Avatar: The Way Of Water has finally been released to cinemas 13 years after the first part (Picture: Courtesy of 20th Century Studios)
An Avatar 2 fan has died after suffering what is suspected to be an ‘excitement-induced heart attack’ while watching the movie.
The sequel to James Cameron’s blockbuster epic, officially titled Avatar: The Way Of Water, was released in cinemas worldwide on Friday.
It has been a longtime coming for fans of the first instalment, released in 2009, and boasts a star-studded cast including Kate Winslet, Zoe Saldana, Sam Worthington and Sigourney Weaver.
A man, who has been identified as Lakshmireddy Srinu, went to watch the film at a cinema in the Kakinada district of southern Andhra Pradesh state with his younger brother.
According to local reports, Srinu suffered a medical emergency and collapsed in the middle of the three-hour movie. He was reportedly taken to the Peddapuram Government Hospital where he was declared dead.
Dr Sanjeev Gera, director of Fortis Hospital, Noida, told The Hindustan Times that there is a ‘continuing inflammation in our blood vessels’ particularly after Covid.
The blockbuster boasts a star-studded cast, including Kate Winslet, Sam Worthington and Zoe Saldana (Picture: Courtesy of 20th Century Studios)
Director James Cameron admitted the special effects-laden sequel was expensive to make (Picture: AFP via Getty Images)
Explaining what could have caused Srinu to suffer the heart attack, he added: ‘Because of stress, increase in blood pressure like what happened in this case, arteries of the heart could have ruptured and that can cause sudden cardiac arrest.’
Aster CMI Hospital’s Dr Pradeep Kumar D, added to the publication: ‘This may be due to a plaque rupture in the coronaries or triggering of an arrhythmia due to excitement.
To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web
browser that
supports HTML5
video
‘These kinds of deaths do happen during exciting matches/emotional situations. The movie per se is unlikely to have caused the death.’
A 42-year-old man in Taiwan also died from a heart attack while watching the first Avatar movie in 2010.
It was reported at the time that the cinema-goer had a history of high blood pressure and that his medical emergency was likely caused by the ‘over-excitement from watching the movie’.
Avatar 2 has certainly made a splash in its opening weekend, taking $135million (£111million) at the US box office.
It comes after director Cameron admitted that the special effects-laden sequel was ‘very f***ing expensive’ to make, and reports that it would need to gross $2billion (£1.6bn) to break even, which only five films including the first Avatar have ever done.
Got a story?
If you’ve got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the Metro.co.uk entertainment team by emailing us [email protected], calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we’d love to hear from you.
The man collapsed in a cinema in India.
