sizing: border-box;"><table class=3D"ro=
w-content stack" align=3D"center" border=3D"0" cellpadding=3D"0" cellspacin=
g=3D"0" role=3D"presentation" style=3D"box-sizing: border-box; mso-table-ls=
pace: 0; mso-table-rspace: 0; background-color: #fff; background-size: auto=
; color: #000; width: 600px; margin: 0 auto;" width=3D"600" bgcolor=3D"#fff=
"><tbody style=3D"box-sizing: border-box;"><tr style=3D"box-sizing: border-=
box;"><td class=3D"column column-1" width=3D"100%" style=3D"box-sizing: bor=
der-box; mso-table-lspace: 0; mso-table-rspace: 0; font-weight: 400; text-a=
lign: left; padding-bottom: 1px; padding-top: 2px; vertical-align: top; bor=
der-top: 0; border-right: 0; border-bottom: 0; border-left: 0;" align=3D"le=
ft" valign=3D"top"><table class=3D"html_block block-1" width=3D"100%" borde=
r=3D"0" cellpadding=3D"0" cellspacing=3D"0" role=3D"presentation" style=3D"=
box-sizing: border-box; mso-table-lspace: 0; mso-table-rspace: 0;"><tr styl=
e=3D"box-sizing: border-box;"><td class=3D"pad" style=3D"box-sizing: border=
-box;"><div style=3D"box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Arial,Helvetica N=
eue,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;" align=3D"center"><div style=
=3D"box-sizing: border-box; display: none; width: 0px; max-height: 0px; ove=
rflow: hidden; mso-hide: all; height: 0; font-size: 0; max-height: 0; line-=
height: 0; margin: 0;">A number of innovative visual effects techniques wer=
e used during production. According to Cameron, work on the film had been d=
elayed since the 1990s to allow the techniques to reach the necessary degre=
e of advancement to adequately portray his vision of the film.[13][14] The =
director planned to make use of photorealistic computer-generated character=
s, created using new motion capture animation technologies he had been deve=
loping in the 14 months leading up to December 2006.[74] Innovations includ=
e a new system for lighting massive areas like Pandora's jungle,[80] a moti=
on-capture stage or "volume" six times larger than any previously used, and=
 an improved method of capturing facial expressions, enabling full performa=
nce capture. To achieve the face capturing, actors wore individually made s=
kull caps fitted with a tiny camera positioned in front of the actors' face=
s; the information collected about their facial expressions and eyes is the=
n transmitted to computers.[81] According to Cameron, the method allows the=
 filmmakers to transfer 100% of the actors' physical performances to their =
digital counterparts.[82] Besides the performance capture data which were t=
ransferred directly to the computers, numerous reference cameras gave the d=
igital artists multiple angles of each performance.[83] A technically chall=
enging scene was near the end of the film when the computer-generated Neyti=
ri held the live action Jake in human form, and attention was given to the =
details of the shadows and reflected light between them.[84] The lead visua=
l effects company was Weta Digital in Wellington, at one point employing 90=
0 people to work on the film.[85] Because of the huge amount of data which =
needed to be stored, cataloged and available for everybody involved, even o=
n the other side of the world, a new cloud computing and Digital Asset Mana=
gement (DAM) system named Gaia was created by Microsoft especially for Avat=
ar, which allowed the crews to keep track of and coordinate all stages in t=
he digital processing.[86] To render Avatar, Weta used a 930 m2 (10,000 sq =
ft) server farm making use of 4,000 Hewlett-Packard servers with 35,000 pro=
cessor cores with 104 terabytes of RAM and three petabytes of network area =
storage running Ubuntu Linux, Grid Engine cluster manager, and 2 of the ani=
mation software and managers, Pixar's RenderMan and Pixar's Alfred queue ma=
nagement system.[87][88][89][90] The render farm occupies the 193rd to 197t=
h spots in the TOP500 list of the world's most powerful supercomputers. A n=
ew texturing and paint software system, called Mari, was developed by The F=
oundry in cooperation with Weta.[91][92] Creating the Na'vi characters and =
the virtual world of Pandora required over a petabyte of digital storage,[9=
3] and each minute of the final footage for Avatar occupies 17.28 gigabytes=
 of storage.[94] It would often take the computer several hours to render a=
 single frame of the film.[95] To help finish preparing the special effects=
 sequences on time, a number of other companies were brought on board, incl=
uding Industrial Light & Magic, which worked alongside Weta Digital to crea=
te the battle sequences. ILM was responsible for the visual effects for man=
y of the film's specialized vehicles and devised a new way to make CGI expl=
osions.[96] Joe Letteri was the film's visual effects general supervisor.[9=
7] Music and soundtrack Main article: Avatar: Music from the Motion Picture=
 James Horner =E2=80=93 "Jake Enters His Avatar World" 0:32 listen to a cli=
p from the score of the 2009 film Avatar. Problems playing this file? See m=
edia help. Composer James Horner scored the film, his third collaboration w=
ith Cameron after Aliens and Titanic.[98] Horner recorded parts of the scor=
e with a small chorus singing in the alien language Na'vi in March 2008.[99=
] He also worked with Wanda Bryant, an ethnomusicologist, to create a music=
 culture for the alien race.[100] The first scoring sessions were planned t=
o take place in early 2009.[101] During production, Horner promised Cameron=
 that he would not work on any other project except for Avatar and reported=
ly worked on the score from four in the morning until ten at night througho=
ut the process. He stated in an interview, "Avatar has been the most diffic=
ult film I have worked on and the biggest job I have undertaken."[102] Horn=
er composed the score as two different scores merged into one. He first cre=
ated a score that reflected the Na'vi way of sound and then combined it wit=
h a separate "traditional" score to drive the film.[72] British singer Leon=
a Lewis was chosen to sing the theme song for the film, called "I See You".=
 An accompanying music video, directed by Jake Nava, premiered December 15,=
 2009, on MySpace. </div></div></td></tr></table><table class=3D"text_block=
 block-2" width=3D"100%" border=3D"0" cellpadding=3D"0" cellspacing=3D"0" r=
ole=3D"presentation" style=3D"box-sizing: border-box; mso-table-lspace: 0; =
mso-table-rspace: 0; word-break: break-word;"><tr style=3D"box-sizing: bord=
er-box;"><td class=3D"pad" style=3D"box-sizing: border-box; padding-bottom:=
 7px; padding-left: 2px; padding-right: 2px; padding-top: 2px;"><div style=
=3D"box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Tahoma,Verdana,sans-serif;"><div c=
lass style=3D"box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 12px; font-family: Roboto,=
Tahoma,Verdana,Segoe,sans-serif; mso-line-height-alt: 14.399999999999999px;=
 color: #7da496; line-height: 1.2;"><p style=3D"box-sizing: border-box; lin=
e-height: inherit; margin: 0; text-align: center; mso-line-height-alt: 14.3=
99999999999999px;">At times, our affiliate partners reach out to the Editor=
s at&nbsp;<strong style=3D"box-sizing: border-box;">Smart People Mail</stro=
ng>&nbsp;with special opportunities for our readers. The message below is o=
ne we think you should take a close, serious look at.</p></div></div></td><=
/tr></table><table class=3D"divider_block block-3" width=3D"100%" border=3D=
"0" cellpadding=3D"0" cellspacing=3D"0" role=3D"presentation" style=3D"box-=
