Last night SFX joined director James Cameron and members of the Avatar cast including Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana and Sigourney Weaver, at the world premiere in Leicester Square.
Ian W, Dave B, Jon C and Steve J soak up the atmosphere in Leicester Square. Behind us and the crowd, Twentieth Century Fox's fleet of limos is ready to depart.
The new 3D movie was screened in two cinemas simultaneously (the Odeon and the Empire). The fun kicked off from about 5.30pm as celebrity guests began to arrive. Next to the festively lit trees of Leicester Square guests were treated to a blue carpet rather than the traditional red - appropriate for the Avatar characters. The audience was invited to take their seats around 7pm but it was half an hour before Cameron and cast appeared to introduce the film live before the curtains opened. Cameron thanked his actors with a traditional Na'vi greeting from the film... which was a bit cheesy, but apparently heartfelt (and made more sense once we'd seen the story). The cast then sat to watch their movie just a few rows from where SFX was enjoying the show; Zoe Saldana's Star Trek co-star Simon Pegg was also on hand.
After nearly three hours of 3D spec wearing, Sigourney Weaver (who plays Dr Grace Augustine) leaves the cinema.
You'll be pleased to hear that none of the SFX party needed to leave for a toilet break during the screening, despite a couple of cheeky pints beforehand. Needless to say a good night was had by all. You can tell we're treading carefully to avoid spoilers about the film here - you'll be able to read SFX's review online on Monday. Avatar opens nationwide on Thursday 17 December. Don't forget that issue 190 of SFX is still on sale with behind the scenes Avatar interviews and a free metallic poster of Zoe Saldana's character.
