Of course it opened huge - Jason Statham is no slouch! Ok, the megalodon has something to do with it too.
THE MEG opened this past weekend to the tune of $44.5 million with the overseas markets yet to come on stream. That's an impressive debut. Rottentomatoes.com critics has the movie at a 49% rotten rating while audiences gave it a 61%. Personally I liked it. I still haven't seen it in 3D yet (*GASP* I know right?!), but I will in the coming week or so. I had to catch the flat version as it was the only screening at the time and I was on a tight schedule. I'm really looking forward to seeing some of those action scenes in 3D because I think they nailed it. Some excellent editing really brings the Meg into your lap - even in 2D.
China played a large part in the making of the movie (very evident from the credits and content) and should open amazingly well in that country. Seriously. AMAZINGLY well. And that's a good thing for Warner Bros. - THE MEG cost $130m to make.
I think Shark Week on the Discovery Channel helped the cause - they even had a show entitled "Megalodon: Fact vs. Fiction" to help feed the frenzy.
You know, we should look into using old dino-DNA to bring back Meg. I mean, what could go wrong?
Jason Mamoa doesn't need any help! Are you kidding me? C'mon. And director James Wan agrees. Usually these days, superhero movies will bring in a supporting cast to borrow their star power for the movie obviously, but also to build excitement for the universe and any ensemble movies - like JUSTICE LEAGUE.
But AQUAMAN will face Black Manta and King Orm without Batman, Superman, et al.
Says Wan:"I wanted to keep the story to the world of AQUAMAN and not have to worry about what other characters are doing in their films and how that would affect us. I just thought the simplest way was to keep it clean — keep it simple and let it be an AQUAMAN story."
He continues:"I told them I understand and respect that it’s part of a bigger universe but at the end of the day I have to tell the story I want to tell, and I want to develop the character as well. It was something the studio was respectful about… in my movie he starts off one way and becomes very different by the end. It’s a classic hero’s journey. I equate our story to The Sword and the Stone, it’s a very Arthurian story about a journey to becoming king."
Perfect! This is a pure James Wan movie. Exactly what I was hoping for - bring it!
Of course, post credit scenes weren't discussed. Sooooo... there's that. Potentially there will be some JUSTICE LEAGUE influence after all.
Here's the movie's storyline:
From Warner Bros. Pictures and director James Wan comes an action-packed adventure that spans the vast, visually breathtaking underwater world of the seven seas, AQUAMAN starring Jason Momoa in the title role. The film reveals the origin story of half-human, half-Atlantean Arthur Curry and takes him on the journey of his lifetime—one that will not only force him to face who he really is, but to discover if he is worthy of who he was born to be... a king.
The film also stars Amber Heard ("Justice League," "Magic Mike XXL") as Mera, a firece warrior and Aquaman's ally throughout his journey; Oscarnominee Willem Dafoe ("Platoon," "Spider-Man 2") as Vulko, council to the Atlantean throne; Patrick Wilson ("The Conjuring" films, "Watchmen") as Orm/Ocean Master, the present King of Atlantis; Dolph Lundgren ("The Expendables" films) as Nereus, King of the Atlantean tribe Xebel; Yahya Abdul-Mateen II (upcoming "Baywatch," "Netflix's The Get Down") as the vengeful Black Manta; and Oscar winner Nicole Kidman ("The Hours" "Lion") as Arthrur's mom, Atlanna; as well as Ludi Lin ("Power Rangers") as Captain Murk, Atlantean Commando; and Temuera Morrison ("Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones," "Green Lantern") as Arthur's dad, Tom Curry.
Wan directs from a screenplay by David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick ("The Conjuring 2") and Will Beall ("Gangstar Squad," TV's "Training Day"), story by Geoff Johns and James Wan and Will Beal, based on characters from DC, Aquaman created by Paul Norris and Mort Weisnger. the film is produced by Peter Safran and Rob Cowan, with Deborah Snyder, Zack Snyder, Jon Berg, Geoff Johns and Walter Hamada serving as executive producers.
Wan's team behind the scenes includes such frequent collaborators as Oscar-nominated director of photography Don Burgess ("The Conjuring 2," "Forrest Gump"), his five-time editor Kirk Morri ("The Conjuring" films, "Furious 7," the "Insidious" films), and production designer Bill Brzeski ("Furious 7"). They are joined by costume designer Kym Barrett ("The Matrix" trilogy, "The Amazing Spider-Man") and composer Rupert Gregson-Williams ("Wonder Woman").
