James Cameron has just released plot details for an Avatar sequel - with the action looking likely to take place in the ocean this time around.
Avatar - which overtook Cameron's earlier blockbuster, Titanic, to become the most profitable movie yet - grossed $2.7 billion (Dh10bn) in ticket sales worldwide after it was released in cinemas late last year. And as if becoming the biggest movie in history were not accolade enough, it has been reported that last Thursday's first-day sales of the DVD was around the four million mark, breaking the record set by The Dark Knight.
(To underline Avatar's environmental message, Twentieth Century Fox departed from its normal practice of releasing films on Tuesdays, choosing Earth Day - April 22 - for the occasion instead.)
The DVD also looks on course to overtake New Moon as the biggest seller of the year, with a Blu-ray edition slated for a November release.
Cameron, the film's director and creator, is also due to unleash an extended version on cinema screens this summer. Having had to cut 40 minutes from the original release - such was the studio's hurry to get the movie out in time for the Christmas holidays - Cameron has confirmed his intention to reinstate 10 to 12 minutes of the deleted footage for the movies second run.
Scenes with Jake Sully's (Sam Worthington) avatar proving himself to the Na'vi people of Pandora, as well as a native festival, are reported to be among several of the scenes due to be restored.
With Avatar having to make way for Tim Burton's 3D vision of Alice in Wonderland, Clash of the Titans (also starring Worthington) and the child-friendly feature How To Train Your Dragon at Imax cinemas, Cameron and Twentieth Century Fox feel a re-release would recoup lost earnings.
Cameron told the Los Angeles Times: "We were sold out of our Imax performances right up to the moment until they were contractually obligated to switch to Alice in Wonderland, so we know we left money on the table there."
Lost money aside, don't worry about the sequel from Cameron - who took 15 years to get Avatar made according to how he had envisioned it - taking quite as long to reach us as the original film:
"The challenge on the next Avatar is to do what we did before at half the price and in half the time. Again, that's an impossible goal. We won't accomplish that, but if we can reduce by 25 per cent in both categories, we'll have really accomplished something," he said.
Avatar's groundbreaking use of 3D was a big draw when the film was released, but how keen will fans be on a second visit? Cameron says that by setting the new film in the ocean rather than the rainforest, he'll be giving audiences a new perspective on Pandora. But his plans don't stop there.
"We created a broad canvas for the environment of film. That's not just on Pandora, but throughout the Alpha Centauri AB star system [the setting that Cameron created]. And we expand out across that system and incorporate more into the story - not necessarily into the second film, but more towards a third film."
And it's not just Cameron who's looking towards the future. Worthington and Zoe Saldana, who plays the Pandora native Neytiri in Avatar, look set to reprise their roles in the sci-fi series.
Speaking at an LA press conference for Clash of the Titans, Worthington said: "I think at the moment he [Cameron] is busy with other things, but it's definitely on the books."
He added: "I think the fact that it got embraced so quickly, so amazingly, which is mind-blowing for all of us, means an audience wouldn't mind going back to Pandora with us. I don't know about five. I know it would be three, probably, but if you do the second one and it's terrible, you don't do the third one. It all depends on audiences. That's why you make movies."
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What is an ETF?
An exchange traded fund is a type of investment fund that can be traded quickly and easily, just like stocks and shares. They come with no upfront costs aside from your brokerage's dealing charges and annual fees, which are far lower than on traditional mutual investment funds. Charges are as low as 0.03 per cent on one of the very cheapest (and most popular), Vanguard S&P 500 ETF, with the maximum around 0.75 per cent.
There is no fund manager deciding which stocks and other assets to invest in, instead they passively track their chosen index, country, region or commodity, regardless of whether it goes up or down.
The first ETF was launched as recently as 1993, but the sector boasted $5.78 billion in assets under management at the end of September as inflows hit record highs, according to the latest figures from ETFGI, a leading independent research and consultancy firm.
There are thousands to choose from, with the five largest providers BlackRock’s iShares, Vanguard, State Street Global Advisers, Deutsche Bank X-trackers and Invesco PowerShares.
While the best-known track major indices such as MSCI World, the S&P 500 and FTSE 100, you can also invest in specific countries or regions, large, medium or small companies, government bonds, gold, crude oil, cocoa, water, carbon, cattle, corn futures, currency shifts or even a stock market crash.
Company Profile
Name: Thndr
Started: 2019
Co-founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Sector: FinTech
Headquarters: Egypt
UAE base: Hub71, Abu Dhabi
Current number of staff: More than 150
Funds raised: $22 million
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MATCH INFO
Manchester City 4 (Gundogan 8' (P), Bernardo Silva 19', Jesus 72', 75')
Fulham 0
Red cards: Tim Ream (Fulham)
Man of the Match: Gabriel Jesus (Manchester City)
The Perfect Couple
Starring: Nicole Kidman, Liev Schreiber, Jack Reynor
Creator: Jenna Lamia
Rating: 3/5
UAE - India ties
The UAE is India’s third-largest trade partner after the US and China
Annual bilateral trade between India and the UAE has crossed US$ 60 billion
The UAE is the fourth-largest exporter of crude oil for India
Indians comprise the largest community with 3.3 million residents in the UAE
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi first visited the UAE in August 2015
His visit on August 23-24 will be the third in four years
Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, visited India in February 2016
Sheikh Mohamed was the chief guest at India’s Republic Day celebrations in January 2017
Modi will visit Bahrain on August 24-25
The specs
Engine: 2.7-litre 4-cylinder Turbomax
Power: 310hp
Torque: 583Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh192,500
On sale: Now
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE
Starring: Winona Ryder, Michael Keaton, Jenny Ortega
Director: Tim Burton
Rating: 3/5
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If you go
The Flights
Emirates and Etihad fly direct to Johannesburg from Dubai and Abu Dhabi respectively. Economy return tickets cost from Dh2,650, including taxes.
The trip
Worldwide Motorhoming Holidays (worldwidemotorhomingholidays.co.uk) operates fly-drive motorhome holidays in eight destinations, including South Africa. Its 14-day Kruger and the Battlefields itinerary starts from Dh17,500, including campgrounds, excursions, unit hire and flights. Bobo Campers has a range of RVs for hire, including the 4-berth Discoverer 4 from Dh600 per day.
Company profile
Date started: January, 2014
Founders: Mike Dawson, Varuna Singh, and Benita Rowe
Based: Dubai
Sector: Education technology
Size: Five employees
Investment: $100,000 from the ExpoLive Innovation Grant programme in 2018 and an initial $30,000 pre-seed investment from the Turn8 Accelerator in 2014. Most of the projects are government funded.
Partners/incubators: Turn8 Accelerator; In5 Innovation Centre; Expo Live Innovation Impact Grant Programme; Dubai Future Accelerators; FHI 360; VSO and Consult and Coach for a Cause (C3)
Jawan
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