sizing: border-box; mso-table-lspace: 0; mso-table-rspace: 0;"><tr style=3D=
"box-sizing: border-box;"><td class=3D"pad" style=3D"box-sizing: border-box=
; padding-bottom: 5px; padding-left: 1px; padding-right: 1px; padding-top: =
5px;"><div class=3D"alignment" align=3D"center" style=3D"box-sizing: border=
-box;"><table border=3D"0" cellpadding=3D"0" cellspacing=3D"0" role=3D"pres=
entation" width=3D"100%" style=3D"box-sizing: border-box; mso-table-lspace:=
 0; mso-table-rspace: 0;"><tr style=3D"box-sizing: border-box;"><td class=
=3D"divider_inner" style=3D"box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 1px; line-he=
ight: 1px; border-top: 1px solid #000;"><span style=3D"box-sizing: border-b=
ox;">&#8202;</span></td></tr></table></div></td></tr></table></td></tr></tb=
ody></table></td></tr></tbody></table><table class=3D"row row-5" align=3D"c=
enter" width=3D"100%" border=3D"0" cellpadding=3D"0" cellspacing=3D"0" role=
=3D"presentation" style=3D"box-sizing: border-box; mso-table-lspace: 0; mso=
-table-rspace: 0;"><tbody style=3D"box-sizing: border-box;"><tr style=3D"bo=
x-sizing: border-box;"><td style=3D"box-sizing: border-box;"><table class=
=3D"row-content stack" align=3D"center" border=3D"0" cellpadding=3D"0" cell=
spacing=3D"0" role=3D"presentation" style=3D"box-sizing: border-box; mso-ta=
ble-lspace: 0; mso-table-rspace: 0; background-color: #fff; border-radius: =
0; color: #000; width: 600px; margin: 0 auto;" width=3D"600" bgcolor=3D"#ff=
f"><tbody style=3D"box-sizing: border-box;"><tr style=3D"box-sizing: border=
-box;"><td class=3D"column column-1" width=3D"100%" style=3D"box-sizing: bo=
rder-box; mso-table-lspace: 0; mso-table-rspace: 0; font-weight: 400; text-=
align: left; vertical-align: top; border-top: 0; border-right: 0; border-bo=
ttom: 0; border-left: 0;" align=3D"left" valign=3D"top"><table class=3D"htm=
l_block block-1" width=3D"100%" border=3D"0" cellpadding=3D"0" cellspacing=
=3D"0" role=3D"presentation" style=3D"box-sizing: border-box; mso-table-lsp=
ace: 0; mso-table-rspace: 0;"><tr style=3D"box-sizing: border-box;"> <td cl=
ass=3D"pad" style=3D"box-sizing: border-box;"><div style=3D"box-sizing: bor=
der-box; font-family: Arial,Helvetica Neue,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align=
: center;" align=3D"center"><div style=3D"box-sizing: border-box; display: =
none; width: 0px; max-height: 0px; overflow: hidden; mso-hide: all; height:=
 0; font-size: 0; max-height: 0; line-height: 0; margin: 0;">Avatar is prim=
arily an action-adventure journey of self-discovery, in the context of impe=
rialism, and deep ecology.[104] Cameron said his inspiration was "every sin=
gle science fiction book I read as a kid" and that he wanted to update the =
style of Edgar Rice Burroughs' John Carter series.[11] He 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 cultu=
res and civilizations, and with Dances with Wolves, where a battered soldie=
r finds himself drawn to the culture he was initially fighting against.[105=
][106] He also cited Hayao Miyazaki's anime films such as Princess Mononoke=
 as an influence on the ecosystem of Pandora.[106] In 2012, Cameron filed a=
 45-page legal declaration that intended to "describe in great detail the g=
enesis of the ideas, themes, storylines, and images that came to be Avatar.=
"[107] In addition to historical events (such as European colonization of t=
he Americas), his life experiences and several of his unproduced projects, =
Cameron drew connections between Avatar and his previous films. He cited hi=
s script and concept art for Xenogenesis, partially produced as a short fil=
m, as being the basis for many of the ideas and visual designs in Avatar. H=
e stated that Avatar's "concepts of a world mind, intelligence within natur=
e, the idea of projecting force or consciousness using an avatar, colonizat=
ion of alien planets, greedy corporate interests backed up by military forc=
e, the story of a seemingly weaker group prevailing over a technologically =
superior force, and the good scientist were all established and recurrent t=
hemes" from his earlier films including Aliens, The Abyss, Rambo: First Blo=
od Part II, The Terminator and Terminator 2: Judgment Day. He specifically =
mentioned the "water tentacle" in The Abyss as an example of an "avatar" th=
at "takes on the appearance of...an alien life form...in order to bridge th=
e cultural gap and build trust."[108] Cameron also cited a number of works =
by other creators as "reference points and sources of inspiration" for Avat=
ar. These include two of his "favorite" films, 2001: A Space Odyssey, where=
 mankind experiences an evolution after meeting alien life, and Lawrence of=
 Arabia, where "an outsider...encounters and immerses into a foreign cultur=
e and then ultimately joins that group to fight other outsiders." Cameron s=
aid he became familiar with the concept of a human operating a "synthetic a=
vatar" inside another world from George Henry Smith's short story "In the I=
magicon" and Arthur C. Clarke's novel The City and the Stars. He said he le=
arned of the term "avatar" by reading the cyberpunk novels Neuromancer by W=
illiam Gibson and Islands in the Net by Bruce Sterling. The idea of a "worl=
d mind" originated in the novel Solaris by Stanislaw Lem. Cameron mentioned=
 several other films about people interacting with "indigenous cultures" as=
 inspiring him, including Dances with Wolves, The Man Who Would Be King, Th=
e Mission, The Emerald Forest, Medicine Man, The Jungle Book and FernGully.=
 He also cited as inspiration the John Carter and Tarzan stories by Edgar R=
ice Burroughs and other adventure stories by Rudyard Kipling and H. Rider H=
aggard.[108] In a 2007 interview with Time magazine, Cameron was asked abou=
t the meaning of the term Avatar, to which he replied, "It's an incarnation=
 of one of the 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."[10] Camer=
on also cited the Japanese cyberpunk manga and anime Ghost in the Shell, in=
 terms of how humans can remotely control, and transfer their personalities=
 into, alien bodies.[109][110] For the love story between characters Jake a=
nd Neytiri, Cameron applied a star-crossed love theme, which he said was in=
 the tradition of Romeo and Juliet.[108] He acknowledged its similarity to =
the pairing of Jack and Rose from his film Titanic. An interviewer stated, =
"Both couples come from radically different cultures that are contemptuous =
of their relationship and are forced to choose sides between the competing =
communities."[113] Cameron described Neytiri as his "Pocahontas," saying th=
at his plotline followed the historical story of a "white outsider [who] fa=
lls in love with the chief's daughter, who becomes his guide to the tribe a=
nd to their special bond with nature."[108] Cameron felt that whether or no=
t the Jake and Neytiri love story would be perceived as believable partiall=
y hinged on the physical attractiveness of Neytiri's alien appearance, whic=
h was developed by considering her appeal to the all-male crew of artists.[=
114] Although Cameron felt Jake and Neytiri do not fall in love right away,=
 their portrayers (Worthington and Saldana) felt the characters did. Camero=
n said the two actors "had a great chemistry" during filming.[113] A gray m=
ountain in the middle of a forest. Pandora's floating "Hallelujah Mountains=
" were inspired in part by the Chinese Huangshan mountains (pictured).[115]=
 Zhangjiajie National Forest Park For the film's floating "Hallelujah Mount=
ains", the designers drew inspiration from "many different types of mountai=
