Avatar: The Way of Water will take us back to the world of the Na’vis after the wait of 13 long years on December 16. The first movie Avatar released in 2009, remains the biggest movie of all time. It was certainly a visual masterpiece — beautiful to behold, and Hyderabadis have a special place for it.
Back in 2009, some millennials spent their month’s worth of pocket money on it, and this time movie goers are travelling from other states — to experience it on the newly renovated IMAX big screen. “Last month I decided that whatever may happen I will watch Avatar: The Way of Water on the big screen only!” said Hemanth, a freelance writer from Vijayawada. Hemanth has come to Hyderabad to watch the first show on day one, travelling 300 km. “The movie is only experienced to the fullest when screened on the big screen. I watched it back in 2009.”
There are some 60-70 screens in Hyderabad and if not all, most are packed with Avatar: The Way of Water shows, back to back. Prasad multiplex has 20 shows on six of its screens in 3D format on December 16, beginning at 8 am. Some of the single-screen talkies in the city are, like never before, running movie shows from 7.30 am onwards.
Tickets are available, but one will have a hard time catching up with the show at IMAX big screen. “I remember it well, two months ago, Avatar 2009, was re-launched, and I had a hard time booking the tickets. Because it was housefull in the first week. Also, the IMAX big screen was under renovation so I had to watch the movie on a 70mm screen. This time, I booked the ticket two weeks back, yet I was unable to get a seat in the top row,” says Prahasith Reddy, a designer for a gaming company in the city. He added, “To be honest, I have watched the trailer at least 50 times.”
“When the first Avatar movie was released, I was in college and I vividly remember the craze it had. It was an experience then and it would be an experience now too. I am trying very hard to book tickets for the new Avatar movie for this weekend.
But almost everywhere it is sold out. I will have to be patient and wait till I get tickets on the IMAX big screen. No one can beat the movie-watching experience of that screen when it comes to movies like Avatar,” said Joy Mukherjee, an MNC employee.
“I’ve seen Avatar in IMAX 3D on the same screen and it was breathtaking. But I’m sure the normal digital print also delivers there. They recently updated the old dull projector to the Barco DualLaser projection system but still use a single laser for reasons known to them, and it’s really good. The sound is also a lot better even though they have not updated it, but are planning for Atmos. Avatar: The Way of Water is being planned for the usage of dual laser projection,” shared Allvaiis, a user wrote on Reddit, four months before the movie’s release.