James Cameron’s Avatar series is one of the few blockbusters that was not inspired by existing comic books. It is his original work that showed his ability to weave a story with cutting-edge visuals.
The first installment of Cameron’s Avatar series broke the $1 billion barrier on the 19th day of its international release, becoming the first movie to do so in just 19 days. Avatar: The Way of Water, the second film, on the other hand, has once again experienced phenomenal success at the box office, breaking numerous records and bringing in over $2 billion globally, making it the highest-grossing film of 2022.
The success of the film was a huge win for the director. Even, for the lead actress, Zoe Saldaña, this epic science fiction film series holds a special place in her heart.
Saldaña reportedly “moved to tears” after watching 20 minutes of Avatar: The Way Of Water. She is a formidable actress who has grown throughout her career from her breakthrough performance in the ballet drama Center Stage to becoming one of the highest-grossing actresses on today’s movie screens.
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Zoe Saldaña Wasn’t ‘Expecting’ James Cameron’s Avatar Films To Reach The $2B Mark?
Avatar: The Way of Water was released 13 years after the first (2009) and gave Zoe Saldaña and the cast the exciting opportunity to introduce the audience to a brand-new world of Pandora.
In an interview with WWD (last year), the actress who played Neytiri te Tskaha Mo’at’ite said:
“Avatar,’ it’s just my baby. It’s everybody’s baby. And to see this baby now being a teenager, like a young adult and getting to share it with the world is just…I felt like this day would never come and it’s finally here.”
Saldaña thought that the revival of it was also very exciting and that the “reintroduction” was also “refreshing”. Additionally, she wasn’t expecting to achieve the same outcomes as the first James Cameron movie. To quote her:
“Look, I’m not aiming to get the same results that we got in the first one because that was a surprise. That was a wonderful surprise. We were not expecting it. And the reception was just imaginably beautiful. Obviously I’m hoping for ‘Avatar 2: The Way of Water’ to have a very beautiful impact on people. But it’s not for the sake of breaking any records or making a ton of money. I think this saga is special. It was made with a lot of love and a lot of work. And it’s an experience worth having.”
It is only natural to reflect on how Saldaña’s life and career have changed over the past 13 years, given that the first Avatar film was released.
“In terms of the way that I approach work, I seem to have gone back to the way I started, which is just to give 120 percent and do the homework and go to bed early and focus on my work. But after ‘Avatar,’ when you’re young and all of the time you have, the opportunity to travel and to go to lavish dinners and wear beautiful outfits and the nightlife became very attractive.”
Zoe Saldaña Outlined A Personal Connection To Neytiri’s Story
Zoe Saldaña previously stated that she has a personal connection to the narrative of her character in Avatar and Avatar: The Way of Water. She claimed that becoming a parent caused her to experience the fear of losing a loved one, which has helped her to better relate to her character:
“In my personal life, when I became a parent, fear entered my realm. The fear of losing something that you love so much, you know? And you just spend a great deal of your time creating these hypothetical scenarios that just unimaginable.”
The actress, 45 continued:
“When I read the second script, that was her, that was Neytiri. But I didn’t see it then. I see it now. Because my job wasn’t to see it, my job was to be it.”
James Cameron added in response to Saldaña’s remarks:
“I hadn’t really thought of it in those terms, but that’s it exactly. I mean you may be fearless when you don’t have kids. You learn fear when you have kids, when you have something greater than yourself that you could lose. And that’s what both of your characters are dealing with.”
Critics gave Avatar: The Way of Water generally favorable reviews, praising the technical and visual effects. It was a huge box office hit, shattering numerous records and earning more than $2.320 billion globally, making it the highest-grossing movie of 2022.
Three more sequels are in the works, with the next film due out in December 2025.
Meanwhile, you can stream Avatar and Avatar: The Way of Water on Disney Plus, Max, and DIRECTV.
Source- WWD