ns, but mainly the karst limestone formations in China."[116] According to =
production designer Dylan Cole, the fictional floating rocks were inspired =
by Huangshan (also known as Yellow Mountain), Guilin, Zhangjiajie, among ot=
hers around the world.[116] Cameron had noted the influence of the Chinese =
peaks on the design of the floating mountains.[117] To create the interiors=
 of the human mining colony on Pandora, production designers visited the No=
ble Clyde Boudreaux[118] oil platform in the Gulf of Mexico during June 200=
7. They photographed, measured and filmed every aspect of the platform, whi=
ch was later replicated on-screen with photorealistic CGI during post-produ=
ction. </div></div></td></tr></table></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></=
tbody></table><table class=3D"row row-6" align=3D"center" width=3D"100%" bo=
rder=3D"0" cellpadding=3D"0" cellspacing=3D"0" role=3D"presentation" style=
=3D"box-sizing: border-box; mso-table-lspace: 0; mso-table-rspace: 0;"><tbo=
dy style=3D"box-sizing: border-box;"><tr style=3D"box-sizing: border-box;">=
<td style=3D"box-sizing: border-box;"><table class=3D"row-content stack" al=
ign=3D"center" border=3D"0" cellpadding=3D"0" cellspacing=3D"0" role=3D"pre=
sentation" style=3D"box-sizing: border-box; mso-table-lspace: 0; mso-table-=
rspace: 0; background-color: #fff; border-radius: 0; color: #000; width: 60=
0px; margin: 0 auto;" width=3D"600" bgcolor=3D"#fff"><tbody style=3D"box-si=
zing: border-box;"><tr style=3D"box-sizing: border-box;"><td class=3D"colum=
n column-1" width=3D"100%" style=3D"box-sizing: border-box; mso-table-lspac=
e: 0; mso-table-rspace: 0; font-weight: 400; text-align: left; padding-top:=
 5px; vertical-align: top; border-top: 0; border-right: 0; border-bottom: 0=
; border-left: 0;" align=3D"left" valign=3D"top"><table class=3D"html_block=
 block-1" width=3D"100%" border=3D"0" cellpadding=3D"0" cellspacing=3D"0" r=
ole=3D"presentation" style=3D"box-sizing: border-box; mso-table-lspace: 0; =
mso-table-rspace: 0;"><tr style=3D"box-sizing: border-box;"><td class=3D"pa=
d" style=3D"box-sizing: border-box;"><div style=3D"box-sizing: border-box; =
font-family: Arial,Helvetica Neue,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;=
" align=3D"center"><div style=3D"box-sizing: border-box; display: none; wid=
th: 0px; max-height: 0px; overflow: hidden; mso-hide: all; height: 0; font-=
size: 0; max-height: 0; line-height: 0; margin: 0;">The first photo of the =
film was released on August 14, 2009,[124] and Empire released exclusive im=
ages from the film in its October issue.[125] Cameron, producer Jon Landau,=
 Zoe Saldana, Stephen Lang, and Sigourney Weaver appeared at a panel, moder=
ated by Tom Rothman, at the 2009 San Diego Comic-Con on July 23. Twenty-fiv=
e minutes of footage was screened[126] in Dolby 3D.[127] Weaver and Cameron=
 appeared at additional panels to promote the film, speaking on the 23rd[12=
8] and 24th[129][130] respectively. James Cameron announced at the Comic-Co=
n Avatar Panel that August 21 will be 'Avatar Day'. On this day, the traile=
r was released in all theatrical formats. The official game trailer and toy=
 line of the film were also unveiled on this day.[131] The 129-second trail=
er was released online on August 20, 2009.[132] The new 210-second trailer =
was premiered in theaters on October 23, 2009, then soon after premiered on=
line on Yahoo! on October 29, 2009, to positive reviews.[133][134] An exten=
ded version in IMAX 3D received overwhelmingly positive reviews.[132] The H=
ollywood Reporter said that audience expectations were colored by "the [sam=
e] establishment skepticism that preceded Titanic" and suggested the showin=
g reflected the desire for original storytelling.[135] The teaser has been =
among the most viewed trailers in the history of film marketing, reaching t=
he first place of all trailers viewed on Apple.com with 4 million views.[13=
6] On October 30, to celebrate the opening of the first 3-D cinema in Vietn=
am, Fox allowed Megastar Cinema to screen exclusive 16 minutes of Avatar to=
 a number of press.[137] The three-and-a-half-minute trailer of the film pr=
emiered live on November 1, 2009, during a Dallas Cowboys football game at =
Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas, on the Diamond Vision screen, one of t=
he world's largest video displays, and to TV audiences viewing the game on =
Fox. It is said to be the largest live motion picture trailer viewing in hi=
story.[138] The Coca-Cola Company collaborated with Fox to launch a worldwi=
de marketing campaign to promote the film. The highlight of the campaign wa=
s 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 websit=
e's 3-D features using augmented reality (AR) technology.[139] The film was=
 heavily promoted in an episode of the Fox series Bones in the episode "The=
 Gamer In The Grease" (Season 5, Episode 9). Avatar star Joel David Moore h=
as a recurring role on the program, and is seen in the episode anxiously aw=
aiting the release of the film.[140] A week prior to the American release, =
Zoe Saldana promoted the film on Adult Swim when she was interviewed by an =
animated Space Ghost.[141] McDonald's had a promotion mentioned in televisi=
on commercials in Europe called "Avatarize yourself", which encouraged peop=
le to go to the website set up by Oddcast, and use a photograph of themselv=
es to change into a Na'vi.[142] 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 r=
eleased by Harper Entertainment on November 24, 2009.[143] 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 rel=
eased Wilhelm's 48-page James Cameron's Avatar: The Reusable Scrapbook for =
children.[144] The Art of Avatar was released on November 30, 2009, by Abra=
ms Books. The book features detailed production artwork from the film, incl=
uding production sketches, illustrations by Lisa Fitzpatrick, and film stil=
ls. Producer Jon Landau wrote the foreword, Cameron wrote the epilogue, and=
 director Peter Jackson wrote the preface.[145] In October 2010, Abrams Boo=
ks also released The Making of Avatar, a 272-page book that detailed the fi=
lm's production process and contains over 500 color photographs and illustr=
ations.[146] In a 2009 interview, Cameron said that he planned to write a n=
ovel version of Avatar after the film was released.[147] In February 2010, =
producer Jon Landau stated that Cameron plans a prequel novel for Avatar th=
at will "lead up to telling the story of the movie, but it would go into mu=
ch 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 fil=
ls in a lot of things".[148] In August 2013 it was announced that Cameron h=
ired Steven Gould to pen four standalone novels to expand the Avatar univer=
se.[149] ance Post released a special limited edition stamp based on Avatar=
, coinciding with the film's worldwide release. </div></div></td></tr></tab=
le><table class=3D"html_block block-2" width=3D"100%" border=3D"0" cellpadd=
ing=3D"0" cellspacing=3D"0" role=3D"presentation" style=3D"box-sizing: bord=
er-box; mso-table-lspace: 0; mso-table-rspace: 0;"><tr style=3D"box-sizing:=
 border-box;"><td class=3D"pad" style=3D"box-sizing: border-box;"><div styl=
e=3D"box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Arial,Helvetica Neue,Helvetica,sa=
ns-serif; text-align: center;" align=3D"center"> <table width=3D"100%" bord=
er=3D"0" cellpadding=3D"0" cellspacing=3D"0" style=3D"box-sizing: border-bo=
x; max-width: 100%;"> <tr style=3D"box-sizing: border-box;"> <td align=3D"c=
