The demolition shoot began quickly. The entire snow mountain castle first trembled, then an orange-red fireball surged up from the base of the structure.
The surrounding snow was vaporized into white mist by the high temperature. Next, the castle began to collapse, and as the tallest spire fell, the scene was completed in one seamless take.
This scene had undergone strict calculations and planning in advance, achieving not the slightest error. There was no opportunity for a second take—if they wanted to reshoot, they would have had to rely on miniature models and green screens.
Fortunately, Gilbert was extremely satisfied with the effect of the explosion shot, and he also captured the avalanche scene he wanted.
After filming wrapped, Gilbert gave the crew three days off so everyone could rest properly. At the same time, he received an invitation from James Cameron to attend the premiere of Avatar.
Just after returning to Los Angeles, news that James Cameron's super blockbuster Avatar was about to be released had already spread across the United States and even the entire world.
The total investment in Avatar reached a staggering 550 million dollars. Gilbert participated in the investment under the name of Fruit Company, and it had little to do with Melon Studios.
As an investor and producer of the film, Gilbert naturally became a focus of media attention.
In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, he said, "This will be a film of an era. From this moment on, Avatar divides Hollywood history into two parts."
In fact, from the very start of the project, there had been no shortage of skeptical voices. Even now, with the film about to be released, doubts from the outside world continued unabated.
The reason was simple—the investment was simply too large.
Even the combined names of two major directors, James Cameron and Gilbert, could not suppress this wave of skepticism, which showed signs of growing stronger.
To dispel audience doubts and to let viewers truly see what 3D cinema meant, the distributor, 20th Century Fox, adopted unconventional promotional methods.
One week before release, 20th Century Fox used its extensive channels to contact more than 700 IMAX and 3D theaters across North America and the world, offering a free twenty-minute preview of Avatar.
The excessively high ticket prices of 3D films and the scarcity of quality 3D movies were both major reasons behind audience skepticism.
However, when the free twenty-minute preview was presented to audiences, everyone was shocked. The effect of this film, which required 3D glasses to watch, was astonishing.
If judged by the standards of a later era accustomed to 3D blockbusters, Avatar's 3D effects might not seem extraordinary. But in this era, it was a dimensionality-reducing blow.
Those who watched the twenty-minute preview returned and excitedly posted comments online.
"This movie—make sure you watch it in a 3D theater. The effect is unbelievable."
"An unparalleled experience. Now I understand why Gilbert said Avatar changed the history of Hollywood."
"Shocking—that's all I can say. This is only a twenty-minute preview, and there's still so much content left. If you watch this movie in a 2D theater, I can only say you've missed the best possible experience."
In fact, it wasn't just North American moviegoers who were eagerly anticipating it. At least audiences in North America had some understanding of 3D, with quite a few experimental 3D shorts produced over the years.
Even Robert Zemeckis had made The Polar Express, which was also a 3D film.
But whether those shorts or The Polar Express, none came close to the twenty-minute preview shown by Avatar.
Even well-informed North American audiences were so amazed—let alone overseas viewers who didn't even know what 3D movies were. Watching this preview in a 3D theater was no different from the feeling of seeing an adult movie for the first time.
Excitement, exhilaration, and then an overwhelming urge to see the full film in theaters as soon as possible.
Gilbert felt no surprise at all at the intense reaction caused by the twenty-minute preview. In the face of a truly era-spanning film, all previous doubts seemed laughable.
20th Century Fox's promotional strategy was undoubtedly a success. Beyond that, the film was also promoted through more conventional means.
Online promotion was equally important. Avatar launched its official website, which introduced the planet Pandora.
It detailed its location in the universe, its distance from Earth, the planet's size and mass.
Then it introduced the various species living there, the indigenous Na'vi people, and more. The content was extremely detailed, like an encyclopedia of the planet Pandora.
In fact, according to James Cameron's plans, he intended to shoot Avatar 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6… that many films.
That was why the background setting had long been prepared, the world-building expanded, laying the groundwork for future plans.
However, Gilbert seriously doubted that at James Cameron's pace, whether parts three, four, five, and six would even be completed by the time Cameron passed away was still an open question.
But that didn't matter. No matter what, the Avatar project would undoubtedly make all investors enormously rich.
From the moment Avatar's official website was launched, its traffic surged, with daily page views exceeding seven million. This was more than enough to prove the film's popularity—almost everyone believed that this movie was anything but ordinary.
On December 16, at the TCL Chinese Theatre in Los Angeles, the weather was clear—no heavy rain, and no raging fires.
The premiere of Avatar was held here. The venue was packed with people and buzzing with excitement. Hundreds of Hollywood stars showed up in support, making the scene resemble an Academy Awards ceremony.
But these stars, just like ordinary audiences, all wanted to witness the true face of Avatar for themselves.
Gilbert attended the premiere together with DiCaprio and accepted interviews.
Gilbert vigorously promoted the film: "Believe me, this is a movie no one can afford to miss. If you miss this film, you miss the new era."
DiCaprio's expression was exaggerated, and he didn't forget to promote the film he starred in as well: "I've seen the twenty-minute preview. Just like when I first read the script for Inception, it was astonishing."
Gilbert secretly gave DiCaprio a thumbs-up. This guy really knew how to hype things up and attract media attention.
After entering the VIP lounge, James Cameron had already been waiting for Gilbert for quite some time.
The movie was about to be released, but James Cameron looked very relaxed, without the nervousness usually seen before a premiere.
"Gilbert, we're going to make history," James Cameron said.
"Of course. We're going to change Hollywood," Gilbert agreed.
In truth, James Cameron was under tremendous pressure. After all, the investment in Avatar was simply too massive.
If this film were to flop, investors would lose money but what James Cameron would lose would be far more than just money…
Before the release, many people expressed their lack of confidence through various channels, but neither James Cameron nor Gilbert wavered in their belief.
In fact, it seemed that Gilbert's confidence was even stronger than James Cameron's.
"Let's go. Let's welcome tonight's brilliance together," James Cameron invited.
"After you…"
"No, you first…"
"All right, then I won't stand on ceremony."
The two of them walked together into the main hall of the TCL Chinese Theatre. It had long since been transformed into an IMAX auditorium by the IMAX Corporation, in order to deliver the ultimate experience for tonight's premiere.
Starting from here, Avatar began its journey to conquer the world.
...
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