oh why not....THE ABYSS (1 Viewer)

[cineMANIAC]

Disney is obviously aiming to tie The Abyss in with Avatar 2's physical media release(s) and the latter is still playing theatrically in some markets - something which will impact release dates. March was a conservative estimate, probably based on low expectations for Avatar 2. Frankly, I'm dumbfounded as to why Avatar 2 has made so much money. Having said that, I'm glad it's making a killing because a poorer showing probably would've killed chances for The Abyss. Personally, I'm done with Avatar. Not interested in further exploits of these characters and story.

 

[Neil S. Bulk]

the latter is still playing theatrically in some markets

Last weekend it was playing in over 3000 North American theaters and was the number 2 movie at the box office. I wouldn't expect a home video announcement for awhile. This thing is still going strong.

As an aside, the number 3 movie was Titanic. It's good to be the king of the world.

 

[Jeffrey D]

Last weekend it was playing in over 3000 North American theaters and was the number 2 movie at the box office. I wouldn't expect a home video announcement for awhile. This thing is still going strong.

As an aside, the number 3 movie was Titanic. It's good to be the king of the world.

Is this right- the first Avatar and Titanic are the top 2 grossing theatrical releases of all time?

 

[JoshZ]

Disney is obviously aiming to tie The Abyss in with Avatar 2's physical media release(s)

Why is that obvious? What do these two movies have to do with one another, beyond being directed by James Cameron? Is there usually a wave of reissuing the entire James Cameron catalog every time he makes a new movie?

Even if Disney does want to tie these two movies together, why is that contingent on the physical media release? Why didn't they release it during Avatar 2's theatrical premiere? Why not time it with the Avatar 2 digital release? Why release it on physical media at all and not just stick it on Hulu?

This thread continues to repesent a bunch of people misinterpreting their own wishful thinking with "obvious" facts that are neither obvious nor facts.

Bill Hunt said that Disney would release The Abyss in March. He did not say "when Avatar 2 is released on Blu-ray." Even if Avatar 2 had flopped in theaters, there was never any chance of it hitting video in March. So, why then did Bill Hunt pick March for this year's annual false "The Abyss is coming to Blu-ray!" rumor?

 

[JoshZ]

Is this right- the first Avatar and Titanic are the top 2 grossing theatrical releases of all time?

No, Avengers: Endgame is #2.

Endgame was actually the #1 top-grossing movie of all time for a brief period. But James Cameron simply couldn't have that, so he convinced Disney to re-release Avatar in 2021, where it earned enough to push it back over the top.

 

[TonyD]

Why is that obvious?

Exactly.
It is NOT obvious at all.

 

[cineMANIAC]

Why is that obvious? What do these two movies have to do with one another, beyond being directed by James Cameron? Is there usually a wave of reissuing the entire James Cameron catalog every time he makes a new movie?

Even if Disney does want to tie these two movies together, why is that contingent on the physical media release? Why didn't they release it during Avatar 2's theatrical premiere? Why not time it with the Avatar 2 digital release? Why release it on physical media at all and not just stick it on Hulu?

This thread continues to repesent a bunch of people misinterpreting their own wishful thinking with "obvious" facts that are neither obvious nor facts.

Bill Hunt said that Disney would release The Abyss in March. He did not say "when Avatar 2 is released on Blu-ray." Even if Avatar 2 had flopped in theaters, there was never any chance of it hitting video in March. So, why then did Bill Hunt pick March for this year's annual false "The Abyss is coming to Blu-ray!" rumor?

Don't get your panties in a bunch. Let's come back to this thread when The Abyss and Avatar 2 get announced, then we'll decide who was misinterpreting what and who was unnecessarily hyperventilating.

 

[dpippel]

Don't get your panties in a bunch. Let's come back to this thread when The Abyss and Avatar 2 get announced, then we'll decide who was misinterpreting what and who was unnecessarily hyperventilating.

History is not in your favor. The saga of The Abyss on home video has gone on for a L-O-N-G time, yet it still hasn't been released in HD on physical media, or even anamorphic DVD for that matter. Nothing regarding this title is obvious. Even though there have been rumblings and it would seem that a release coinciding with Avatar 2 hitting physical media would make perfect sense, don't count on it. I'm sure not going to until the film is actually available for ordering and I can hold it in my hand. Opportunities have come and gone in the past 13 years, yet we have nothing.