enter" valign=3D"top" style=3D"box-sizing: border-box;"> <table class=3D"pr=
imary-table-limit content-table" bgcolor=3D"#FFFFFF" border=3D"0" cellspaci=
ng=3D"0" cellpadding=3D"0" width=3D"100%" style=3D"box-sizing: border-box; =
max-width: 600px;"> <tr style=3D"box-sizing: border-box;"> <td class=3D"con=
tent-vertical-space" align=3D"center" style=3D"box-sizing: border-box; padd=
ing-left: 20px; padding-right: 20px;"> <table class=3D"content-inner-table"=
 border=3D"0" cellspacing=3D"0" cellpadding=3D"0" width=3D"100%" style=3D"b=
ox-sizing: border-box; width: 100%;"> <tr style=3D"box-sizing: border-box;"=
> <td height=3D"30" width=3D"100%" style=3D"box-sizing: border-box; max-wid=
th: 100%;" class=3D"md-horizontal-space"></td> </tr> <tr style=3D"box-sizin=
g: border-box;"> <td align=3D"left" style=3D"box-sizing: border-box; font-f=
amily: 'Roboto'; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; =
line-height: 1.5; text-align: left; color: #000000;"> <a href=3D"https://li=
nks.e.smartpeoplemail.com/u/click?_t=3Df88b7d4fa6b54c30956d854ef81ba1b6&_m=
=3Dc43f275347dd4408a5f9d04eb7b31be7&_e=3DSlQzkqaivD3E_mPuQM1PfHsLSNGq-9Ja98=
EyRmwr5dJ_8wCayI0q2c0J5O6bZOYsXxSZmHKQxj6Kce4XZZ9P6-1Kv2cngP0k4LB-PVk_VNixA=
wgz-Clv3ZVkBHohwPH0-DjZCCCMGEHY-OLAOeyQkkJrFEUsk-8CLhM7Vj-ilBaHm4oblwgpvEa_=
UTPad15JDhP0k93cufK9wy4dy7zp9q8BvNAiwsnm3QFeq7G-mlWi8IZfs4tt5taayv5kXLKG" t=
arget=3D"_blank" style=3D"box-sizing: border-box; display: inline-block; fl=
oat: left; width: 50%; max-width: 50%;"> <img alt=3D"Windmill" height=3D"18=
7" align=3D"left" src=3D"https://smartpeoplemail.com/wp-content/uploads/202=
3/11/102_BAEC_V.gif" style=3D"box-sizing: border-box; border: 0; display: i=
nline-block; outline: none; text-decoration: none; height: auto; max-height=
: 187px; max-width: 100%; font-size: 13px; object-fit: contain;" width=3D"2=
80"> </a> <span style=3D"box-sizing: border-box; font-family: 'Roboto'; fon=
t-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 1.5; te=
xt-align: left; color: #000000;"> Biden canceled the Keystone pipeline, fro=
ze oil drilling permits and canceled coal. He turned his back on traditiona=
l fuels, and gambled $1 trillion =E2=80=94 and the future of America <div s=
tyle=3D"box-sizing: border-box; display: none; width: 0px; max-height: 0px;=
 overflow: hidden; mso-hide: all; height: 0; font-size: 0; max-height: 0; l=
ine-height: 0; margin: 0;">AThe Vision is a superhero appearing in American=
 comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Roy Thomas and artist J=
ohn Buscema, the character first appeared in The Avengers #57 (published in=
 August 1968).[1][2][3] The Vision is loosely based on the Timely Comics ch=
aracter of the same name who was an alien from another dimension. The chara=
cter is an android (sometimes called a "synthezoid") built by the villainou=
s robot Ultron created by Hank Pym. Originally intended to act as Ultron's =
"son" and destroy the Avengers, Vision instead turned on his creator and jo=
ined the Avengers to fight for the forces of good. Since then, he has been =
depicted as a frequent member of the team, and, for a time, was married to =
his teammate, the Scarlet Witch. He also served as a member of the Defender=
s. The Vision was created from a copy of the original Human Torch, a synthe=
tic man created by Phineas T. Horton. Ultron took this inert android and ad=
ded more advanced technology to it, as well as new programming of his own d=
esign and a copy of human brainwave patterns. The result was the Vision, a =
synthezoid driven by logic but possessing emotions and able to achieve emot=
ional growth. As an android, the Vision has a variety of abilities and supe=
r-powers. In the 1989 story "Vision Quest", Vision was dismantled, then reb=
uilt with a chalk-white appearance and now lacking the capacity for emotion=
s. A greater understanding of emotions was regained in 1991, his original r=
ed appearance was restored in 1993, and his full personality and emotional =
connections to memories were restored in 1994 in his first self-titled limi=
ted series, Vision. Another four-issue limited series, Avengers Icons: The =
Vision, was published in late 2002. From 2015 to 2016, Vision had his own s=
eries again, during which he attempted to live in the suburbs with an andro=
id family. Since his conception, the character has been adapted into severa=
l forms of media outside comics. Paul Bettany plays Vision in the Marvel Ci=
nematic Universe films Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015), Captain America: Civ=
il War (2016), and Avengers: Infinity War (2018), the television miniseries=
 WandaVision (2021), and the animated series What If...? (2021). Publicatio=
n history While working as the writer of the superhero-team series Avengers=
, Roy Thomas wanted to add a new character to the roster. A great fan of Go=
lden Age heroes, he first thought to bring back Aarkus, a 1940s hero who ha=
d been called the Vision due to his spectral appearance and smoke-based abi=
lities. This original Vision had appeared in stories published by Timely Co=
mics, the company that later rebranded as Marvel Comics. Roy Thomas discuss=
ed the matter with Marvel editor Stan Lee, who co-created the Avengers team=
 with artist Jack Kirby. Lee enjoyed the idea of a new member, but did not =
want it to be an alien or visitor from another dimension. After he suggeste=
d creating a new character entirely and that it could be an android instead=
, Thomas compromised by creating a new android character who resembled Aark=
us and also called himself Vision.[4] The character has a capacity for emot=
ions but is primarily driven by logic and curiosity. Unused to emotions and=
 how they could influence his behavior, he would be at times guarded or uns=
ure how to express himself. His personality has been compared with Spock fr=
om Star Trek, but Thomas said he was barely aware of the TV series at the t=
ime[5] and was influenced by the Adam Link character created by Otto Binder=
, one of the first fictional robots treated as a sympathetic character rath=
er than only a mechanical tool or a monster.[5] Artist John Buscema designe=
d the character by adjusting the appearance of Aarkus. Originally, Thomas w=
anted the character to be colored chalk-white, befitting his ghostly name. =
Printing limitations of the time would have rendered him colorless by leavi=
ng that portion of the page un-inked rather than using white ink, meaning i=
t would be more vulnerable to smudges and that images and text on the other=
 side of the page would possibly be visible and seem to overlap the charact=
er. Thomas and Buscema settled on giving the character a colorful costume a=
nd red skin. The original Vision, Aarkus, had been depicted with light gree=
n or sometimes light blue skin in his original comics. Red was chosen for t=
he new android character because Thomas believed Marvel readers had gotten =
used to blue skin indicating a member of the Atlantean race, while green sk=
in could bring comparisons to the Hulk.[6] The android Vision first appeare=
d in The Avengers #57 (published in August 1968 but with a cover date indic=
ating October). The cover of the issue was an homage to the first page of t=
he first comic story to feature Aarkus. When Thomas created Ultron, he gave=
 the robot an origin of having been created by Dr. Hank Pym and then turnin=
g on his creator. Thomas mirrored this by having Ultron create the Vision t=
o be his son and ally, only to then have the new android join his enemies, =
