If you liked the nine extra minutes of footage in the recent special theatrical re-release of “Avatar,” you’re going to love a third cut with 16 more minutes on this year’s second Blu-ray edition coming Nov. 16 from Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment.
Overall, the “Avatar Extended Collector’s Edition” ($54.99 in the U.S.) features 45-minutes of deleted scenes and eight hours of never-before-seen material. The three-disc set offers all three versions of the film — the original 2-hour and 42-minute film, the recent special theatrical edition, and the new cut at nearly three full hours with an alternate opening “Earth scene.”
There is also a fourth way to watch the PG-13 movie: a family-friendly version with an optional audio track that leaves out any objectionable language.
In this morning’s announcement, director James Cameron says, “I told our team — let’s do the ultimate box set of Avatar, with everything in it the fans could possibly want. There’s an extended length cut that’s sixteen minutes longer, plus documentaries, behind the scenes featurettes, artwork and over 45 minutes of deleted scenes. Everything worth putting into a special edition is in this set.”
The Oscar and Golden Globe-winning epic is the highest-grossing film of all time, taking in over $2.7 billion in worldwide box office from 310 million theatergoers. It is also the top-selling Blu-ray disc of all time.
Among the bonus features is “Capturing Avatar,“ a feature-length documentary covering the 16-year filmmaker journey, including all new interviews with Cameron, Jon Landau and cast and crew.
Seventeen in-production featurettes cover performance capture, scoring the film, 3D fusion camera, stunts, and more.
An interactive “master class” with Cameron and filmmakers allows users to experience the full film in three stages of production: Performance Capture, Template (1990’s video game version) and Final, as well as a composite of all stages in “Pandora’s Box.”
In-production scenes can be viewed in three different viewing modes.
— By Scott Hettrick