Alita: Battle Angel

[GeneChing]

[GeneChing]

Do Cyborgs do Martial Arts? READ ALITA: BATTLE ANGEL and Panzer Kunst by Gene Ching



THREADS
Alita: Battle Angel
Panzer Kunst

[GeneChing]

It's more like Presidents Day is no match for the Lunar New Year.

FEBRUARY 17, 2019 11:58AM PT
Box Office: ‘Alita: Battle Angel’ No Match for China’s ‘Wandering Earth’ Overseas
By REBECCA RUBIN
News Editor, Online
@rebeccaarubin


CREDIT: COURTESY TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX

Hollywood movies like “Alita: Battle Angel” and “How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World” are doing respectable business overseas, but they’re proving no match for foreign titles at the international box office.

The Chinese New Year is bringing in huge business in the Middle Kingdom. China’s sci-fi epic “The Wandering Earth” pulled in a massive $96.6 million from three territories, bringing its international tally to $606.8 million. Another movie from the Mainland, “Crazy Alien,” earned $28 million for an overseas total of $318 million, while fellow local title “Pegasus” brought in $25.7 million, taking its bounty to $238 million.

Fox’s “Alita: Battle Angel” led films on the Hollywood front, generated $56 million when it launched in 86 overseas markets this weekend. Directed by Robert Rodriguez and produced by James Cameron, the sci-fi adventure has now grossed $94 million internationally. The movie saw the best opening in Russia, where it earned $6.5 million. “Alita” also had sizable debuts in Mexico ($4.2 million), Australia ($2.9 million), and Thailand ($2.5 million).

“Alita: Battle Angel” dominated the domestic box office with its $33 million debut over the long President’s Day weekend, but it will be an uphill battle for the $170 million movie to reach profitability. Since the movie is based on a popular Japanese manga title, the studio anticipates Asian markets to overperform. It launches in China and Japan next weekend.

Among holdovers, the third installment in Universal’s “How to Train Your Dragon” series made $21 million this weekend in 49 foreign territories. That brings its foreign bounty to $172 million. It releases in North America next weekend. “How to Train Your Dragon 3” debuted this weekend in Poland with $1.9 million and Ecuador with $600,000.

Meanwhile, Warner Bros.’ “The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part” added another $12.1 million from 69 international markets for an overseas haul of $34.7 million. The animated sequel is just shy of the $100 million mark worldwide, with ticket sales currently standing at $97.7 million. Its top markets include the United Kingdom ($3.1 million), Mexico ($1.5 million), and Russia ($792,000).

THREADS
Alita: Battle Angel
The Wandering Earth

[GeneChing]

...the Warcraft Redemption for Alita. I was thinking this would happen but didn't make my prediction public. My bad. Doesn't count then.

Wandering Earth still going strong too. That prediction I did make publicly here.

‘Alita: Battle Angel’ Flies To $65M China Debut, Sets Fox & Imax Records – International Box Office
by Nancy Tartaglione
February 24, 2019 1:30pm


20th Century Fox

UPDATED, writethru: Fox/Lightstorm’s Alita: Battle Angel came out fighting in China this weekend, touching down with a $62.3 million debut, per Fox’s estimates. The figure is even higher — at $64.8M — according to local reporting. Whichever way the dust settles, this is Fox’s biggest opening of all time in the Middle Kingdom as well as a new February Imax record.

In total this session, Alita winged to another estimated $92.4M across 82 markets to lift the international box office cume to $202.7M. She is currently pacing 3% above Ready Player One and 64% over The Maze Runner in like-for-like markets and at today’s exchange rates. After a 58% drop domestically this weekend, the Robert Rodriguez-helmed sci-fi fantasy has grossed $263.3M globally (using the Fox estimates; actuals will be updated early in the week). A worldwide finish above $400M is expected, though Alita remains a pricey break-even proposition and only recoups 25% of Chinese turnstiles — finance sources still believe that Alita will have a hard time seeing profit.


Tule/ZCOOL HelloRF/REX/Shutterstock

While the Middle Kingdom has been feasting on its own homegrown sci-fi epic, The Wandering Earth ($647M in China through Sunday and counting), it had plenty of appetite left for Alita which this weekend became the first Hollywood title in the market following the Lunar New Year holiday rush. Having revered figure James Cameron on hand didn’t hurt. He, along with Rodriguez, producer Jon Landau, stars Rosa Salazar and Christoph Waltz, and the source material’s author Yukito Kishiro, visited Beijing on Monday for a well-attended press conference. In a savvy stroke of synergy, Cameron also delighted fans by sitting down with the author of The Wandering Earth’s source material and for an interview by that film’s director.

