The Avatar 2 Screen Guide: How To Choose The Right Format

With director James Cameron's CGI mega-spectacle "Avatar: The Way of Water" now in theaters, the question on many movie-goers' minds is simple: where should I see the flick? As the feverishly anticipated follow-up to the all-time champion of ticket-selling blockbusters, the "Avatar" sequel has some big off-world boots to fill, both with the public and Disney studio accountants.

The truth is, as Cameron told Forbes, "Avatar: The Way of Water" was so incredibly expensive to make and advertise that if it wants to recoup its upfront costs, it will need to deliver at least the fifth-best box office return in cinema history. While its predecessor's performance makes it reasonable to expect a repeat box office triumph over the holiday season, "Avatar 2" faces a slowly recovering big-screen environment still haunted by the ghost of Covid past (per The Hollywood Reporter). So, for fans eager to revisit the planet, Pandora, in all its mind-blowing visual splendor, what theater and film format should they choose to IMAX-out their "Avatar 2" viewing bliss?

As detailed in the Forbes article, there are multiple choices to sort through when pondering the best way to see "Avatar: The Way of Water" in theaters. First of all, considering the fabulous amount of cash, effort, and mo-cap time lavished on the film, discerning movie-goers should seek out a premium screen format such as IMAX or Dolby Cinema when making their plans. 

The next considerations for optimal viewing involve delving into some fairly fine-grain filmic minutiae. As u/oochas posted on the r/4kbluray subreddit, they will be "seeing it in the biggest IMAX theater in the area with dual lasers, even though I have now gone down the rabbit hole and learned that it's not optimal for this movie." Why is dual-laser IMAX sub-optimal? It turns out single-laser is best for the high-resolution 4K, high frame rate (HFR) tech used in "Avatar 2." 

There are also other factors involved when playing which-theater roulette. As Endgadget.com reports, the movie will "be screening in 4K, HFR and 3D at all AMC Dolby Cinema locations and select IMAX theaters [but] some dual-laser screens will only offer 2K 3D with HFR." So, fans will need to parse all of the above and then some as they Na'vi-gate their way through the many options available for viewing the interplanetary cinematic wonders of "Avatar: The Way of Water."