Avatar Special Edition - BFI IMAX Tickets On Sale Tomorrow, 10.30am

In December 2009, the BFI IMAX sold more advance tickets for Avatar than any other cinema in the world - over 46,000. Once the film opened, public demand kept it playing to packed houses for many months. To date, over 160,000 people have been to see Avatar at the BFI’s giant screen on the South Bank.

Dennis Laws, Technical and General Manager, BFI IMAX, says:
"We’re certain that many of our customers who were blown away by Avatar the first time around will be coming back again to experience the incredible IMAX 3D version. The new footage will add yet another dimension and from the enquiries we’ve had already, it looks like hundreds of fans want to be among the first to see Avatar: Special Edition."

http://www.bfi.org.uk/imax

AVATAR: SPECIAL EDITION - New trailer!

AVATAR: SPECIAL EDITION - IN UK CINEMAS 27TH AUGUST

Twentieth Century Fox and James Cameron today announced that AVATAR: SPECIAL EDITION will be released in cinemas on Friday, 27th August, in a limited engagement and exclusively in Digital 3D and IMAX 3D.

This version of Cameron’s history-making and groundbreaking epic will include more than eight minutes of new footage. Since – and largely as of result of -- AVATAR’s release last December, the number of available digital 3D screens has exploded, and moviegoers who missed experiencing the film in 3D will now have that opportunity.

Commented James Cameron: "Audiences repeatedly told me they wanted more of Pandora, and wished they could have stayed there longer. So we’re making that possible. AVATAR: SPECIAL EDITION will be exclusively in 3D, and will have eight minutes of never before seen footage, including new creatures and action scenes. Whether you already love the movie, or you've never seen it, with this Special Edition, you'll be seeing it like never before."

Commented Fox Filmed Entertainment chairmen and CEOs, Jim Gianopulos and Tom Rothman: “AVATAR: SPECIAL EDITION is especially gratifying, because not only has AVATAR become one of the most beloved films in history, but after its initial theatrical release, we have been inundated with requests to re-release the film in theaters in 3D. Equally important, we’re thrilled that Jim Cameron is able to give audiences even more of what they loved about AVATAR.”

The Oscar® and Golden Globe® winning epic is the highest grossing film of all time, taking in over $2.7 billion in worldwide box office. It is also the top-selling Blu-ray disc of all time. Director James Cameron takes audiences to a spectacular world beyond imagination, where a reluctant hero embarks on a journey of redemption and discovery as he leads a heroic battle to save a civilization. AVATAR delivers a fully immersive cinematic experience of a new kind, where the revolutionary technology invented to make the film disappears into the emotion of the characters and the epic nature of the story.

Magical Disney Animation Knocks Avatar Off The Top Spot For Half Term!

Disney’s magical animated comedy The Princess and the Frog has leaped into the Number 1 spot at the UK Box Office overtaking Avatar to become the cinema goers favourite for half term. Its success shows that audiences of all ages have a large appetite for classic storytelling, vibrant characters, and memorable stories. The film told with comedy and heart and a fantastic sing along jazz soundtrack has resonated with families making The Princess and the Frog the latest success in a long line of Disney animated classics.


The Princess and the Frog has now grossed £5.5 million in UK and still has another 10 days of the half term holidays to run. The film has received great reviews and Disney has been praised for creating its first African American Princess.

The Daily Mail – ‘Their new film is cute, funny and tuneful, and the most entertaining Disney cartoon since their last heyday. It is highly charming, feel good escapism will amuse young and old alike. It has witty take on the old fairy tale, lively characters and colourful visuals.’

The Daily Express - ‘It is a joyful, toe-tapping throwback to fairytale musicals such as Beuaty and the Beast and The Little Mermaid’.

The News of the World – ‘The characters are great...’ ‘This is ideal for families and those hunting for date movies – and it should appeal to girls and boys, despite the Princess title.’

The Star – ‘This hugely entertaining fairytale –with-a-twist- is so visually stunning it would be worth watching even if the story didn’t add up to much. But fortunately that’s far from the case, thanks to a witty script, likeable characters and toe-tapping songs.’

‘The Princess and The Frog’ comes from the revered team of John Musker and Ron Clements who created other Disney classics such as ‘The Little Mermaid’ and ‘Aladdin’, this is a modern twist on a classic tale with adventurous storytelling, captivating characters, offbeat comedy and memorable music from multi award winning composer Randy Newman. The film features a beautiful girl named Tiana, a frog prince who desperately wants to be human again, and a fateful kiss that leads them both on a hilarious adventure through the mystical bayous of Louisiana. Executive Producer and Chief Creative Officer John Lasseter says “‘The Princess and the Frog’ is an ageless fairy tale, but with a fresh twist that combines everything we look for in great stories: comedy, adventure, music—and most of all, the kind of heart that always sets Disney animation apart.”