Wow. I saw MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE - FALLOUT last Friday and it was amazing! The action is impeccably done and the movie is peppered with it. With Tom Cruise front and center performing his stunts! FALLOUT has already secured the franchise record for opening weekend box office with $61m ($156m worldwide). It should be well over $200m domestically for the run.
For me, when Ethan Hunt has a love interest involved in the story, everything is amped up a bit more. Definitely applies here. FALLOUT delivers. The stakes are extremely high and I'm caring about the characters.
The 3D conversion was also impeccably done, led by a friend of mine, Corey Turner over at Paramount. The depth was dialed up when it was needed with some very cool tracking shots close to the ground that showed me this movie is nailing it. And the aerial 3D shots? Hold your breath! Plenty of time for the eyes to rest too. Congrats Corey! Next up for Corey is BUMBLEBEE, slated for a December 21 release.
As usual, awesome credits and musical score. Look, if you enjoy spy movies, plots where YOU HAVE TO PAY ATTENTION, characters to care about and technically proficient delivery, go see MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE - FALLOUT.
**UPDATED: Check out the trailer and QandA below!!
I've been waiting for a LONG time for this movie and finally, we have the first trailer to take in! Today at 11am Eastern, James Cameron, Robert Rodriguez, Jon Landau and Rosa Salazar will be hosting the trailer on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/AlitaMovie), as well as a question and answer session.
Here's the movie's storyline: From visionary filmmakers James Cameron (AVATAR) and Robert Rodriguez (SIN CITY), comes ALITA: BATTLE ANGEL, an epic adventure of hope and empowerment. When Alita (Rosa Salazar) awakens with no memory of who she is in a future world she does not recognize, she is taken in by Ido (Christoph Waltz), a compassionate doctor who realizes that somewhere in this abandoned cyborg shell is the heart and soul of a young woman with an extraordinary past. As Alita learns to navigate her new life and the treacherous streets of Iron City, Ido tries to shield her from her mysterious history while her street-smart new friend Hugo (Keean Johnson) offers instead to help trigger her memories. But it is only when the deadly and corrupt forces that run the city come after Alita that she discovers a clue to her past – she has unique fighting abilities that those in power will stop at nothing to control. If she can stay out of their grasp, she could be the key to saving her friends, her family and the world she’s grown to love.
The movie also stars Jennifer Connelly, Mahershala Ali, Jackie Earle Haley, and Ed Skrein.
Set your calendar so you don't miss it! ALITA: BATTLE ANGEL opens on December 21.
It's on! If you're headed to San Diego's Comic-Con you may have an opportunity to see James Cameron's and Robert Rodriguez's ALITA: BATTLE ANGEL!... if you successfully complete a scavenger hunt in time (only 100 tickets up for grabs) to win tickets to the event.
The hunt involves visiting 6 booths at Comic-Con (Loot Crate, Sideshow (Prime 1), Sideshow (Hot Toys), Weta Workshop, Titan Entertainment, Funko) to collect stickers. Note that the event will not be at the Con, but instead at the Regal Theater Horton Plaza (this Friday, July 20).
Ok, it's a sneak peek, but there will be questions and answers with some cast members (Rosa Salazar and Keean Johnson), Rodriguez and producer Jon Landau.
Says Landau:"What makes it special is that it has the trademarks of a typical James Cameron movie. It has a strong female protagonist with universal themes. Alita as a character goes on a journey of self-discovery. She thinks of herself as an insignificant girl. Through her journey, she comes to realize that within her is the ability to make a difference. I can think of no greater universal message today."
The QandA is worth the effort alone, but of course, the sneak peek is sure to blow the roof off of the theater. Wish I was going this year! If you are going and feel up to the challenge - good luck! ALITA: BATTLE ANGEL is slated for release on December 21, 2018.
I saw JURASSIC WORLD: FALLEN KINGDOM last night in AVX 3D and had a great time. Definitely a popcorn movie and certainly with horror elements to it, which any dinosaur movie worth any measure should be. I will say that I KNOW there will be some who hate the movie (50% Tomatometer) for reasons I can't into right now without spoilers - but I, for one, love popcorn movies sometimes. JWFK made $15.3m in Thursday preview showings and is expected to take a $140m bite oout of the box office this weekend. It has already made $450m overseas where it has already opened.