 

[cineMANIAC]

Another thing is the March release date for The Abyss that has been previously mentioned. If this was still coming out next month, where is the Press release? I still believe there will be a tie-in to Avatar 2. It's just how major studios roll. Look at Warner Bros. and their obsession with Anniversaries. Older catalog films being released to tie in to reboots/sequels, etc. It's nothing new and, frankly, it boggles my mind why people have trouble with this concept.

 

[Ronald Epstein]

Another thing is the March release date for The Abyss that has been previously mentioned. If this was still coming out next month, where is the Press release? I still believe there will be a tie-in to Avatar 2. It's just how major studios roll. Look at Warner Bros. and their obsession with Anniversaries. Older catalog films being released to tie in to reboots/sequels, etc. It's nothing new and, frankly, it boggles my mind why people have trouble with this concept.

You are most correct on that. If THE ABYSS were coming out next month, chances are we would have a press release already.

I didn't pay close attention enough to see that Bill Hunt put a March date on the release. So, my apologies for the initial reply that "it's only March."

But I did some further investigating on this matter...

It wasn't Bill Hunt that promised THE ABYSS would be released by March 30th.

That actually came from James Cameron himself in an interview with a french journalist.

So, to blame Bill Hunt for accurately reporting what came from the Director himself is an absurd thing to do.

Next, for the validity of THE ABYSS to be released on 4k coming from Cameron himself is about as good as you can get.
However, what he probably couldn't accurately validate is the release date. While his exact quote was, “had a new master and it would be out by March 2023 max," the studio could have easily changed that date to possibly coincide with the release of AVATAR 2, whose release to home video could very well be delayed due to it still playing strongly theatrically.

And, yes, I will more politely say that these are all our own hypotheses of how Disney is planning to release this title, but as Luis so eloquently responded to the hostility, "Let's come back to this thread when The Abyss and Avatar 2 get announced, then we'll decide who was misinterpreting what and who was unnecessarily hyperventilating."

And stop blaming Bill Hunt for quoting James Cameron.

 

[dpippel]

Another thing is the March release date for The Abyss that has been previously mentioned. If this was still coming out next month, where is the Press release? I still believe there will be a tie-in to Avatar 2. It's just how major studios roll. Look at Warner Bros. and their obsession with Anniversaries. Older catalog films being released to tie in to reboots/sequels, etc. It's nothing new and, frankly, it boggles my mind why people have trouble with this concept.

It's not about understanding a "concept." The situation with The Abyss has nothing to do with something as mundane as tying in older catalog titles with new releases. We're talking James Cameron here, which means he basically does whatever he wants, or seemingly doesn't want in this case. The traditional models just don't apply.

 

[JoshZ]

Don't get your panties in a bunch. Let's come back to this thread when The Abyss and Avatar 2 get announced, then we'll decide who was misinterpreting what and who was unnecessarily hyperventilating.

How about you amend that statement to "when Avatar 2 gets announced"? If we need to wait for The Abyss to be announced, we'll be waiting forever.

I still believe there will be a tie-in to Avatar 2. It's just how major studios roll. Look at Warner Bros. and their obsession with Anniversaries. Older catalog films being released to tie in to reboots/sequels, etc. It's nothing new and, frankly, it boggles my mind why people have trouble with this concept.

The flaw in your concept is that there is no connection between The Abyss and Avatar 2. The Abyss has no more to do with Avatar than Piranha 2: The Spawning does. It's an unrelated movie that James Cameron happened to make a long time earlier, that's all.

Avatar is the hot franchise that Disney cares about right now. They don't care about The Abyss. Any potential marketing tie-in between these two titles is flimsy at best.

Even if the connection were stronger, this is far from the first opportunity Disney (or their predecessors at Fox) have ignored for The Abyss. They didn't release it when the first Avatar hit theaters, or came out on video, or was reissued in an Extended Edition, or any of the times it's been re-released to theaters. If they'd wanted to, they also could have tied it to the 3D conversion and re-release of Titanic. Didn't happen.