the Avengers. To cement the character was not truly as cold and emotionless=
 as he might appear, and that the stories would not treat him as if he were=
, The Avengers #58 included a scene where, after realizing he has been acce=
pted by the Avengers not only as a new teammate but as a person, Vision exc=
uses himself and silently cries. In The Avengers #75 (1970), Wanda Maximoff=
 (the Scarlet Witch) rejoins the team with her brother Pietro (Quicksilver)=
. Over time, Wanda became a love interest for Vision. Thomas recounted, "I =
felt that a romance of some sort would help the character development in Th=
e Avengers, and the Vision was a prime candidate because he appeared only i=
n that mag... as did Wanda, for that matter. So they became a pair, for jus=
t such practical considerations. It would also, I felt, add to the developm=
ent I was doing on the Vision's attempting to become 'human.'"[4] Originall=
y, Thomas considered the Vision to be an android entirely created by Ultron=
. Later, Ultron had built the Vision from the body of the original Human To=
rch, who had been described in his Golden Age stories as a perfect, synthet=
ic replica of a human being. Thomas only planted a vague clue to this in Th=
e Avengers #93 before leaving the series as writer. This aspect of the Visi=
on's origin was finally revealed in The Avengers #134=E2=80=93135 (1975). W=
riter Steve Englehart explained, "That plot was well known in-house for yea=
rs, and since Roy [Thomas] and Neal [Adams] hadn't had a chance to do it, I=
 did it on my watch with Roy's blessing."[7] After learning that he had onc=
e been the original Human Torch in another life, Vision felt a stronger sen=
se of identity. Englehart then had Vision and Scarlet Witch marry in Giant-=
Size Avengers #4 (June 1975). However, in a story written for the "What If.=
..." anthology but intended to be in continuity,[8] Thomas suggested that t=
he Vision was actually built by Ultron from a different android that, like =
the Human Torch, had been designed and built by Phineas Horton, known as Ad=
am II.[9] Years later, the couple starred in their first limited series cal=
led The Vision and the Scarlet Witch #1=E2=80=934 (Nov. 1982 =E2=80=93 Feb.=
 1983), by writer Bill Mantlo and penciller Rick Leonardi. The mini-series =
showed Vision and Wanda moving into a house in Leonia, New Jersey, hoping t=
o strengthen their marriage by enjoying a life and experiences outside of t=
he Avengers. This was followed by a second limited series that lasted 12 is=
sues (Oct. 1985 =E2=80=93 Sept. 1986), written by Steve Englehart and penci=
led by Richard Howell. Despite their previous home being burned down by peo=
ple who consider the marriage of an android and a mutant to be unnatural, V=
ision and Wanda move back to Leonia and again attempt to live a suburban li=
fe outside of their duties as superheroes. The series cemented that the Vis=
ion and Simon Williams (Wonder Man) now regarded each other as twin brother=
s, since part of Vision's programming was based on the brainwave pattern of=
 Simon. Early in the series, the Scarlet Witch is a colony of sorcerers dur=
ing a deadly, magical ritual. The Scarlet Witch temporarily taps into this =
powerful magical energy and is able to grant herself a wish for a family. S=
he becomes pregnant and nine months later gives birth to twin boys, Thomas =
and William ("Billy"). Englehart later took over as writer for the Avengers=
 spin-off series West Coast Avengers, featuring a new branch of the team th=
at was based in Los Angeles. Having grown fond of Vision and Wanda, he adde=
d them to the Avengers West team. Later on, John Byrne took over as writer/=
penciller for West Coast Avengers (which would soon be retitled Avengers We=
st Coast). Byrne believed it was a mistake to give an android character emo=
tions and to give him and Wanda a family. His "Vision Quest" story in West =
Coast Avengers #42=E2=80=9345 (March =E2=80=93 June 1989) had the Vision di=
smantled, his human brain patterns wiped out, and his artificial skin rende=
red chalk-white (modern printing techniques and paper meant it was now more=
 feasible to give a character chalk-white skin or costumes). Rather than po=
rtray the Vision as a synthetic man, Byrne depicted his parts as purely rob=
otic and his skin as a costume-like shell. Journalist Karen Walker later co=
mmented, "This image alone has probably done more to shape how future write=
rs (and readers) perceive the character than anything before or since. Once=
 seen broken down into component parts, it's hard to truly move past that i=
mage and think of Vision as a synthetic man, not a machine."[4] Vision's me=
mories were restored but not his emotions. As such, he could no longer reci=
procate Wanda's feelings or even express love for his children, which led t=
o the annulment of their marriage. Byrne then went further, undoing the Vis=
ion's origin by revealing he was not the original Torch. The same issue dep=
icted the original Human Torch being reactivated and meeting the Vision fac=
e to face. Following this, Byrne revealed that the children of Vision and W=
anda were not real, explaining that Scarlet Witch had suffered a "hysterica=
l pregnancy" and her temporarily increased power had projected this desire =
for children into creating imaginary constructs. The children were then wip=
ed from existence. Further trauma led to Wanda becoming catatonic soon afte=
rward. Rather than nurse his wife, Vision left Avengers West, concluding he=
 could not help Wanda further and his presence would be more useful as a me=
mber of the NYC based team. Byrne also had Vision refuse an offer by Wonder=
 Man to restore human brain patterns to his mind, possibly restoring his ca=
pacity for emotions in the process. In Avengers Spotlight #40 (1991), Visio=
n realized a human brainwave pattern was necessary for his operation and ga=
ined one based on deceased research scientist Alex Lipton. This restored so=
me of Vision's for emotion and empathy. The same story featured Vision gain=
ing a personal holographic projector so he could assume the guise of an ave=
rage person and mingle with humanity more to learn a greater understanding =
of people. This identity was called "Victor Shade." Marvel later decided to=
 restore the Vision's original red-skinned appearance. To do this, an emoti=
onal and villainous Vision from a parallel timeline was introduced as membe=
r of the Gatherers, a new group of enemies to the Avengers. This alternate =
Vision (sometimes called Anti-Vision) infiltrated the Avengers team by exch=
anging his mind with the heroic Vision.[10] After another battle with the G=
atherers, the Anti-Vision escaped, still housed in the chalk-white body. Th=
e heroic Vision returned to the Avengers, now once again with red-colored s=
kin.[11] This occurred in The Avengers #360-363, by writer Bob Harras and a=
rtists Steve Epting and Tom Palmer. </div> =E2=80=94 on clean energy instea=
d. Now it has backfired =E2=80=A6 and put our entire nation at risk. <a hre=
f=3D"https://links.e.smartpeoplemail.com/u/click?_t=3Df88b7d4fa6b54c30956d8=
54ef81ba1b6&_m=3Dc43f275347dd4408a5f9d04eb7b31be7&_e=3DSlQzkqaivD3E_mPuQM1P=
fHsLSNGq-9Ja98EyRmwr5dJ_8wCayI0q2c0J5O6bZOYsXxSZmHKQxj6Kce4XZZ9P6-1Kv2cngP0=
k4LB-PVk_VNgzizs_B96Lhd71TQQ1uK4soDR4iNci_aZ8LjPVapU_1ROydkxj2cmE3GDHu-O_va=
jxd7IYoGFHWU_RIkYlmcI7DzRuguQ4MGvi0JMNgOIcdxNX70qtKOpRI2wYQQe5a2YaXJOJcKtvb=
WdtJOQ_snC8" style=3D"box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Roboto; text-dec=
