James Cameron has a well-deserved reputation for doing things his way. There are many stories from across his career of butting heads with studio execs skeptical of his vision. For example, he overruled a Fox executive who wanted to cut the Avatar flying sequences for not adding anything to the story. Cameron responded, “It’s allowing people to enjoy the moment,” and kept it in. Needless to say, the movie’s near $3 billion box office haul indicates he won that argument.
However, it seems Cameron is willing to listen to feedback, albeit from the people who pay to see his films on the big screen. The Hollywood Reporter has revealed that on Feb. 16 Cameron hosted a screening of Avatar: The Way of Water and invited super fans of the franchise to give their take on the sequel. The aim was to receive unfiltered feedback on how he could improve things for Avatar 3 and beyond.
“This is something we’ve never done, which is [ask], ‘How do we make the next film even better for the fans?’ Go talk to them, find out what’s on your mind.”
He went on to address the audience:
“You guys can be totally honest with us, this is not just about telling us stuff we want to hear. It’s about telling us the stuff we … need to work on more.”
After the screening, Cameron and producer Jon Landau passed around the microphone and listened to the responses, taking questions about what scenes worked and what didn’t, the visual effects, the overall plot, and whether the movie looked too “video-gamey”.
Star Track tours owner Jeff Napshin attended, and told THR that he’d never seen any director go this far for feedback:
“He also joked about some plot screw-ups that he had to deal with in the movie and how the movie plot constantly changed in editing as they tried to find what worked. I really believe this experience was unique and special, and as James Cameron said, let’s get together in two years and see if our ideas and feedback made the film.”
Cameron rounded out this unique night with a promise:
“I just want to assure you guys that you have made a measurable improvement to Avatar 3 and beyond with your effort here tonight.”
We loved Avatar: The Way of Water, and can’t wait for whatever Avatar 3 turns out to be. With filming already complete, the sequel is now in its lengthy post-production. Here’s hoping they’re cooking up something as mind-blowing as the underwater antics that propelled the second chapter to becoming the third-highest-grossing release of all-time.
Avatar 3 will hit theaters on December 20, 2024.