From there, a lot went right with Alita in China. It made $9M from 603 Imax screens to log the top Fox opening in the format and the best China Imax start for February ever. The Maoyan score is a terrific 8.9 while Douban is 7.6 and even the Chinese poster has generated strong social sentiment. Depending on the holds this week and next weekend, Alita has a shot at $150M in China, but will significantly lose screens when Captain Marvel opens on March 8.


Fox
The manga adaptation is in its third weekend of offshore release after Fox went out early in many South East Asia markets to tap into the Chinese New Year holiday. Driven by Asia, overseas is the play on Alita which will rely on international to carry the bulk of the box office. The drop in holdovers this session was 45% with some tight grips in France, Germany and more.

Down the line, if Cameron — who is delivering Avatar 2 for Christmas 2020 — has his druthers, sequels could certainly be in the offing. He recently told Reuters, “If people show up, we’re definitely going to do at least one more if not two. It’s mapped out for three in total.”


DreamWorks Animation
In other international play, there were no new wide Hollywood releases this weekend. Universal/DreamWorks Animation’s domestic opener, How To Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World, has already been zooming around the globe for weeks, and continued its charmed ride with a $34.7M session in 53 markets this frame. The offshore cume on Hiccup and Toothless’ threequel is now $216.9M. Combined with the domestic debut, the worldwide total is $275M. China opens next weekend.


Meanwhile, as noted above, The Wandering Earth continued its stellar trajectory. The Chinese New Year title has grossed $679.3M in three markets, including $647M in the Middle Kingdom where it became the No. 2 movie ever last week (Netflix this week acquired SVOD rights outside China). The Imax total is $45M in China. Combined with Alita, IMAX has had a record February at the Chinese box office, reaching RMB 418M/$61.7M.


Yorgos Lanthimos
And, as we head into the Oscars tonight, co-leading nominee The Favourite has crossed $50M internationally while Green Book is closing in on $75M and Bohemian Rhapsody has risen to $648M.

Next weekend will be more of the same with no major new wide release until Captain Marvel starts offshore rollout on March 6. As with the past several frames, China will be the one to watch as Alita continues, HTTYD3 bows, and Green Book could see an Oscar halo there.

In the meantime, breakdowns on the films above and more have been updated below.

continued next post

[GeneChing]

HOLDOVERS/EXPANSIONS
ALITA: BATTLE ANGEL


20th Century Fox
Fox/Lightstorm’s sci-fi fantasy was No. 1 in 18 markets this session, with a 45% drop in holdovers. The frame was led, predictably, by China where the start is $62.3M according to Fox but higher per local box office reporting at $64.8M. Sunday is coming in at $20.3M, an 18% Saturday to Sunday drop (better than predicted) in the Middle Kingdom where word of mouth has been solid with a strong 8.9 score on ticketing platform Maoyan. Midweeks will help ascertain how front-loaded the film is. The opening set a new record for Fox and an IMAX February record at $9M or 14% of the local take. Alita will lose some of those screens to How To Train Your Dragon 3 next weekend, and then be pushed out entirely by Captain Marvel the following session. The question now becomes how high it can fly across the $100M Middle Kingdom mark.

The film has a similar underdog vs The Man theme to Ready Player One, and a hope has been to see Alita emulate the China success that RP1 enjoyed in 2018 when it bowed to $61.7M and cumed over $218M there. That included an extended run with the film also tapping into video game culture. Alita has James Cameron — revered in China — in its favor, but it is also facing competition ahead.

With a global total of $263.3M through Sunday, the expensive movie is looking to final at a worldwide cume above $400M, though getting to profit is still a tricky proposition. The current weekend grossed $92.4M in 82 markets and saw some good holds. France was off 29% for an $11.14M cume; Germany dipped 32% for $5.3M to date; and Australia held No. 1 to cume $5.3M so far.

Asia is the driver with a debut of $3.2M in Japan for the No. 1 spot. Korea is the lead market behind China at $16M and Taiwan has cumed $8M in first place for the third weekend in a row.

The international total is now $202.7M, which is bigger than Ready Player One (+3%) and The Maze Runner (+64%) at current exchange rates.

HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON: THE HIDDEN WORLD


DreamWorks Animation
Hiccup and Toothless had a franchise-high domestic debut this weekend, several frames after their threequel began offshore rollout in early January. The current weekend overseas on the Universal/DreamWorks Animation title was $34.7M with strong play through European school vacations. Internationally, the total is now $216.9M for $275M worldwide.

HTTYD3 is playing in 53 offshore markets including nine new homes this session. They’re led by Russia’s $11.2M from 1,810 locations at No. 1. That’s followed by Spain at No. 1 with $2.8M from 352 sites, and the Philippines with $1.7M at 212 locations and No. 1. In holds, the UK was up 5% for a $20.3M cume, France dipped just 27% for $16.7M to date and Germany was down 39% for $13.9M. Mexico likewise fell 39% for an $18.7M total after four frames. Still to come are China and Japan with the former opening on Friday.

THE LEGO MOVIE 2: THE SECOND PART

Lego Movie 2
Warner Bros
Warner Bros’ sequel, the fourth movie in the franchise to be released in just the past few years, added $10.3M from 8,572 screens in 73 overseas markets. An underwhelming performance thus far, the film has now cumed $53M internationally and $136.6M worldwide.

School holidays in Europe helped propel some better business this weekend with the UK up 3% for a running cume of $18.3M at No. 1. France and Italy both opened this frame with $1.2M from 452 screens and $963K from 500, respectively.

The UK leads all play, followed by Russia ($3.2M), Poland ($3M), Germany ($2.7M) and Mexico ($2.5M). The final key market release is Australia on March 21.

GREEN BOOK

Green Book
Universal Pictures
As it heads into Oscar night, Best Picture nominee Green Book added $8.6M at the international box office this weekend. That’s across 59 combined Lionsgate and Amblin markets and brings the running cume to $74.4M ahead of the China opening (off a flat sale) next session. Lionsgate’s markets have amassed $41.2M so far; Denmark was a No. 1 opener this weekend at $709K while France topped the 1M admissions milestone for $8.2M to date (France’s national news radio today was predicting Green Book as the Oscar winner). For Amblin, the drop this weekend was 14% across 11 markets for a $33.17M cume to date and strong holds. Behind France, the UK ($8.1M), Italy ($6.7M), Australia ($6.4M) and Russia ($6M) round out the Top 5. China and Japan open Friday.

HAPPY DEATH DAY 2U


Universal
Universal/Blumhouse’s sequel unwrapped $6.1M in the second offshore session, cuming $20.9M internationally and $42.5M worldwide. Strong horror market Brazil was the top opening in the frame at $844K from 494 locations and 13% ahead of Truth Or Dare. Malaysia had a good start at No. 2 with $411K from 139 locations and 58% above the previous microbudget installment. Germany led the way for holdovers, dipping 28% to cume $1.8M so far. The lead market overall is Korea at $2.9M, followed by Germany, the UK and France ($1.7M) and Indonesia ($1.34M). Still on deck are Italy, Russia and Japan among others.

MISC UPDATED CUMES/NOTABLE


Disney
Ralph Breaks The Internet (DIS): $5.1M intl weekend (26 markets); $314.6M intl cume
The Favourite (FOX): $3.7M intl weekend (49 markets); $51.1M intl cume
Bohemian Rhapsody (FOX): $3.2M intl weekend (33 markets); $647.7M intl cume
Instant Family (PAR): $3M intl weekend (22 markets); $43.5M intl cume
The Mule (WB): $3M intl weekend (35 markets); $44.7M intl cume
Nicky Larson And Cupid’s Perfume (SNY): $2M intl weekend (France only); $10.2M France cume
Aquaman (WB): $1.9M intl weekend (58 markets); $805.9M intl cume ($1.13B WW)
Escape Room (SNY): $1.8M intl weekend (41 markets); $62.5M intl cume
Loudspeaker (SNY): $1.8M intl weekend (Russia only); $6M Russia cume
Glass (DIS): $1.6M intl weekend (35 markets); $133M intl cume
What Men Want (PAR): $1.6M intl weekend (10 markets); $4.6M intl cume
A Dog’s Way Home (SNY): $1.4M intl weekend (32 markets); $21.9M intl cume
Mary Poppins Returns (DIS): $1.2M intl weekend (16 markets); $174.1M intl cume
The Kid Who Would Be King (FOX): $913K intl weekend (14 markets); $9.4M intl cume
My Best Friend’s Wedding (SNY): $810K intl weekend (Mexico only); $4.1M Mexico cume

NEW LOCAL-LANGUAGE

Fox Star
Fox Star’s Bollywood comedy Total Dhamaal grossed $9.6M at No. 1 in India this weekend, seeing increases throughout the frame. In total in two Fox Star markets, the Indra Kumar-directed entry into the franchise made $9.9M. An adventure comedy, it stars Ajay Devgn, Madhuri Dixit and Anil Kapoor. In Korea, Svaha: The Sixth Finger grossed $8.9M at No. 1 per local reporting. The thriller from director Jang Jae-hyn connects a cult to a series of mysterious cases of missing teenage girls.

didn't bother to migrate all the pix.