The 3D is good and certainly did not detract from the movie whatsoever. The production is a 3D conversion meaning it was shot with conventional 2D cameras and converted in post. The depth added immersion for me and I actually jumped a bit during one shot - which is rare for me. You'll love it!
Director J.A. Bayona pays significant homage to Steven Spielberg's original with this outing and loved every second of those scenes. You'll know it when you see them :-)
There are a couple of mindblowing twists in this movie toward the end so be prepared for shocks.
Here's the movie's storyline: Three years after the destruction of the Jurassic World theme park, Owen Grady, and Claire Dearing return to the island of Isla Nublar to save the remaining dinosaurs from a volcano that's about to erupt. They soon encounter terrifying new breeds of gigantic dinosaurs, while uncovering a conspiracy that threatens the entire planet.
Cast:
Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard, Rafe Spall, Justice Smith, Daniella Pineda, James Cromwell, Toby Jones, Ted Levine, B.D. Wong, Geraldine Chaplin, Jeff Goldblum, Robert Emms, Peter Jason, John Schwab, Sam Redford, Charlie Rawes, Patrick Crowley, Ronan Summers, Daryl Kwan, Eric Kofi Abrefa, Ben Peel, Mark Griffin, Gil Kolirin
Brad Bird's INCREDIBLES 2 looks to give FINDING DOREY (sorry DORY) a superhero punch to the box office chops. FINDING DORY has held the animated box office crown since 2016 with a take of $135m in its opening weekend, and now I2 is looking to land with an estimated $180m!
In fact, I2 more than doubled FINDING DORY's record Thursday night previews ($9.2m) with a staggering $18.5m.
With its A+ Cinema Score and a current 94% fresh on RottenTomatoes(audiences have it pegged at 90%), there really is nothing holding the sequel back from many, many more records. If you haven't seen it yet - it's definitely something to add to your things to see.
Hi everyone! It's been awhile and I'm looking forward to posting daily and often. I'm going to kick things off by asking your opinion on where you'd like to see MarketSaw go in the future.
It's a sad fact that 3D movies have a couple of black eyes from the lack of native 3D productions being shot and that 3D home entertainment is practically dead. Sure, there are plenty of converted 3D movies out there but that doesn't translate to an optimal movie-going experience in the theater. Has 3D conversion improved over the years? Absolutely. Is it equivalent to a natively shot 3D production? No.
And no major manufacturer is producing 3D televisions anymore. Such a shame - just when LG just about nailed it.
So where are? Well VR (virtual reality) and AR (augmented reality) are certainly in play but there must be valid business uses for them. Gaming? Sure. But I'm talking mainstream entertainment - how can VR and AR add to our movie-going experience? I've seen some interesting demos and videos on various company's products that are certainly cool, but I'm not seeing how the industry can make money in a substantial and sustained way.
I'd like to include VR and AR with the 3D pedigree of this site because, well, 3D is a key component of VR. They're intricately related.
What kind of VR/AR/3D news, reviews and interviews would you like to see on MarketSaw? You can send me an email (it's in the contact me area at the bottom of every page), comment on this post, or call me on my cell if you have the number.
THANKS! I appreciate your reading loyalty over the years and I'm really looking forward to launching a new focus!
Wow. So the big question is who dies in this thing. There are a few hints dropped in this trailer but actually I'm not convinced that anyone dies in the first of these two Infinity Wars movies. I think that will certainly happen in the second though. We'll see.
Loving the interaction between the Guardians and Tony Stark! That's perfect Peter Quill if you ask me. With all these characters butting heads in this thing, who are you most looking forward to seeing interacting?
So check out this trailer! After all these years it all comes down to this. Seriously, Marvel already has an amazing stable of outstanding movies - well written and played out. They have had all this time to nail down exactly what needs to happen and to add the meat to the bones - this is all the marbles. These movies are going to blow us away I'm sure!
Marvel's AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR opens on April 27.
Hey guys, here's some cool new marketing material for SOLO: A STAR WARS STORY - first up, some colorful posters to whet your appetite! I think Chewie is frozen in time :-) And nice that Emilia Clarke got to keep her accent - good call.
