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

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

The previous installment – Avatar: The Way of Water – was a massive success, largely due to the combination of a spectacular story with technology that realistically 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 at around 400 million dollars, which once again makes it one of the most expensive films in the history of cinema.

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

The vast majority of films are still created in 24 fps – a standard that is increasingly showing its age with the development of image technology and displays. Just like Avatar: The Way of Water, Avatar: Fire and Ash was largely created in 3D and at double frame rate – 48 fps, which stands for High Frame Rate. The effect is significantly smoother motion, clearer details in dynamic scenes, and less motion blur.

James Cameron confirmed that about 40% of the film is presented at 48 fps. The remaining scenes – mainly dialogue scenes – remain at 24 fps. Technically, the entire 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 smoothness is adjusted scene by scene in post-production. This is intended to prevent the "soap opera effect," which was criticized in The Hobbit at 48 fps.

Avatar: The Way of Water was motion graded using TrueCut Motion technology. However, the company Pixelworks, which developed it, 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) theaters in mind. Cameron has been urging cinemas for years to modernize their projection systems, especially 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 Dolby Vision standard with the brightness and color 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 cinema is only possible on LED screens – and these are still a rarity.

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

What format to choose in theaters?

The film is released in theaters in many versions:

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

If you care about experiencing something 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 fps where it matters the most.

The best version? Paradoxically – at home

What might be surprising is the fact that the most complete possible experience of "Avatar" is not available in theaters today, 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 at once: 4K image, full HDR, 48 fps HFR, three-dimensional 3D, and Dolby Atmos sound. Additionally, there’s the feeling of a screen size exceeding even the largest IMAX theaters, without the compromises typical of cinematic projections.

Everything suggests that this same scenario will repeat for Avatar: Fire and Ash. The theatrical release will offer a massive screen and powerful sound system, but it will only be the home release that allows the film to be seen in a complete, technologically "uncompromised" form. However, such a version will have to be waited for – at the earliest until March or April of next year.

What’s next for the series?

If the third installment proves to be a box office success – and everything indicates that it will – Disney and James Cameron will begin production on: