One of the most anticipated releases of 2022 which may add to the revival of theaters, ‘Avatar: The Way Of Water’ is releasing. After the enthralling and spectacular Disney Con event in April 2022, there has been rising anticipation for the sequel of one of the commercial films in the history of cinema. James Cameron has mounted the film on a much higher level than its predecessor in terms of visual effects, sounds, and the engaging tale of the Na’vi Nation.
The film will have global screening. On December 16th, 2022, ‘Avatar: The Way of Water’ is releasing in China despite the disputes. However, the 20th Century Studio will not be releasing the film in Russia due to its invasion and illegal occupation of Ukrainian land in February 2022. Other studios also did not release any of their films in Russia due to the “humanitarian crisis”. However, Russian theater owners have resorted to piracy to release the sequel to the 2009 ‘Avatar’.
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Russian Theater Owners Will Release Illegitimate Copies Of ‘Avatar: The Way Of Water’
When the world will witness the magnum opus ‘Avatar: The Way of Water’ on the big screens with breathtaking visuals, Russians may not relish a similar experience. After 13 years, Jake and Neytiri will come back to protect their kin and fight battles to do so in their turquoise-blue Na’vi Nation. Since the war broke out in Ukraine, Hollywood has condemned the Kremlin for its unwarranted attack on Ukraine. Many film studios like Disney, Warner Bros. Pictures, and Sony Pictures Entertainment did not release their major films in Russia.
Disney released a statement saying, “We will make future business decisions based on the evolving situation. In the meantime, given the scale of the emerging refugee crisis, we are working with our NGO partners to provide urgent aid and other humanitarian assistance”. Unlike other films, Russia will be releasing ‘Avatar: The Way of Water’ in the theaters. Celluloid Junkie, who retained its information from a local news organization Izvestia reported.
It informed that the Russian Association of Theater Owners will legalize the release of the film. They will be releasing pirated copies all over the country. Some will screen the camera-recorded film hampering the quality experience that other countries will be enjoying. However, others are trying to fish out an untainted copy of the film.
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Russian Theater Owners Are Eyeing To Illegally Procure The Distribution Certificate
When ‘Avatar’ was released in 2009, it became the highest-grossing film in Russia, bagging 3.6 billion rubles ($119.9 million in 2009).The Russian filmmakers are pushing for domestic content to be released during the holidays, so it will be difficult to release a foreign film.
So, the film will release on a later date to dodge getting noticed and consequently pulled down from theaters. Pirating may heavily cost the owners’ pockets.
Buying a pirated copy of the film may cost around 50,000 to 1 million rubles to the theater owners. They may also incur heavy losses after getting fined for releasing the copies. To release the film, they have to get a Distribution Certificate aka PU. But, since it is a foreign film and the Russian branches of the production offices are closed, it is difficult to get the certification legally. So, they are treating their way carefully to get away with the certification.