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Here's the movie's storyline: Board the Millennium Falcon and journey to a galaxy far, far away in SOLO: A STAR WARS STORY, an all-new adventure with the most beloved scoundrel in the galaxy. Through a series of daring escapades deep within a dark and dangerous criminal underworld, Han Solo befriends his mighty future copilot Chewbacca and meets the notorious gambler Lando Calrissian, in a journey that will set the course of one of the Star Wars saga’s most unlikely heroes.
SOLO stars: Alden Ehrenreich, Donald Glover, Emilia Clarke, Woody Harrelson, Thandie Newton, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, and Paul Bettany. Directed by Ron Howard.
SOLO is slated for release on May 25. Cannot wait!
While it's true James Cameron is sadly not directing ALITA: BATTLE ANGEL due to the AVATAR sequel commitments, he DID write the screenplay along with Laeta Kalogridis and Robert Rodriguez, the latter of which is also directing. Of course the whole thing is based on the graphic novel manga series GUNNM by Yukito Kishiro.
And this project has been percolating in Cameron's head for some time now as he did intend to direct this at one point. Only good things come from that. Hopefully, much of what he had dreamed up for the movie has been adopted by Rodriguez. They have got an interesting take in the trailer, because you want to create lifelike beings, but at the same time reflect their artificial nature. I think they've succeeded. So far. Got. To. See. More.
The cast includes: Rosa Salazar, Christoph Waltz, Jennifer Connelly, Mahershala Ali, Ed Skrein, Jackie Earle Haley and Keean Johnson. I think Salazar looks great in this - so far so good with casting, though it's a very small sample size.
Want the good news or the bad news? Bad news? Ok. The first sequel to the record-breaking James Cameron opus AVATAR will not be released in 2018.
James Cameron:"Well, 2018 is not happening. We haven’t announced a firm release date. What people have to understand is that this is a cadence of releases. So we’re not making Avatar 2. We’re making Avatar 2, 3, 4 and 5. It’s an epic undertaking. It’s not unlike building the Three Gorges dam. (Laughs) So I know where I’m going to be for the next eight years of my life. It’s not an unreasonable time frame if you think about it. It took us four-and-a-half years to make one movie and now we’re making four. We’re full tilt boogie right now. This is my day job and pretty soon we’ll be 24-7. We’re pretty well designed on all our creatures and sets. It’s pretty exciting stuff. I wish I could share with the world. But we have to preserve a certain amount of showmanship and we’re going to draw that curtain when the time is right."
The good news is Cameron and his team are going full bore now. It takes a tremendous amount of work to get even one movie of this scope made, let alone four of them concurrently. Cameron is now keyed in. Once they hit 24-7 as he says, we'll see some amazing progress.
The delay doesn't surprise me, but now that the wheels are in motion and barring any technological problems we should see their next date stick. Sure it's disappointing to hear of further delays but we all want amazing movies. I'm sure we'll get that. Stay tuned.
Ok I feel much more confident about these estimates. I was never good with the seemingly rushed schedules that were announced with finished scripts in hand, but now things are progressing as I had originally envisaged. James Cameron has announced at Cinemacon that the AVATAR universe will have four sequels, not 3 and that the releases are slated for 2018, 2020, 2022 and 2023.
Says Cameron: "We have decided to embark on a truly massive cinematic project, making four epic films, each of which stands alone but together forms a complete saga."
Further Cameron states: "I’ve been working with the top four screenwriters and designers in the world to design the world of Avatar going forward. The environments, new cultures - whatever it takes to bring it to life. From what I’m seeing of the art on the wall, in pure imagination, is just beyond the first film. I’m speechless."
Man I miss Cinemacon! I've got to get back next year. To personally miss announcements like this hurt me on a physical level! Happy to hear there are 4 sequels now. It explains a lot about why things got delayed and the mindset of the creatives and the studio. Can't wait to start hearing more about the projects. Remember, Cameron already had a massive budget in place for 3 sequels already - add on a fourth and wow! That's a sizable commitment from 20th Century Fox.And commitment from Cameron - he will be one busy man for the next 7-8 years.
Some pulling up going on too. WONDER WOMAN is being pulled up to a slated release date 3 weeks earlier to June 2, 2017. Showing us some confidence?I hope so. I really enjoyed Gal Gadot's performance in the role in BATMAN v SUPERMAN - one of the few aspects of that movie that I didn't have any issues.