[GeneChing]

Come on now. Give us your reviews.

'Alita: Battle Angel's Booming Box Office Defies Original Predictions
By KOFI OUTLAW - March 1, 2019

Alita: Battle Angel has shattered (low) expectations for its performance of the box office, and the run is still ongoing. As of writing this, Alita: Battle Angel has made $286 million at the worldwide box office (on a $170M budget). The film has shown impressive staying power, still scoring in the top 3 a the US box office this week.

As Exhibitor Relations points out, the film is now sitting on the bubble of questions surrounding its franchise potential - starting with a sequel:

Exhibitor Relations Co.
@ERCboxoffice
Fox's ALITA: BATTLE ANGEL has now assembled $223M internationally.

114
4:25 PM - Feb 27, 2019
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Exhibitor Relations Co.
@ERCboxoffice
Replying to @Daniel23hardy
And the biggest question—is that enough? Only Fox, er Disney, knows for sure. Plus, Cameron is now full tilt into AVATAR sequels. This would be up to RR to move it forward, most likely. And he’ll need to reel in the budget to make that happen, obviously.

5
10:11 AM - Feb 28, 2019
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Daniel Hardy
@Daniel23hardy
· Feb 28, 2019
Replying to @ERCboxoffice
But Disney/ex-Fox will now be entering the business of keeping Cameron happy. If RR can deliver a sequel for 130 mill on the next round, it might be worth it to them (especially if Alita does well on streaming etc.)


Exhibitor Relations Co.
@ERCboxoffice
Agreed. It's worth pursuing as long as the budget is restrained and Disney figures out how to capitalize on the potential merch. Hear they're pretty good at that sort of thing.

5
10:58 AM - Feb 28, 2019
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Battle Angel has gotten a surge thanks to its strong overseas openings - particularly in Japan and China. Those foreign markets are proving to be very lucrative to the anime adaptation genre, whose fans can be terribly fickle, proving that director Robert Rodriguez and producer James Cameron managed to do right by the original Alita manga and anime, in the eyes of fans.

Alita now finds itself alongside another anime-inspired blockbuster film, which also struggled with the question of whether there was franchise potential: Pacific Rim. That film also scored well at the international box office ($309M) and did well enough domestically ($101M), but due to the film's nearly $200M budget, it was deemed a risk for full franchise rollout. It would take half a decade before Pacific Rim: Uprising arrived in theaters. While the sequel did a lot less business stateside ($50M), it still held strong internationally ($231M).

That's a pretty clear example for 20th Century Fox (and now Disney) to weigh in consideration. The question is how executives are looking at the industry; some see great opportunity in making film aimed more at the foreign market, while others still view the domestic box office as *the* only gold standard for a film's success. If there's one last lesson to learn from Pacific Rim, it may be this: once the visual effects deisgns get done the first time around, it's much easier to implement them in a sequel. A more fixed budget could be all the swaying Fox needs.

Alita: Battle Angel is now playing in theaters.

[GeneChing]

‘Alita: Battle Angel’ Star Understands Why Disney Has Not Yet Ordered a Sequel
By Brandon Katz • 08/05/19 10:09am


Will we ever see a sequel to Alita: Battle Angel? Fox

Amid mixed-to-negative critical reviews but a surprisingly positive reception from audiences, 21st Century Fox’s risky $170 million blockbuster Alita: Battle Angel fared far better than expected when it hit theaters back in February. However, even at north of $400 million worldwide, the James Cameron-produced fantasy epic still may not have earned enough money to warrant a sequel.

The picture totaled just $84 million in North America, falling behind other notable disappointments, such as Disney’s John Carter and Paramount’s Terminator: Genisys when accounting for inflation. Neither of those would-be franchise launching pads were given sequels.