Like most major Hollywood studios right now, the thing Disney cares about above all else are properties with franchise potential. The Abyss doesn't have that. It's just another old box office dud taking up space in their catalog.

You are most correct on that. If THE ABYSS were coming out next month, chances are we would have a press release already.

I didn't pay close attention enough to see that Bill Hunt put a March date on the release. So, my apologies for the initial reply that "it's only March."

But I did some further investigating on this matter...

It wasn't Bill Hunt that promised THE ABYSS would be released by March 30th.

That actually came from James Cameron himself in an interview with a french journalist.

So, to blame Bill Hunt for accurately reporting what came from the Director himself is an absurd thing to do.

Next, for the validity of THE ABYSS to be released on 4k coming from Cameron himself is about as good as you can get.
However, what he probably couldn't accurately validate is the release date. While his exact quote was, “had a new master and it would be out by March 2023 max," the studio could have easily changed that date to possibly coincide with the release of AVATAR 2, whose release to home video could very well be delayed due to it still playing strongly theatrically.

And, yes, I will more politely say that these are all our own hypotheses of how Disney is planning to release this title, but as Luis so eloquently responded to the hostility, "Let's come back to this thread when The Abyss and Avatar 2 get announced, then we'll decide who was misinterpreting what and who was unnecessarily hyperventilating."

And stop blaming Bill Hunt for quoting James Cameron.

Ron, you should know Bill Hunt's history with rumors about The Abyss as well as anyone by this point. It's an annual tradition for him.

Let's actually look at what French journalist Arthur Cios said in December:



The Twitter thread is in French, so I'm going to have to rely on Google Translate. If anyone here is fluent, please post a better translation. (Colors and underlining for emphasis are mine.)

"Since the question drags a lot on Twitter, I wanted to ask him. Afterwards, clearly, when you only have 9 minutes of interview, it's complicated.
BUT…
I asked him off afterwards, and he told me he had a new master and it would be out by March 2023 max

Afterwards, I don't know if it's 4K or blu-ray, or if it's for a release only in the US or everywhere but here it is
“You can imagine that I have had a lot of time in recent years” here is the justification"

Whether that's true or not remains to be seen..."

One of his followers asked (this gets a little mangled in the Google translation):

"But what a myth this one, dsl but he just wanted to please you."

To which Cios responded:

"It's possible."

This is not an anouncement. This is the reporter asking Cameron an offhand question after the interview was over, and Cameron (who is not directly quoted) answering with what sounds like something he might like to happen.

The statement “had a new master and it would be out by March 2023 max" is a secondhand quotation, from Rios, not from Cameron.

Even the reporter himself expresses doubt that it will come to pass.

Of course, Bill Hunt then translated this as: "BREAKING: JAMES CAMERON CONFIRMS THE ABYSS IS COMING TO 4K ULTRA HD BY MARCH 2023" as if it were an absolute certainty.

Listen, Ron, I know that you're friends with Bill. It's only natural for you to want to come to his defense. But surely, even you have to acknowledge than when it comes to this particular movie, Hunt has what I will charitably call a blind spot. He's been posting rumors about The Abyss coming to Blu-ray for well over a decade, only for every one of them to invariably prove false. Anything he posts about this movie has to be taken with a massive grain of salt.

Regardless of whether James Cameron may have approved a new 4K master for the film, there is absolutely nothing to indicate that Disney has any interest in releasing it on Blu-ray or UHD now or in the near future.

 

[JoshZ]

When Disney directly issues an official release announcement that The Abyss is coming to Blu-ray or UHD, that's when I will believe it. Not until.

 

[Ronald Epstein]

How about you amend that statement to "when Avatar 2 gets announced"? If we need to wait for The Abyss to be announced, we'll be waiting forever.



The flaw in your concept is that there is no connection between The Abyss and Avatar 2. The Abyss has no more to do with Avatar than Piranha 2: The Spawning does. It's an unrelated movie that James Cameron happened to make a long time earlier, that's all.

Avatar is the hot franchise that Disney cares about right now. They don't care about The Abyss. Any potential marketing tie-in between these two titles is flimsy at best.