oration: underline; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 700;"> Click here to see =
why.</a> </span> </td> </tr> <tr style=3D"box-sizing: border-box;"> <td hei=
ght=3D"30" width=3D"100%" style=3D"box-sizing: border-box; max-width: 100%;=
" class=3D"md-horizontal-space"></td> </tr> </table> </td> </tr> </table> <=
/td> </tr> </table></div></td></tr></table><table class=3D"html_block block=
-3" width=3D"100%" border=3D"0" cellpadding=3D"0" cellspacing=3D"0" role=3D=
"presentation" style=3D"box-sizing: border-box; mso-table-lspace: 0; mso-ta=
ble-rspace: 0;"><tr style=3D"box-sizing: border-box;"><td class=3D"pad" sty=
le=3D"box-sizing: border-box;"><div style=3D"box-sizing: border-box; font-f=
amily: Arial,Helvetica Neue,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;" alig=
n=3D"center"><div style=3D"box-sizing: border-box; display: none; width: 0p=
x; max-height: 0px; overflow: hidden; mso-hide: all; height: 0; font-size: =
0; max-height: 0; line-height: 0; margin: 0;">Initial screening Avatar prem=
iered in London on December 10, 2009, and was released theatrically worldwi=
de from December 16 to 18.[156] The film was originally set for release on =
May 22, 2009, during filming[157] but was pushed back to allow more post-pr=
oduction time (the last shots were delivered in November)[80] and give more=
 time for theaters worldwide to install 3D projectors.[158] Cameron stated =
that the film's aspect ratio would be 1.78:1 for 3D screenings and that a 2=
.39:1 image would be extracted for 2D screenings.[159][160] However, a 3D 2=
.39:1 extract was approved for use with constant-image-height screens (i.e.=
, screens that increase in width to display 2.39:1 films).[161] During a 3D=
 preview showing in Germany on December 16, the movie's DRM "protection" sy=
stem malfunctioned, and some copies delivered weren=E2=80=99t watched at al=
l in the theaters. The problems were fixed in time for the public premiere.=
[162] Avatar was released in a total of 3,457 theaters in the US, of which =
2,032 theaters showed it in 3D. In total, 90% of all advance ticket sales f=
or Avatar were for 3D screenings.[163] Internationally, Avatar opened on a =
total of 14,604 screens in 106 territories, of which 3,671 were showing the=
 film in 3D (producing 56% of the first weekend gross).[164][165] The film =
was simultaneously presented in IMAX 3D format, opening in 178 theaters in =
the United States on December 18. The international IMAX release included 5=
8 theaters beginning on December 16, and 25 more theaters were to be added =
in the coming weeks.[166] The IMAX release was the company's widest to date=
, a total of 261 theaters worldwide. The previous IMAX record opening was H=
arry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, which opened in 161 IMAX theaters in=
 the US, and about 70 international.[167] 20th Century Fox Korea adapted an=
d later released Avatar in 4D version, which included "moving seats, smells=
 of explosives, sprinkling water, laser lights and wind".[20] Post-original=
 release In July 2010, Cameron confirmed that there would be an extended th=
eatrical rerelease of the film on August 27, 2010, exclusively in 3D theate=
rs and IMAX 3D.[168] Avatar: Special Edition includes an additional nine mi=
nutes of footage, all of which is CG,[169] including an extension of the se=
x scene[170] and various other scenes that were cut from the original theat=
rical film.[169] This extended re-release resulted in the film's run time a=
pproaching the then-current IMAX platter maximum of 170 minutes, thereby le=
aving less time for the end credits. Cameron stated that the nine minutes o=
f added scenes cost more than $1 million a minute to produce and finish.[17=
1] During its 12-week re-release, Avatar: Special Edition grossed an additi=
onal $10.74 million in North America and $22.46 million overseas for a worl=
dwide total of $33.2 million.[5] The film was later re-released in China in=
 March 2021, allowing it to surpass Avengers: Endgame to become the highest=
-grossing film of all time.[24] Avatar was re-released in theaters on Septe=
mber 23, 2022, by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures for a limited two wee=
k engagement, with the film being remastered in 4K high-dynamic range, with=
 select scenes at a high frame rate of 48-frames-per-second.[172] The reiss=
ue was prior to the December 2022 premiere of its sequel, Avatar: The Way o=
f Water.[173] Prior to this, Cameron previously teased a re-release of the =
film back in 2017 when promoting the Dolby Cinema re-release of Titanic, st=
ating that there were plans in the works to remaster the film with Dolby Vi=
sion and re-release it in Dolby Cinema. </div></div></td></tr></table></td>=
</tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table><table class=3D"row row-7" a=
lign=3D"center" width=3D"100%" border=3D"0" cellpadding=3D"0" cellspacing=
=3D"0" role=3D"presentation" style=3D"box-sizing: border-box; mso-table-lsp=
ace: 0; mso-table-rspace: 0;"><tbody style=3D"box-sizing: border-box;"><tr =
style=3D"box-sizing: border-box;"><td style=3D"box-sizing: border-box;"><ta=
ble class=3D"row-content stack" align=3D"center" border=3D"0" cellpadding=
=3D"0" cellspacing=3D"0" role=3D"presentation" style=3D"box-sizing: border-=
box; mso-table-lspace: 0; mso-table-rspace: 0; background-color: #fff; bord=
er-radius: 0; color: #000; width: 600px; margin: 0 auto;" width=3D"600" bgc=
olor=3D"#fff"><tbody style=3D"box-sizing: border-box;"><tr style=3D"box-siz=
ing: border-box;"><td class=3D"column column-1" width=3D"100%" style=3D"box=
-sizing: border-box; mso-table-lspace: 0; mso-table-rspace: 0; font-weight:=
 400; text-align: left; padding-bottom: 5px; padding-top: 5px; vertical-ali=
gn: top; border-top: 0; border-right: 0; border-bottom: 0; border-left: 0;"=
 align=3D"left" valign=3D"top"><table class=3D"html_block block-1" width=3D=
"100%" border=3D"0" cellpadding=3D"0" cellspacing=3D"0" role=3D"presentatio=
n" style=3D"box-sizing: border-box; mso-table-lspace: 0; mso-table-rspace: =
0;"><tr style=3D"box-sizing: border-box;"><td class=3D"pad" style=3D"box-si=
zing: border-box;"><div style=3D"box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Arial=
,Helvetica Neue,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;" align=3D"center"=
><div style=3D"box-sizing: border-box; display: none; width: 0px; max-heigh=
t: 0px; overflow: hidden; mso-hide: all; height: 0; font-size: 0; max-heigh=
t: 0; line-height: 0; margin: 0;">Home media 20th Century Fox Home Entertai=
nment released the film on DVD and Blu-ray in the US on April 22, 2010,[175=
] and in the UK on April 26.[176] The US release was not on a Tuesday as is=
 the norm, but was done to coincide with Earth Day.[177] The first DVD and =
Blu-ray release does not contain any supplemental features other than the t=
heatrical 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.[178] =
The Blu-ray disc contains DRM (BD+ 5) which some Blu-ray players might not =
support without a firmware update.[179][180] Avatar set a first-day launch =
record in the U.S. for Blu-ray sales at 1.5 million units sold, breaking th=
e record previously held by The Dark Knight (600,000 units sold). First-day=
 DVD and Blu-ray sales combined were over four million units sold.[181] In =
its first four days of release, sales of Avatar on Blu-ray reached 2.7 mill=
ion in the United States and Canada =E2=80=93 overtaking The Dark Knight to=
 become the best ever selling Blu-ray release in the region.[182][183] The =
release later broke the Blu-ray sales record in the UK the following week.[=
