James Cameron States “Avatar: The Way of Water” is Profitable and Sequels Will Go Ahead

James Cameron – in an interview on HBO’s Who’s Talking to Chris Wallace? – has stated that Avatar: The Way of Water will “easily” pass the break-even point at the box office and that he will indeed make more sequels.

What’s Happening:

  • As shared by The Hollywood Reporter, director James Cameron is going ahead with plans to make three future Avatar films.
  • He states that “I can’t wiggle out of this, I’m gonna have to do these other sequels.”
  • While Avatar 3 is already in the can, and was likely to be released regardless of the response to The Way of Water, Avatar 4 and 5 have at this point only been written.
  • Cameron does state that a small portion of Avatar 4 has been filmed.
  • At this time, Avatar 3 is in the post-production phase “to do all that CG magic.”
  • He says “We’ve begun a saga that can now play out over multiple films.”
  • Previously, Cameron speculated that The Way of Water would have to earn at least $2 billion at the box office just to break even and justify a sequel.
  • “To clarify, I never actually gave it a number,” Cameron said. “I said it would have to be among the highest-grossing films in history and somebody else applied that number and it got picked up. The number is actually less.”
  • The Way of Water had an estimated production budget of more than $400 million, with a marketing spend that brought the combined price tag to at least $600 million.
  • Cameron also teased the franchise is making its way through the four elements, with a new Na’vi clan centered around fire to be introduced in a future film, potentially a more villainous group of Na’vi.
  • “The fire will be represented by the ‘Ash People,’” Cameron said. “I want to show the Na’vi from another angle because, so far, I have only shown their good sides. In the early films, there are very negative human examples and very positive Na’vi examples. In Avatar 3, we will do the opposite. We will also explore new worlds, while continuing the story of the main characters. I can say that the last parts will be the best. The others were an introduction, a way to set the table before serving the meal.”
  • Avatar 3 is currently scheduled to be released in theaters on December 20th, 2024.