Avatar: Fire and Ash in 3D and 48 fps HFR

The third part of James Cameron's saga about Pandora and the Na'vi is debuting this week worldwide. Avatar: Fire and Ash has again been created with 3D and High Frame Rate 48 fps in mind, but not every cinema screening will show the film in this form. The choice of theatre is crucial here.

The previous instalment – Avatar: The Way of Water – was a massive success, largely due to the combination of a spectacular story with technology that genuinely elevated the level of immersion. Cameron is taking the same path this time as well. The production budget for Avatar: Fire and Ash is estimated to be around $400 million, which again makes it one of the most expensive films in cinema history.

3D and 48 fps HFR – not the entire film, but key scenes

The vast majority of films are still created at 24 fps – a standard that is increasingly showing its age with the development of imaging and display technologies. Similar to The Way of Water, Avatar: Fire and Ash was largely created in 3D and in a doubled frame rate – 48 fps, or High Frame Rate. The result is significantly smoother motion, clearer details in dynamic scenes, and less motion blur.

James Cameron confirmed that about 40% of the film is presented in 48 fps. The remaining scenes – mainly dialogue scenes – remain at 24 fps. Technically, the whole film is placed in a "container" of 48 fps, and the frames in the 24 fps scenes are simply duplicated. The film is also what is known as motion graded – the level of motion blur and fluidity is adjusted scene by scene in post-production. This is intended to prevent the "soap opera effect," for which The Hobbit was criticised in 48 fps.

Avatar: The Way of Water was motion graded using TrueCut Motion technology. The company Pixelworks, which developed it, however, declined to comment on the use of this technology in Fire and Ash.

Premium cinemas – large screen, but without true HDR

Avatar: Fire and Ash was created with PLF (Premium Large Format) theatres in mind. Cameron has been urging cinemas for years to upgrade their projection systems, particularly in terms of 3D quality.

The problem is that even the best projector cinemas today have serious limitations. No projector can provide true HDR or the Dolby Vision standard with the brightness and colour range required for the world of Pandora. Among projector solutions, Cameron has previously pointed to Dolby Cinema as the best compromise. However, true HDR in cinemas is only possible on LED screens – and these remain a rarity.

On the other hand, large theatres offer something that cannot be replicated at home – a massive screen and Dolby Atmos surround sound, which plays a key role in Avatar.

What format to choose in the cinema?

The film is released in many versions:

2D
2D HFR
3D
3D HFR
IMAX 3D
IMAX 3D HFR
4DX and other special formats

If you want an experience closest to Cameron's vision, look for screenings marked as 3D HFR. It is in this version that you will see the fluidity of 48 frames per second where it matters most.

The best version? Paradoxically – at home

What may be surprising is the fact that the most complete possible experience of "Avatar" is not available today in cinemas, but in home conditions – specifically on the Apple Vision Pro set. It is there that Avatar: The Way of Water can be watched in a configuration that combines all elements of James Cameron's vision simultaneously: 4K visuals, full HDR, 48 fps HFR, three-dimensional 3D, and Dolby Atmos sound. Added to this is the impression of a screen size exceeding even the largest IMAX auditoriums, without the compromises typical of cinema projections.

Everything indicates that the same scenario will repeat itself with Avatar: Fire and Ash. The cinema premiere will offer a huge screen and powerful sound, but only the home release will allow viewers to see the film in its complete, technologically "uncompromising" form. However, such a version will have to be awaited – at the earliest until March or April of next year.