Jon Landau on How Avatar: The Way Of Water Survived a Pandemic, Theater Closures and the Disney-Fox Merger and Stayed Relevant Today – Crew Call Podcast

Warning: This podcast contains minor spoilers Avatar: The Way of Water
Despite being the highest grossing film of all time at $2.9 billion, avatar is not your run-of-the-mill franchise.

It doesn’t have it war of stars toy sales, nor does it have the rabid fandom associated with it lord of the rings and Harry Potter. How does a series like this maintain its momentum 13 years after the release of the first film? Especially a movie about blue aliens? Producer Jon Landau gives Crew Call a look at the appeal of the series today.

You can listen to our conversation below:

avatar: The path of the water weathered a corporate merger, multiple delays, years of exhibit closures, and the pandemic itself.

To keep the sequel relevant, Landau likes to say, “If you make a good movie, people will come back.”

“We are a third of the time it took (Top Gun): Outsider come back,” he adds.

“What Jim did in the world of Avatar Pandora, he translated into timeless stories with universal themes,” says Landau.

“Imperial troops come back and invade an indigenous people. These things don’t go away. In a way, what he wrote years ago is more relevant now,” explains the producer.

“If you think about it, the Sullys are refugees. They are forced to flee their homes and seek refuge with a clan other than themselves,” explains Landau.

While Avatar: The Way of Water With weekend predictions of $134.1 million in the United States and less than half a billion worldwide opening, many believe this is largely due to high demand and low supply of premium auditors (ie Imax and Dolby), is where the audience buys seats. The picture’s midweek earnings have stopped and all eyes are on her avatar 2the potential bonding pattern of during the holidays.

Cameron and Landau are determined to change the narrative of film, from “I saw a movie to I experienced a movie,” he says titanic Oscar-winning producer.

While the pandemic has closed theaters and prompted streamers to change consumer viewing habits, Landau is confident the big screen will win out.

He paraphrases a New York Times March 1983 article.

“Entertainment can be enjoyed at home these days at a discounted price, and that’s exactly how people will watch their movies: the entertainment industry as we know it is dying,” recalls the producer.

“I’m sure there was a similar article for television in 1956,” he continues, “let’s compare it to the music industry. We can do Spotify, we can do Pandora, we can do all these things (but) nothing replaces the live concert. Cinema is that experience. Cinema is the equivalent of a live concert.”

“It’s not just about the shared experiences, it’s about the social connection you get when you go to the cinema. You promise to turn off your phone and not talk to the people around you. I think people yearn to be part of this social system,” adds Landau.

Landau also talks about the increase in 3D avatar 2, which has yet to enter Avatar 3 & 4and more.