Why is Avatar so popular?

With James Cameron’s Avatar on course to topple his own Titanic movie and reach the top of the All-Time Box Office, is it wrong to ask why a movie about blue aliens has reached these dizzy heights?

So there is more to Avatar than just blue aliens, such as; the eye-watering 3D, dazzling special effects, astounding set-pieces and great casting.

Nonetheless, I’m sure you can name hundreds of great movies, perhaps ones you hold in even higher standard than James Cameron’s latest creation. But have any of them achieved the number of bums on seats as Avatar? Well, considering the only other movie to reach this colossal box office total was Titanic, obviously not.

Ok smarty pants I hear you cry, why is it so popular? Well, there is no definitive answer to that question because everyone will have their different view.

But here is my rather clinical break-down of what makes/made Avatar into possibly the biggest blockbuster of all time:

**Spoiler Alert**

Love Story/Action Scenes –

Whether you think it’s cheesy or not, the love story in Avatar helps make the movie appeal to a wider audience. If Avatar was purely a 3-D based action movie then I think it’s safe to say the gender of the audience would be heavily favoured in one direction. But as Avatar appeals to both genders it attracts a wider audience.

3D/Special Effects –

The 3D has been continually hyped since almost the day James Cameron confirmed it would be filmed in this dimension. Numerous articles and features in the newspapers, websites, television programmes etc all discussing the new innovative technology that would finally bring the 3D immersion that Cameron desired.

Anticipation –

James Cameron had reportedly written a script of Avatar back in 1994, but because the technology then couldn’t match his vision the movie was held back. Thus we have had to wait almost 15 years after first hearing about Cameron’s next big movie. That’s a long time, and no wonder each little news snippet that was released between this period only helped increase the hype bit by bit.


Titanic –

When your movie wins 11, that’s right 11 Oscars and becomes the highest-grossing film of all time, it’s perhaps unsurprising that everyone is waiting to see what that director does next. It could be fair to say that once some people heard Avatar was to be directed by the same person as Titanic, it perhaps convinced them to go see it.

Marketing/Word of Mouth –

The marketing for Avatar was genius, with only tiny snippets of information being released early on before a massive worldwide launch of the first Avatar trailer. Movie Trailer websites crashed under the load and forums went crazy with discussion as the film that had been already been highly anticipated was finally revealed. The power of word of mouth shouldn’t be underestimated. If a family or friend recommends a film to you, then you are probably more likely to see it. Thus with the millions going to see Avatar around the world and then recommending it to their own family or friends you can kind of see how it is close to topping the all-time charts.

Sci-Fi –

Science Fiction movies always have a good chance of being a box office success due to the fan base. The likes of Star Wars, Alien and The Matrix have huge fan bases with millions of dedicated followers. The Internet has been waiting for the next cultural phenomenon, and Avatar has filled that void. Numerous fan sites and forums have been setup in worship and some dedicated fans are reportedly suffering from depression after longing to live in Pandora.

That’s it. Those six points above are what I think has made Avatar into the box office success it is.

James Underwood

Do you agree? Is there anything missing? Perhaps you were rather disappointed with Avatar?

Either way, let us know in the comments below:

Our Predictions on who the BAFTA winners will be

With this years film BAFTA nominations announced today, it felt fitting that we give you our predictions on who will pickup the awards in the feature film categories.

2009 was enough great year for cinema and you the film lovers clearly thought so too, with the highest number of admissions since 2002!

Whether you think it’s fair or not, we believe Avatar will run away with the prizes and in all honestly you have to say deservedly so. With anything that has had such hype there will always be the critics but the millions and millions of people going to see Avatar every day can’t exactly be wrong.

Don’t forget to comment below if you have your own views on who you think should/will win an award.

Anyway, here are our predictions on who will be the winners of the Orange British Academy Film Awards in 2010:

BEST FILM

AVATAR - Predicted Winner
AN EDUCATION
THE HURT LOCKER
PRECIOUS: BASED ON THE NOVEL PUSH BY SAPPHIRE
UP IN THE AIR





OUTSTANDING BRITISH FILM

AN EDUCATION - Predicted Winner
FISH TANK
IN THE LOOP
MOON
NOWHERE BOY








OUTSTANDING DEBUT BY A BRITISH WRITER, DIRECTOR OR PRODUCER

LUCY BAILEY, ANDREW THOMPSON, ELIZABETH MORGAN HEMLOCK, DAVID PEARSON Directors, Producers –Mugabe and the White African
ERAN CREEVY Writer/Director – Shifty
STUART HAZELDINE Writer/Director – Exam
DUNCAN JONES Director – Moon - Predicted Winner
SAM TAYLOR-WOOD Director – Nowhere Boy




