'Avatar 2' gets world premiere in London
Stay tuned with 24 News HD Android App
One of the most delayed sequels in blockbuster history will finally hit the big screen on Tuesday as "Avatar 2: The Way of Water" gets its world premiere in London.
The 13-year wait for a follow-up to "Avatar", the biggest-grossing film of all time, cannot come too soon for struggling cinemas around the world.
The public will get to see James Cameron's three-hour opus next week, with the director hoping it will justify his dream of establishing a franchise on a par with "Star Wars" and the "Marvel" juggernaut.
Having been re-released around the world in recent months, the first "Avatar" is now just shy of $3 billion in worldwide revenue.
But Cameron's initial hopes of having a sequel out by 2014 saw repeated delays as his technical ambitions grew.
"Avatar 2" continues the mix of sci-fi and eco-politics -- returning to the planet Pandora where the Navi struggle to fend off rapacious humans -- as well as the groundbreaking use of 3D and cutting edge cinematic wizardry that made the original such a box office hit.
Stars Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana and Sigourney Weaver return, alongside new additions including Kate Winslet, a quarter-century after her world-beating collaboration with Cameron for "Titanic".
It remains a huge bet for Cameron and for Disney, who have ploughed hundreds of millions of dollars not only into this film, but a third instalment that has already been shot.
That is not the end: Cameron has planned the series through to a fifth entry, with new films due every two years until 2028.