Meanwhile, Andy Serkis' JUNGLE BOOK: ORIGINS has been pushed out a full year from October 6, 2017 to October 19, 2018. I also view this as a positive with not only giving Serkis more time to deliver on his performance capture promises but also allowing audiences some breathing room from Jon Favreau's THE JUNGLE BOOK offering (which looks amazing) opening next week on April 15. It will feature the voices of Benedict Cumberbatch, Christian Bale and Cate Blanchett among others.
Said Serkis: "I’ve got to say that personally I’m absolutely thrilled that Warner Brothers have changed the delivery date of our movie. The ambition for this project is huge. What we are attempting is an unprecedented level of psychological and emotional nuance in morphing the phenomenal performances of our cast into the facial expressions of our animals."
Further to Warner Bros announcement of these changes, they added dates for a couple of untitled DC Comics launches: October 5, 2018 and November 1, 2019.
Batman? Nolan's not directing. Superman? I like Cavill in the role but I'm not completely sold on Snyder's directing him. DC universe? I still haven't seen how they're bringing it all together and I'm worried.
I'll tell you one movie I'm NOT worried about - AQUAMAN. I think DC has swung for the fences and landed a perfect team and the cornerstone is James freakin' Wan. Warner Bros just confirmed that Wan is directing and supervising the script (being written by 300's Kurt Johnstad - another strong move) and I couldn't be more thrilled.
So we have Wan who is arguably the hottest director in Hollywood right now (Furious 7 will soon be 3rd all time behind Cameron's 1-2 punch of AVATAR and TITANIC) and he's prolific - something Cameron does not do (NO, I'm not saying he's better than Cameron. C'mon).
Add in the writing of the militaristic Johnstad (300, 300: RISE OF AN EMPIRE, ACT OF VALOR) and you've got the solid backbone of a major hit already.
But now, add in the SOLID casting of Jason Momoa as AQUAMAN himself and the picture is complete. So while I'm standoffish regarding the DC cinematic universe, I'm all in for this movie. I think it will cornerstone the expansion of DC's plans much more so many think and may surprise even the top brass at Warners.
I think this is perfect casting and really amplifies my expectations for BATMAN V. SUPERMAN: DAWN OF JUSTICE. Jason Momoa just fits this role. Certainly the character needed presence as with any comic book superhero it can be a stretch to attain suspension of disbelief, but especially for the more marginal heroes and their abilities. Momoa definitely brings presence and the image shows how director Zach Snyder and DC are tackling his costume and weapon of choice.
Brilliant use of tattoos to mimic the traditional Aquaman costume! The tats also bring to mind cultural tattoos from the pacific islands - part of Momoa's heritage (his father is of native Hawaiian descent).
Momoa joins a stellar cast in BATMAN V. SUPERMAN: DAWN OF JUSTICE namely Henry Cavill (Superman), Ben Affleck (Batman), Gal Gadot (Wonder Woman), Jesse Eisenberg (Lex Luther), Jeremy Irons (Alfred), Amy Adams, Diane Lane and Laurence Fishburne. Aquaman's exposure has been carefully planned and he is expected to have presence in JUSTICE LEAGUE PART ONE (slated for November 17, 2017), AQUAMAN (July 27, 2018) and JUSTICE LEAGUE PART TWO (June 14, 2019).
BATMAN V. SUPERMAN: DAWN OF JUSTICE is slated for a March 25, 2016 release.
Marvel held a fan and press day today in Hollywood and revealed their movie lineup through to 2019. On hand at the event was the ever present producer Kevin Feige, Chadwick Boseman (BLACK PANTHER), Chris Evans (CAPTAIN AMERICA) and Robert Downey Jr. (IRON MAN).
That's huge news on the casting of BLACK PANTHER! Chadwick Boseman is probably best known for playing Jackie Robinson in 42. It's significant to note that Benedict Cumberbatch was not on hand and Marvel has not yet signed him on as DOCTOR STRANGE."If it was confirmed, we would have announced it today."
Further - pay heed that THE AVENGERS 3 will be broken down into two parts - INFINITY WAR: PART 1 and PART 2 which we kinda knew already.