DIRECTOR

AVATAR James Cameron - Predicted Winner
DISTRICT 9 Neill Blomkamp
AN EDUCATION Lone Scherfig
THE HURT LOCKER Kathryn Bigelow
INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS Quentin Tarantino






ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

THE HANGOVER Jon Lucas, Scott Moore
THE HURT LOCKER Mark Boal - Predicted Winner
INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS Quentin Tarantino
A SERIOUS MAN Joel Coen, Ethan Coen
UP Bob Peterson, Pete Docter







ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

DISTRICT 9
AN EDUCATION
IN THE LOOP
PRECIOUS: BASED ON THE NOVEL PUSH BY SAPPHIRE
UP IN THE AIR - Predicted Winner






FILM NOT IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE

BROKEN EMBRACES
COCO BEFORE CHANEL
LET THE RIGHT ONE IN
A PROPHET
THE WHITE RIBBON - Predicted Winner






ANIMATED FILM

CORALINE
FANTASTIC MR FOX
UP - Predicted Winner











LEADING ACTOR

JEFF BRIDGES Crazy Heart - Predicted Winner
GEORGE CLOONEY Up in the Air
COLIN FIRTH A Single Man
JEREMY RENNER The Hurt Locker
ANDY SERKIS Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll





LEADING ACTRESS

CAREY MULLIGAN An Education - Predicted Winner
SAOIRSE RONAN The Lovely Bones
GABOUREY SIDIBE Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire
MERYL STREEP Julie & Julia
AUDREY TAUTOU Coco Before Chanel






SUPPORTING ACTOR

ALEC BALDWIN It’s Complicated
CHRISTIAN McKAY Me and Orson Welles
ALFRED MOLINA An Education
STANLEY TUCCI The Lovely Bones
CHRISTOPH WALTZ Inglourious Basterds - Predicted Winner







SUPPORTING ACTRESS

ANNE-MARIE DUFF Nowhere Boy
VERA FARMIGA Up in the Air
ANNA KENDRICK Up in the Air
MO’NIQUE Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire - Predicted Winner
KRISTIN SCOTT THOMAS Nowhere Boy







MUSIC

AVATAR
CRAZY HEART
FANTASTIC MR FOX
SEX & DRUGS & ROCK & ROLL - Predicted Winner
UP






CINEMATOGRAPHY

AVATAR - Predicted Winner
DISTRICT 9
THE HURT LOCKER
INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS
THE ROAD








EDITING

AVATAR
DISTRICT 9 Julian Clarke - Predicted Winner
THE HURT LOCKER
INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS
UP IN THE AIR






PRODUCTION DESIGN

AVATAR
DISTRICT 9
HARRY POTTER AND THE HALF-BLOOD PRINCE
THE IMAGINARIUM OF DOCTOR PARNASSUS - Predicted Winner
INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS




COSTUME DESIGN

BRIGHT STAR
COCO BEFORE CHANEL - Predicted Winner
AN EDUCATION
A SINGLE MAN
THE YOUNG VICTORIA








SOUND

AVATAR - Predicted Winner
DISTRICT 9
THE HURT LOCKER
STAR TREK
UP








SPECIAL VISUAL EFFECTS

AVATAR - Predicted Winner
DISTRICT 9
HARRY POTTER AND THE HALF-BLOOD PRINCE
THE HURT LOCKER
STAR TREK





MAKE UP & HAIR

COCO BEFORE CHANEL
AN EDUCATION
THE IMAGINARIUM OF DOCTOR PARNASSUS
NINE - Predicted Winner
THE YOUNG VICTORIA

Vote for your favourite film soundtrack composer!

Classic FM wants to know your all time classical music Top 3, so it’s down to you to vote for your favourite film soundtrack composers to make sure they win! Hall of Fame is Classic FM’s biggest chart compilation that has been a huge success since launching in 1996.

Will the winner be James Horner’s exquisite new score from Avatar or perhaps a classic from Titanic which remains today the best selling film soundtrack of all time? The battle has commenced, so nominate your favourite to decide who is going to win!

Visit http://www.classicfmhalloffame.co.uk/ to vote for your favourites. Type the details of the piece or composer you'd like to vote for in the box and search from the list of thousands of pieces chosen in previous years by other listeners. If your favourite isn't listed, you can also follow the instructions to type it in manually. The list of suggestions is simply there to help you vote as easily as possible - but it's by no means restrictive.

Online voting closes at 23:59 on Sunday 31 January 2010. The brand new Top 300 will be revealed on Classic FM across the Easter weekend from 2-5 April 2010.

For further information visit http://www.classicfmhalloffame.co.uk/