Even if the connection were stronger, this is far from the first opportunity Disney (or their predecessors at Fox) have ignored for The Abyss. They didn't release it when the first Avatar hit theaters, or came out on video, or was reissued in an Extended Edition, or any of the times it's been re-released to theaters. If they'd wanted to, they also could have tied it to the 3D conversion and re-release of Titanic. Didn't happen.

Like most major Hollywood studios right now, the thing Disney cares about above all else are properties with franchise potential. The Abyss doesn't have that. It's just another old box office dud taking up space in their catalog.




Ron, you should know Bill Hunt's history with rumors about The Abyss as well as anyone by this point. It's an annual tradition for him.

Let's actually look at what French journalist Arthur Cios said in December:



The Twitter thread is in French, so I'm going to have to rely on Google Translate. If anyone here is fluent, please post a better translation. (Colors and underlining for emphasis are mine.)

"Since the question drags a lot on Twitter, I wanted to ask him. Afterwards, clearly, when you only have 9 minutes of interview, it's complicated.
BUT…
I asked him off afterwards, and he told me he had a new master and it would be out by March 2023 max

Afterwards, I don't know if it's 4K or blu-ray, or if it's for a release only in the US or everywhere but here it is
“You can imagine that I have had a lot of time in recent years” here is the justification"

Whether that's true or not remains to be seen..."

One of his followers asked (this gets a little mangled in the Google translation):

"But what a myth this one, dsl but he just wanted to please you."

To which Cios responded:

"It's possible."

This is not an anouncement. This is the reporter asking Cameron an offhand question after the interview was over, and Cameron (who is not directly quoted) answering with what sounds like something he might like to happen.

The statement “had a new master and it would be out by March 2023 max" is a secondhand quotation, from Rios, not from Cameron.

Even the reporter himself expresses doubt that it will come to pass.

Of course, Bill Hunt then translated this as: "BREAKING: JAMES CAMERON CONFIRMS THE ABYSS IS COMING TO 4K ULTRA HD BY MARCH 2023" as if it were an absolute certainty.

Listen, Ron, I know that you're friends with Bill. It's only natural for you to want to come to his defense. But surely, even you have to acknowledge than when it comes to this particular movie, Hunt has what I will charitably call a blind spot. He's been posting rumors about The Abyss coming to Blu-ray for well over a decade, only for every one of them to invariably prove false. Anything he posts about this movie has to be taken with a massive grain of salt.

Regardless of whether James Cameron may have approved a new 4K master for the film, there is absolutely nothing to indicate that Disney has any interest in releasing it on Blu-ray or UHD now or in the near future.

Josh,

This is what I get when I put that Twitter statement into Google Translator...

Since the question drags a lot on Twitter, I wanted to ask him. Afterwards, clearly, when you only have 9 minutes of interview, it's complicated.

BUT…

I asked him off afterwards, and he told me he had a new master and it would be out by March 2023 max


So, though not a direct quote from Cameron, it is a quote from the reporter who talked directly to the Director. So, basically the same thing. And, if I were looking at that statement, it would seem very clear to me that a release is imminent.

And let me clarify something. I am not defending Bill Hunt because he is a friend. I would defend any reliable journalist who has access to insider studio information while being very careful about their reputation when it comes to spreading false rumors.

In other words, it would not serve Mr. Hunt nor any journalist well to continually spread information they weren't sure was valid based on what they were being told.

I have been through this argument time and time again with you, Josh. I grow very tired of it. It seems you are here with an attitude and a vendetta against an individual you feel is purposely spreading false information.

I see it another way because I know how the industry works, plans suddenly change, and studios do their best not to publicly promise anybody anything anymore for the very reasons you have shown here.

Heck, there's a really big classic title from one of the major studios I was told first-hand would be released by the end of 2021. It never surfaced. I found out why. A new studio head came in and put it on the back burner even though the 4k transfer was done and ready for replication.

Shit happens!

You have come into this thread with guns blazing at the throat of Mr. Hunt for promising you something that was out of his control other than to relay what his sources had told him. This could have been discussed in a more civilized manner but you made it personal as if he was purposely trying to mislead you and everyone else. I think all of us here know better as I don't see anyone else coming to your side as you try and storm the gates of The Digital Bits.