Here are today's announced Marvel release dates and titles:
Captain America 3: Civil War – May 6, 2016 Doctor Strange – Nov. 6, 2016 Guardians of the Galaxy 2 – May 5, 2017 Thor: Ragnarok – July 28, 2018 Black Panther – Nov. 3, 2017 The Avengers 3– Infinity War: Part 1 – May 4, 2018 Captain Marvel – July 6, 2018 Inhumans – Nov. 2, 2018 The Avengers 3 – Infinity War: Part 2 – 2019
I had anticipated a twist in how Sigourney Weaver would be brought back to life in the sequels - this is sci-fi after all, so why not a different character? It makes sense. Perhaps a part of Ewya (the Na'vi "God" of Pandora)? Perhaps representing Ewya? Hmmm.
The news is exciting as it kind of delineates official communication about the AVATAR sequels from Cameron and the studio. The statement was made by Cameron and 20th Century Fox Monday.
Anyway, here's what James Cameron had to say bringing this to light: "Sigourney and I have a long creative history, dating back to 1985 when we made ‘Aliens. We’re good friends who’ve always worked well together, so it just feels right that she’s coming back for the Avatar sequels. Her character of Grace Augustine, as fans know, died in the first movie, so she’s playing a different and in many ways more challenging character in the upcoming films. We’re both looking forward to this new creative challenge, the latest chapter in our long and continuing collaboration."
Yes, Cameron said sequels - plural. Weaver will be playing this new character through at least 2 of the 3 upcoming movies it seems.
More info when I get it! AVATAR 2, 3 and 4 are slate for release in December 2016, 2017 and 2018 respectively. For all of our AVATAR news, click here.Thanks Morka for the heads up :-)
So James Cameron had some interesting things to say at the LA Times Hero Complex Film Festival over the weekend and in particular about writing AVATAR 2, 3 and 4.
At this point we know about his writing team of Shane Salerno (AVATAR 4), Amanda Silver and Rick Jaffa (Married and co-writers on AVATAR 3) and Josh Friedman (AVATAR 2), but we didn't know how it would all work. How do you bring together 5 writers (Cameron is obviously involved too) to get these productions done back to back to back?
Well as it turns out, I don't need to paraphrase what was said as Cameron can communicate very well - so here are his comments:
James Cameron:"We tried an experiment. We set ourselves a challenge of writing three films at the same time. I knew I could certainly write any one of them but to write three in some reasonable amount of time – we wanted to shoot them together so we couldn’t start one until all three scripts were done and approved. So I knew I was going to have to ‘parallel process’ which meant I would have to work with other writers. And the best experience I had working with other writers was in television when I did Dark Angel. The television room is a highly collaborative and fun experience. So we put together a team, three teams actually — one for each script. The teams consist of me and another writer on each one of those three films. Each [individual writer] would have their own script that they’re responsible for. But what we did that was unique beforehand was we sat in a writing room for five-months eight-hours-a-day and we worked out every beat of the story across all three films so it all connects as one three film saga. I didn’t tell [the three writers] which sequel was going to be theirs to write until the very last day. So everybody was equally invested story-wise in all three films. So the guy that got the third movie, which is the middle film of this new trilogy, he now knows what preceded and what follows out of what he’s writing at any given moment. We all consider that to be a really exciting, creative and groundbreaking experiment in screenwriting. It worked as a process to get our minds around this epic and all these new creatures and environments and characters."
Love how he did not disclose who would be writing what early on! That would cultivate the best ideas from all of them during the massive group sessions so that they can be spread out equally and thoughtfully throughout the timeline. It would also lead to cohesiveness of the storyline too - you don't want abrupt changes from one movie to the next. I'm thrilled to hear how this was done!
AVATAR 2 is slated for a December 2016 release with AVATAR 3 and 4 due out in 2017 and 2018.
Exciting update from Kiwi!! As expected the month of release for AVATAR 2, 3 and 4 will all be December for 2016, 2017 and 2018. New Zealand is all smiles as it was also announced that the island nation will be front and center with the productions as well.
The anticipated budget for the trio of sequels is a mind boggling $412 million (US), mostly for live action and VFX. Work has ALREADY BEGUN at Peter Jackson's Weta.
Apparently the AVATAR productions will be enjoying a 25% government rebate. The agreement also states that the DVD and Blu Ray releases will showcase a featurette on New Zealand, 90% of the live action crew are to be Kiwis, New Zealand will have at minimum one official red carpet premiere and an internship program will be set up.
MarketSaw friend and mega producer Jon Landau was also on hand.
You can view the announcement below (Be sure to full screen it for a better view).