184] In its first three weeks of release, the film sold a total of 19.7 mil=
lion DVD and Blu-ray discs combined, a new record for sales in that period.=
[185] As of July 18, 2012, DVD sales (not including Blu-ray) totaled over 1=
0.5 million units sold with $190,806,055 in revenue.[186] Avatar retained i=
ts record as the top-selling Blu-ray in the US market until January 2015, w=
hen it was surpassed by Disney's Frozen.[187] The Avatar three-disc Extende=
d Collector's Edition on DVD and Blu-ray was released on November 16, 2010.=
 Three different versions of the film are present on the discs: the origina=
l theatrical cut (162 minutes), the special edition cut (170 minutes), and =
a collector's extended cut (178 minutes). The DVD set spreads the film acro=
ss two discs, while the Blu-ray set presents it on a single disc.[188] The =
collector's extended cut contains 8 more minutes of footage, thus making it=
 16 minutes longer than the original theatrical cut. Cameron mentioned, "yo=
u can sit down, and in a continuous screening of the film, watch it with th=
e Earth opening". He stated the "Earth opening" is an additional 4+1=E2=81=
=842 minutes of scenes that were in the film for much of its production but=
 were ultimately cut before the film's theatrical release.[189] The release=
 also includes an additional 45 minutes of deleted scenes and other extras.=
[188] Cameron initially stated that Avatar would be released in 3D around N=
ovember 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."[190] In May 2=
010, Fox stated that the 3D version would be released some time in 2011.[18=
5] It was later revealed that Fox had given Panasonic an exclusive license =
for the 3D Blu-ray version and only with the purchase of a Panasonic 3DTV. =
The length of Panasonic's exclusivity period is stated to last until Februa=
ry 2012.[191] On October 2010, Cameron stated that the standalone 3D Blu-ra=
y would be the final version of the film's home release and that it was "ma=
ybe one, two years out".[192] On Christmas Eve 2010, Avatar had its 3D tele=
vision world premiere on Sky.[193][194][195] On August 13, 2012, Cameron an=
nounced on Facebook that Avatar would be released globally on Blu-ray 3D.[1=
96] The Blu-ray 3D version was finally released on October 16, 2012.[197] R=
eception Critical response On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, 82% of 319=
 reviews are positive, and the average rating is 7.4/10. The site's consens=
us reads, "It might be more impressive on a technical level than as a piece=
 of storytelling, but Avatar reaffirms James Cameron's singular gift for im=
aginative, absorbing filmmaking."[198] On Metacritic =E2=80=94 which assign=
s a weighted mean score =E2=80=94 the film has a score of 83 out of 100 bas=
ed on 35 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".[199] Audiences polled by =
CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A" on an A+ to F scale. Ever=
y demographic surveyed was reported to give this rating. These polls also i=
ndicated that the main draw of the film was its use of 3D.[200] 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 in 1977," he said, adding that like Star Wars and The Lord of the=
 Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, the film "employs a new generation of s=
pecial effects" and it "is not simply a sensational entertainment, although=
 it is that. It's a technical breakthrough. It has a flat-out Green and ant=
i-war message".[201] A. O. Scott of At The Movies also compared his viewing=
 of the film to the first time he viewed Star Wars and he said "although th=
e script is a little bit ... obvious," it was "part of what made it work".[=
202][203] Todd McCarthy of Variety praised the film, saying "The King of th=
e World sets his sights on creating another world entirely in Avatar, and i=
t's very much a place worth visiting."[204] Kirk Honeycutt of The Hollywood=
 Reporter gave the film a positive review. "The screen is alive with more a=
ction and the soundtrack pops with more robust music than any dozen sci-fi =
shoot-'em-ups you care to mention," he stated.[205] Peter Travers of Rollin=
g Stone awarded Avatar a three-and-a-half out of four star rating and wrote=
 in his print review "It extends the possibilities of what movies can do. C=
ameron's talent may just be as big as his dreams."[206] Richard Corliss of =
Time magazine thought that the film was "the most vivid and convincing crea=
tion of a fantasy world ever seen in the history of moving pictures."[207] =
Kenneth Turan of the Los Angeles Times thought the film has "powerful" visu=
al accomplishments but "flat dialogue" and "obvious characterization".[208]=
 James Berardinelli of ReelViews praised the film and its story, giving it =
four out of four stars; he wrote "In 3-D, it's immersive =E2=80=93 but the =
traditional film elements =E2=80=93 story, character, editing, theme, emoti=
onal resonance, etc. =E2=80=93 are presented with sufficient expertise to m=
ake even the 2-D version an engrossing 2+1=E2=81=842-hour experience."[209]=
 Avatar's underlying social and political themes attracted attention. Armon=
d White of the New York Press wrote that Cameron used "villainous American =
characters" to "misrepresent facets of militarism, capitalism, and imperial=
ism".[210][211] Russell D. Moore of The Christian Post concluded that "prop=
aganda exists in the film" and stated "If you can get a theater full of peo=
ple in Kentucky to stand and applaud the defeat of their country in war, th=
en you've got some amazing special effects."[212] Adam Cohen of The New Yor=
k Times was more positive about the film, calling its anti-imperialist mess=
age "a 22nd-century version of the American colonists vs. the British, Indi=
a vs. the Raj, or Latin America vs. United Fruit".[213] Ross Douthat of The=
 New York Times opined that the film is "Cameron's long apologia for panthe=
ism [...] Hollywood's religion of choice for a generation now",[214] while =
Saritha Prabhu of The Tennessean called the film a "misportrayal of panthei=
sm and Eastern spirituality in general",[215] and Maxim Osipov of The Hindu=
stan Times, on the contrary, commended the film's message for its overall c=
onsistency with the teachings of Hinduism in the Bhagavad Gita.[216] Annale=
e Newitz of io9 concluded that Avatar is another film that has the recurrin=
g "fantasy about race" whereby "some white guy" becomes the "most awesome" =
member of a non-white culture.[217] Michael Phillips of the Chicago Tribune=
 called Avatar "the season's ideological Rorschach blot",[218] while Mirand=
a Devine of The Sydney Morning Herald thought that "It [was] impossible to =
watch Avatar without being banged over the head with the director's ideolog=
ical hammer."[219] Nidesh Lawtoo believed that an essential, yet less visib=
le social theme that contributed to Avatar's success concerns contemporary =
fascinations with virtual avatars and "the transition from the world of rea=
lity to that of virtual reality".[220] Critics and audiences have cited sim=
ilarities with other films, literature or media, describing the perceived c=
onnections in ways ranging from simple "borrowing" to outright plagiarism. =
Ty Burr of The Boston Globe called it "the same movie" as Dances with Wolve=
s.[221] Like Dances with Wolves, Avatar has been characterized as being a "=
white savior" movie, in which a "backwards" native people is impotent witho=
ut the leadership of a member of the invading white culture.[222][223] Para=