I am not continuing this debate with you. Members who are tired of the attitude you continually bring to this thread have told you to wait it out. None of us here are worried about the March date possibly being missed. And, if THE ABYSS doesn't surface this year, I don't blame Bill Hunt for it.

Please either tone down the rhetoric or take the argument elsewhere. Thank You.

 

[Jeffrey D]

I am not at all a fan of Hunt’s (he lost me when the whole thing about Star Wars original theatrical vs the altered versions was a topic), but I would hope he isn’t just throwing stuff out there without solid information. I would love to see The Abyss get a proper release (both theatrical and extended, please).

 

[Ronald Epstein]

I am not at all a fan of Hunt (he lost me when the whole thing about Star Wars original theatrical vs the altered versions was a topic), but I would hop he isn’t just throwing stuff out there without solid information. I would love to see The Abyss get a proper release (both theatrical and extended, please).

I don't believe for a second he would be, Jeffrey.

 

[JoshZ]

I see it another way because I know how the industry works, plans suddenly change, and studios do their best not to publicly promise anybody anything anymore for the very reasons you have shown here.

Heck, there's a really big classic title from one of the major studios I was told first-hand would be released by the end of 2021. It never surfaced. I found out why. A new studio head came in and put it on the back burner even though the 4k transfer was done and ready for replication.

Shit happens!

If the studio contact who told you about that title came back to you the following year once again saying that the movie was about to be released imminently, and again it didn't happen, OK fine, plans must have changed again. No big deal.

But then if the same thing happened again the year after that, and the year after that, and the year after that, and the year after that, over and over again for more than a decade, how many times would you post this news before saying, "You know what, maybe I'm gonna wait for an official press release on this one"? Wouldn't any responsible journalist put a hold on reporting that "news" until it could be confirmed through official channels?

That's all I'm saying. It is beyond ridiculous at this point, and anyone who gets excited about The Abyss finally coming to Blu-ray or UHD needs to understand the context of where this story is coming from.

You have come into this thread with guns blazing at the throat of Mr. Hunt for promising you something that was out of his control other than to relay what his sources had told him. This could have been discussed in a more civilized manner but you made it personal as if he was purposely trying to mislead you and everyone else. I think all of us here know better as I don't see anyone else coming to your side as you try and storm the gates of The Digital Bits.


I am not continuing this debate with you. Members who are tired of the attitude you continually bring to this thread have told you to wait it out. None of us here are worried about the March date possibly being missed. And, if THE ABYSS doesn't surface this year, I don't blame Bill Hunt for it.

Please either tone down the rhetoric or take the argument elsewhere. Thank You.

I see and acknowledge you telling me to back down. Fine. It's your site. But when this thread - that started back in 2016 - gets revived in another year and the cycle repeats once again, please don't blame me for having pointed out the obvious.

 

[Robert Crawford]

If the studio contact who told you about that title came back to you the following year once again saying that the movie was about to be released imminently, and again it didn't happen, OK fine, plans must have changed again. No big deal.

But then if the same thing happened again the year after that, and the year after that, and the year after that, and the year after that, over and over again for more than a decade, how many times would you post this news before saying, "You know what, maybe I'm gonna wait for an official press release on this one"? Wouldn't any responsible journalist put a hold on reporting that "news" until it could be confirmed through official channels?

That's all I'm saying. It is beyond ridiculous at this point, and anyone who gets excited about The Abyss finally coming to Blu-ray or UHD needs to understand the context of where this story is coming from.




I see and acknowledge you telling me to back down. Fine. It's your site. But when this thread - that started back in 2016 - gets revived in another year and the cycle repeats once again, please don't blame me for having pointed out the obvious.

Your points been made, please, move on.

 

[cinemel1]

Your points been made, please, move on.

If and when The Abyss is released will it include both the theatrical and extended versions?

 

[TravisR]

If and when The Abyss is released will it include both the theatrical and extended versions?

No one can say for sure yet but I'd be really surprised if the theatrical cut wasn't also included.