Poor old James Cameron. When Alice In Wonderland opened in March it took over all the 3D screens, and as a result the box office take for Avatar dropped rapidly afterwards. It meant the poor little struggling filmmaker had to make do with a box office of only $2.7 billion worldwide, which is only a measly $900 million more than any other movie has ever made. It really is a tragedy.
At the time he bemoaned the fact that because of Alice, he thought they'd lost several hundred million in potential box office revenue for the movie, and so to make sure he scraped up every single penny possible from the film, Cameron announced plans for a summer cinema reissue of the film, in an extended form with extra scenes added back in, but he didn't say when it would be coming. Now Fox has issued a press release, officially announcing exactly what's going to happen. It says that English-language territories (e.g. the US, UK, Australia, etc.) will get the extended Avatar on August 27th, with the film playing exclusively in Digital 3D and IMAX 3D (so, tough luck to the 3D haters).
The film will include eight minutes of 'never before seen footage', but there's no news on exactly what that will feature - although Cameron has previously hinted that the long-rumoured avatar on Na'Vii sex scene is likely to be reinserted. This cinematic re-release should then pave the way for a major home entertainment Avatar onslaught just before Christmas. The film is already the biggest selling Blu-ray ever, and that was in a extra-free edition, so the promised bells and whistles version later this year should be a real treat. But before then, prepare to return to Pandora in cinemas this August. (Press release info via /Film)