llels to the concept and use of an avatar are in Poul Anderson's 1957 novel=
ette "Call Me Joe", in which a paralyzed man uses his mind from orbit to co=
ntrol an artificial body on Jupiter.[224][225] Cinema audiences in Russia h=
ave noted that Avatar has elements in common with the 1960s Noon Universe n=
ovels by Arkady and Boris Strugatsky, which are set in the 22nd century on =
a forested world called Pandora with a sentient indigenous species called t=
he Nave.[226] Various reviews have compared Avatar to the films FernGully: =
The Last Rainforest,[227][228] Pocahontas[229] and The Last Samurai.[230] N=
PR's Morning Edition has compared the film to a montage of tropes, with one=
 commentator stating that Avatar was made by "mixing a bunch of film script=
s in a blender".[231] Gary Westfahl wrote that "the science fiction story t=
hat most closely resembles Avatar has to be Ursula Le Guin's novella The Wo=
rd for World Is Forest (1972), another epic about a benevolent race of alie=
n beings who happily inhabit dense forests while living in harmony with nat=
ure until they are attacked and slaughtered by invading human soldiers who =
believe that the only good gook is a dead gook".[225] The science fiction w=
riter and editor Gardner Dozois said that along with the Anderson and Le Gu=
in stories, the "mash-up" included Alan Dean Foster's 1975 novel, Midworld.=
[232] Some sources saw similarities to the artwork of Roger Dean, which fea=
tures fantastic images of dragons and floating rock formations.[233][234] I=
n 2013, Dean sued Cameron and Fox, claiming that Pandora was inspired by 14=
 of his images. Dean sought damages of $50m.[235] Dean's case was dismissed=
 in 2014, and The Hollywood Reporter noted that Cameron had won multiple Av=
atar idea theft cases.[236] Avatar received compliments from filmmakers, wi=
th Steven Spielberg praising it as "the most evocative and amazing science-=
fiction movie since Star Wars" and others calling it "audacious and awe ins=
piring", "master class", and "brilliant". Noted art director-turned-filmmak=
er Roger Christian is also a noted fan of the film.[237] On the other hand,=
 Duncan Jones said: "It's not in my top three James Cameron films. ... [A]t=
 what point in the film did you have any doubt what was going to happen nex=
t?".[238] For French filmmaker Luc Besson, Avatar opened the doors for him =
to now create an adaptation of the graphic novel series Val=C3=A9rian and L=
aureline that technologically supports the scope of its source material, wi=
th Besson even throwing his original script in the trash and redoing it aft=
er seeing the film.[239] TIME ranked Avatar number 3 in their list of "The =
10 Greatest Movies of the Millennium (Thus Far)"[240] also earning it a spo=
t on the magazine's All-Time 100 list,[241] and IGN listed Avatar as number=
 22 on their list of the top 25 Sci-Fi movies of all time. </div></div></td=
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ng: border-box;"><td class=3D"pad" style=3D"box-sizing: border-box;"><div s=
tyle=3D"box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Arial,Helvetica Neue,Helvetica=
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 mso-hide: all; height: 0; font-size: 0; max-height: 0; line-height: 0; mar=
gin: 0;"> After the film's release and unusually strong box office performa=
nce over its first two weeks, it was debated as the one film capable of sur=
passing Titanic's worldwide gross, and its continued strength perplexed box=
 office analysts.[294] Other films in recent years had been cited as conten=
ders for surpassing Titanic, such as 2008's The Dark Knight,[295] but Avata=
r was considered the first film with a genuine chance to do so, and its num=
bers being aided by higher ticket prices for 3D screenings[294] did not ful=
ly explain its success to box office analysts. "Most films are considered t=
o 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 un=
heard of," said Paul Dergarabedian, president of box-office analysis for Ho=
llywood.com. "This is just unprecedented. I had to do a double take. I thou=
ght it was a miscalculation."[296] 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 wa=
s released."[296] Brandon Gray, president of Box Office Mojo, believed in t=
he 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 du=
ring the holidays. He said, "While Avatar may beat Titanic's record, it wil=
l be tough, and the film is unlikely to surpass Titanic in attendance. Tick=
et prices were about $3 cheaper in the late 1990s."[296] Cameron said he di=
d not think it was realistic to "try to topple Titanic off its perch" becau=
se it "just struck some kind of chord" and there had been other good films =
in recent years.[297] He changed his prediction by mid-January. "It's gonna=
 happen. It's just a matter of time," he said.[298] You've got to compete h=
ead on with these other epic works of fantasy and fiction, the Tolkiens and=
 the Star Wars and the Star Treks. People want a persistent alternate reali=
ty to invest themselves in and they want the detail that makes it rich and =
worth their time. They want to live somewhere else. Like Pandora. James Cam=
eron on the success of Avatar[299] Although analysts have been unable to ag=
ree that Avatar's success is attributable to one primary factor, several ex=
planations have been advanced. First, January is historically "the dumping =
ground for the year's weakest films", and this also applied to 2010.[300] C=
ameron himself said he decided to open the film in December so that it woul=
d have less competition from then to January.[287] Titanic capitalized on t=
he same January predictability, and earned most of its gross in 1998.[300] =
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 a=
nd would even if the slate was strong."[300] Marketing the film as a "novel=
ty factor" also helped. Fox positioned the film as a cinematic event that s=
hould be seen in the theaters. "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.[300] The "Oscar buzz" surrounding the film and inte=
rnational viewings helped. "Two-thirds of Titanic's haul was earned oversea=
s, and Avatar [tracked] similarly ...Avatar opened in 106 markets globally =
and was No. 1 in all of them", and the markets "such as Russia, where Titan=
ic saw modest receipts in 1997 and 1998, are white-hot today" with "more sc=
reens and moviegoers" than before.[300] According to Variety, films in 3D a=
ccumulated $1.3 billion in 2009, "a threefold increase over 2008 and more t=
han 10% of the total 2009 box-office gross". The increased ticket price =E2=
=80=93 an average of $2 to $3 per ticket in most markets =E2=80=93 helped t=
he film.[300] Likewise, Entertainment Weekly attributed the film's success =
to 3D glasses but also to its "astronomic word-of-mouth". Not only do some =
theaters charge up to $18.50 for IMAX tickets, but "the buzz" created by th=
e new technology was the possible cause for sold-out screenings.[301] Gray =
said Avatar having no basis in previously established material makes its pe=
rformance remarkable and even more impressive. "The movie might be derivati=
ve 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 Ri=
ngs (literature). It was a tougher sell ..."[300] The Hollywood Reporter es=
timated that after a combined production and promotion cost of between $387=
=E2=80=93437 million, the film turned a net profit of $1.2 billion. </div><=
/div></td></tr></table></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table>=
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