Studios keep a greater percentage of domestic dollars compared to overseas ticket sales, so a strong North American showing is typically required for franchising. While Alita performed impressively in China ($133 million), which can often serve as a bailout for under-performing domestic tentpoles (see: Pacific Rim), the remainder of its foreign sales ($185 million) left something to be desired.

If Fox remained an independent studio, its executive team might look at the vocal online fan support and the strong early returns Alita is generating in at-home entertainment sales and move forward with a sequel. However, Fox is no longer an independent entity after being swallowed up by Disney. Even the film’s star Rosa Salazar understands that the mega-merger has complicated the future of countless projects.

“Yeah, I mean, they had a crazy merger,” she told SlashFilm. “People are gaining jobs, people are losing jobs. The whole Disney/Fox acquisition is so involved, this isn’t the right time for me to call [Walt Disney Studios CEO] Alan Horn and be like, ‘Hey bro, I know you got a lotta stuff going on, but like what about Alita 2?’

The crown jewel of Disney’s Fox acquisition in terms of big screen IP is the Avatar franchise, also overseen by James Cameron. Outside of that, Disney plans to pare down Fox’s release schedule, which had an average of nearly 15 films per year from 2015-2018.

“I’m guessing there will be five or six films a year from Fox, but we’re not locking ourselves into that,” Disney CEO Bob Iger said in May.

Shortly before those comments, Disney announced an ambitious release schedule stretching as far as 2025. It included the planned $1 billion-plus Avatar sequels but no mention of Alita 2.

I just want to see more Panzer Kunst.

[GeneChing]

92ND OSCARS SHORTLISTS
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has announced shortlists in consideration for the 92nd Academy Awards in nine categories: Documentary Feature, Documentary Short Subject, International Feature Film, Makeup and Hairstyling, Music (Original Score), Music (Original Song), Animated Short Film, Live Action Short Film and Visual Effects.

INTERNATIONAL FEATURE FILM
Ten films will advance to the next round of voting in the International Feature Film category (formerly known as Foreign Language Film) for the 92nd Academy Awards. Ninety-one films were eligible in the category.

Academy members from all branches were invited to participate in the preliminary round. They must have viewed the submitted films theatrically and met a minimum viewing requirement to be eligible to vote in the category. Their seven choices, augmented by three additional selections voted by the Academy’s International Feature Film Award Executive Committee, constitute the shortlist.

In the nominations round, Academy members from all branches are invited to opt-in to participate and must view all 10 shortlisted films in order to cast a ballot.

The films, listed in alphabetical order by country, are:

Czech Republic, “The Painted Bird”
Estonia, “Truth and Justice”
France, “Les Misérables”
Hungary, “Those Who Remained”
North Macedonia, “Honeyland”
Poland, “Corpus Christi”
Russia, “Beanpole”
Senegal, “Atlantics”
South Korea, “Parasite”
Spain, “Pain and Glory”


MAKEUP AND HAIRSTYLING
Ten films will advance in the Makeup and Hairstyling category for the 92nd Academy Awards. All members of the Academy’s Makeup Artists and Hairstylists Branch will be invited to view seven-minute excerpts from each of the 10 shortlisted films on Saturday, January 4, 2020. Members will vote to nominate five films for final Oscar consideration.

The films, listed in alphabetical order by title, are:

“Bombshell”
“Dolemite Is My Name”
“Downton Abbey”
“Joker”
“Judy”
“Little Women”
“Maleficent: Mistress of Evil”
“1917”
“Once upon a Time…in Hollywood”
“Rocketman”


MUSIC (ORIGINAL SCORE)
Fifteen scores will advance in the Original Score category for the 92nd Academy Awards. One hundred seventy scores were eligible in the category. Members of the Music Branch vote to determine the shortlist and the nominees.

The scores, listed in alphabetical order by film title, are:

“Avengers: Endgame”
“Bombshell”
“The Farewell”
“Ford v Ferrari”
“Frozen II”
“Jojo Rabbit”
“Joker”
“The King”
“Little Women”
“Marriage Story”
“Motherless Brooklyn”
“1917”
“Pain and Glory”
“Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker”
“Us”

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MUSIC (ORIGINAL SONG)
Fifteen songs will advance in the Original Song category for the 92nd Academy Awards. Seventy-five songs were eligible in the category. Members of the Music Branch vote to determine the shortlist and the nominees.

