Avatar: Fire And Ash's Early Test Audience Had One Complaint About The Movie
by Jeremy Mathai · /FilmJames Cameron is kind of an expert when it comes to fielding criticisms about his "Avatar" franchise — whether it be jokes about ripping off "Ferngully" or that pesky notion of "cultural relevance." But there's no denying arguably the biggest one of them all. Ever since 2009, skeptics have pointed to the extravagant runtimes for each and every one of the films set on Pandora to this point. As we know, the upcoming "Fire & Ash" is set to beat them all with one clocking in at well over three hours. To fans, it's well worth soaking in every second we get in this fantasy world far from Earth's problems (though clearly not far enough). For detractors, well, it's a lot to ask of audiences looking for a convenient restroom break.
Wouldn't you know it, but that's the exact same issue that cropped up during test screenings of "Fire & Ash." As is industry standard, earlier cuts of the "Avatar" threequel (shown to Disney leadership like Bob Iger) ran even longer ... but, as is also par for the course, Cameron set about trimming this behemoth as much as possible by the time its release date crept closer. That apparently wasn't long enough, though, as the acclaimed filmmaker told The Hollywood Reporter in a recent and extensive profile. But rather than dismiss such feedback, he embraced it. According to Cameron:
"I read every card [from audience members], and I do my own data-driven analysis. There are things that I'll [keep in the film] that are important to me, and there are things where I'm like, 'Okay, that's not a hill I'm going to die on.' I like to please the audience. I'm not somebody that likes the audience to come out of the theater going, 'What the f*** was that?"
To James Cameron, runtime isn't everything in Avatar: Fire & Ash
Still, as much as a director's job is to be open to all points of view, it's equally as important to know when to draw the line. James Cameron has decades of experience under his belt, which obviously came in handy when it came time to shape "Avatar: Fire & Ash" into its final cut. Though his first assembly version ran closer to four hours, Cameron told THR that everyone in attendance responded enthusiastically as to whether they'd be eager to watch the film again. But when those runtime complaints begin to come out of the mouths of studio higher-ups, well, that starts to get a little trickier.
Despite getting "Fire & Ash" to a (comparatively) tighter cut of three hours and 15 minutes, the filmmaker copped to the idea that Disney would've preferred an even shorter version. As he put it, "There's always pressure — [studio notes say,] 'Do we need all this stuff with Quaritch? He's the bad guy.'" As blasphemous as that notion is (Stephen Lang's Quaritch is one of the many highlights of the film, as /Film's Bill Bria notes in his review here), Cameron understands where that's coming from ... even if he's not totally buying it:
"There's a wisdom that's a carryover from decades ago that if we can have more [screenings per day], we'll make more money. But if you engage people, the word will spread. We proved it with 'Titanic,' which is exactly the same length as 'Fire and Ash.'"
Will we have another "Titanic"-sized hit on our hands? Its box office potential will be a story worth watching in the weeks to come. Until then, we wait for "Fire & Ash" to (figuratively) light theaters ablaze on December 19, 2025.