CinemaCon attendees were invited to don 3D glasses to immerse themselves in the 'Avatar: The Way of Water' trailer and return to the planet Pandora where they could see its blue-skinned inhabitants swimming and soar through the air.

"I can assure you that it was worth the wait," said Disney distribution manager Tony Chambers, confirming the title chosen for this second part of Avatar.

"Avatar: The Way of Water" will hit screens next December and should be followed by three more installments in this saga, whose original film has grossed some $2.8 billion since its release in 2009.

Each part will be an independent film from the others, with its own plot.

The four episodes won't be part of a story arc but, taken together, will represent "an even bigger epic saga," said producer Jon Landau.

It was from New Zealand, where James Cameron is putting the finishing touches to Avatar 2, that the director spoke to CinemaCon attendees.

He promised them dramatic technological advancements over the first "Avatar," whose main protagonists Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) and Neytiri (Zoe Saldana) now have families.

“We have decided once again to push the limits of what cinema can do”, he launched to the bosses of cinemas, gathered in Las Vegas for their annual gathering where the Hollywood studios bring them their novelties and their stars.

It was Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige who opened the presentation for Disney.

Participants were able to discover long excerpts from "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness" which will be released next week, where the wizard played by Benedict Cumberbatch faces flying octopuses and meets a teenager jumping from one world to another.

The film will be followed this year by two other super-productions dedicated to famous superheroes, "Thor" and "Black Panther".

Pixar has unveiled thirty minutes of its "Buzz Lightyear", a story retracing the birth of the intrepid astronaut from the "Toy Story" saga, to which Chris Evans lends his voice.

In the film, slated for release in June, Buzz is wracked with guilt after causing his fellow space rangers to sink on a hostile planet.

To try to rescue them, he must project himself into the future, with a cat-robot as his companion.

CinemaCon also saw the presentation of "Amsterdam", a romantic and detective film set in the 1930s with a host of stars including Christian Bale, Robert De Niro, Margot Robbie and Chris Rock.

© 2022 AFP