The original songs, along with the motion picture in which each song is featured, are listed below in alphabetical order by film title and song title:

“Speechless” from “Aladdin”
“Letter To My Godfather” from “The Black Godfather”
“I’m Standing With You” from “Breakthrough”
“Da Bronx” from “The Bronx USA”
“Into The Unknown” from “Frozen II”
“Stand Up” from “Harriet”
“Catchy Song” from “The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part”
“Never Too Late” from “The Lion King”
“Spirit” from “The Lion King”
“Daily Battles” from “Motherless Brooklyn”
“A Glass of Soju” from “Parasite”
“(I’m Gonna) Love Me Again” from “Rocketman”
“High Above The Water” from “Toni Morrison: The Pieces I Am”
“I Can’t Let You Throw Yourself Away” from “Toy Story 4”
“Glasgow” from “Wild Rose”


VISUAL EFFECTS
Ten films remain in the running in the Visual Effects category for the 92nd Academy Awards. The Visual Effects Branch Executive Committee determined the shortlist. All members of the Visual Effects Branch will be invited to view 10-minute excerpts from each of the shortlisted films online or attend satellite bake-off screenings in January 2020. Following the screenings, members will vote to nominate five films for final Oscar consideration.

The films, listed in alphabetical order by title, are:

“Alita: Battle Angel”
“Avengers: Endgame”
“Captain Marvel”
“Cats”
“Gemini Man”
“The Irishman”
“The Lion King”
“1917”
“Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker”
“Terminator: Dark Fate”

Nominations voting begins on Thursday, January 2, 2020 and concludes on Tuesday, January 7, 2020.

Nominations for the 92nd Academy Awards will be announced on Monday, January 13, 2020.

The 92nd Oscars® will be held on Sunday, February 9, 2020, at the Dolby Theatre® at Hollywood & Highland Center® in Hollywood, and will be televised live on the ABC Television Network. The Oscars also will be televised live in more than 225 countries and territories worldwide.

THREADS
Academy Awards
Parasite
Dolemite is My Name
Once Upon a Time...in Hollywood
The Farewell
Alita

[GeneChing]

Alita: Battle Angel 2 & 3 Seemingly Confirmed By James Cameron
BY
RYAN NORTHRUP
PUBLISHED JUL 10, 2023
Producer James Cameron has seemingly confirmed that multiple sequels to 2019’s Alita: Battle Angel are happening after years of uncertainty.



After years of uncertainty, producer James Cameron has seemingly confirmed that Alita: Battle Angel 2 and a third film are actually moving forward. Released in 2019 director Robert Rodriguez's Alita: Battle Angel serves as an adaptation of Japanese manga Gunnm (Battle Angel Alita, in English) by Yukito Kishiro. The film earned generally positive reviews and was a lukewarm success at the box office but two planned sequels have thus far failed to come to fruition.

Now, however, in a recent interview with Forbes regarding why he chose to sell his California mansion, Cameron, in his explanation, seemingly reveals that multiple Alita: Battle Angel sequels are happening. The producer doesn't reveal any details or timelines, but development will presumably take place between his work on the three remaining Avatar sequels. Check out Cameron's full comment below:

“And on Avatar, I’m working in Wellington and Los Angeles. And on the new Alita: Battle Angel films, I’ll be working in Austin, so it just didn’t make sense for us anymore.”

Will The Alita: Battle Angel Sequels Actually Happen?



Earlier this year, Rodriguez revealed that Cameron had outlined general storylines for Alita: Battle Angel 2 and 3. This followed several months' worth of other smaller updates and reports in which stars and creative talent expressed their eagerness to return for an additional film. It's worth noting that, despite Cameron's promising comments, there have been no official announcements from Disney regarding additional Alita: Battle Angel movies just yet.

The big reasons why the Alita: Battle Angel has taken so long to get off the ground is because the first movie, despite making its money back at the box office, wasn't exactly a runaway hit at $405 million. This was further complicated by the fact that Disney later bought 20th Century Studios. The movie's strong cult following and continued enthusiasm for a sequel from audiences and stars alike, however, combined with Cameron's recent smash success with Avatar: The Way of Water, lends some serious credence to the filmmaker's latest comments.

Cameron's comments about Alita: Battle Angel 3 are curious, as, typically, the green-lighting of a third movie would depend on how well the second one fares at the box office. It's possible that Cameron is either very confident that the first sequel will perform or, perhaps, the second and third movies will be shot back-to-back, adopting an Avatar franchise strategy. If Alita: Battle Angel 2 and 3 are actually moving forward in the next few years, an official announcement from Disney shouldn't be too far away.

Fingers crossed.