Even with the first “Avatar” being such a box-office juggernaut, eyebrows were still raised when filmmaker James Cameron revealed he had four sequels planned for the franchise.
When it came time to shoot them, 20th Century Studios opted to shoot the second and third in full, along with a bit of the fourth. They are then waiting and seeing how the second one goes before giving the go-ahead on the rest.
It’s expected director James Cameron’s heavily ocean-set second “Avatar” in December will be a box-office hit. However, it could always underperform and not make the kind of money that Disney wants or justifies more films.
As a result, Cameron tells Total Film (via Slashfilm) that he’s fully aware of the possibility that the saga might not last as long as he’d likes and so is readying for potentially having to call it day with just two sequels:
“The market could be telling us we’re done in three months, or we might be semi-done, meaning: ‘Okay, let’s complete the story within movie three, and not go on endlessly,’ if it’s just not profitable … We’re in a different world now than we were when I wrote this stuff, even. It’s the one-two punch – the pandemic and streaming. Or, conversely, maybe we’ll remind people what going to the theater is all about. This film definitely does that. The question is: how many people give a s— now?”
Cameron can be lifted up by the fact the original did so well in its recent re-release. “Avatar: The Way of Water,” which is expected to gross $650 million in total box-office, is on track for a December 16th theatrical release.
