Photo: Gabriel Olsen/Getty; Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation/Kobal/ShutterstockJames Cameronmight abandon theAvatarfranchise if the upcoming sequel doesn’t meet box office expectations.In an interview withTotal Film, the director said how well the second film,Avatar: The Way of Water, performs when it hits theaters next month — 13 years after the record-breaking original — will dictate whether the series goes beyond the already-in-the-works third entry.“The market could be telling us we’re done in three months,” Cameron said. “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,” he added. “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.“Cameron said whileThe Way of Water"definitely does that,” in delivering a one-of-a-kind movie theater experience, “the question is: how many people give a s— now?“Matt Winkelmeyer/GettyNever miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.Cameron noted that the key aspects to making a sequel work are “to be surprising in ways that are not off-putting,” before he revealed that he actually held some ideas for the upcoming sequel back to include inAvatar 3.“There are a couple of things that I took out [ofAvatar 2] that I want to shoehorn into movie three, hopefully,” Cameron said. The director also admitted that theAvatarsequels “are hideously expensive movies” to make.“It was a sketchy business case before the pandemic to make a movie that cost this much,” Cameron said. “At this point, we just have to play it out to see what happens. But what I know right now is we’re delivering three hours of a pretty much insane experience.“Avatar: The Way of Water(2022).20th Century StudiosCameron, who has directed iconic sequels likeTerminator 2: Judgment DayandAliensplus beloved standalone films likeTitanic, admitted beforethat theAvatarsequels are a box-office gambleand suggested in July that he may not even direct the series' later installments, should they come to fruition.“TheAvatarfilms themselves are kind of all-consuming,” Cameron toldEmpireat the time. “I’ve got some other things I’m developing as well that are exciting. I think eventually over time — I don’t know if that’s after three or after four — I’ll want to pass the baton to a director that I trust to take over, so I can go do some other stuff that I’m also interested in. Or maybe not. I don’t know.““I got more excited as I went along,” the director said about developingAvatar’s sequels. “Movie four is a corker. It’s amotherf—–. I actually hope I get to make it But it depends on market forces,” he toldEmpire. “Three is in the can so it’s coming out regardless. I really hope that we get to make four and five because it’s one big story, ultimately.“Avatar: The Way of Wateris in theaters Dec. 16.
Photo: Gabriel Olsen/Getty; Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation/Kobal/Shutterstock
James Cameronmight abandon theAvatarfranchise if the upcoming sequel doesn’t meet box office expectations.In an interview withTotal Film, the director said how well the second film,Avatar: The Way of Water, performs when it hits theaters next month — 13 years after the record-breaking original — will dictate whether the series goes beyond the already-in-the-works third entry.“The market could be telling us we’re done in three months,” Cameron said. “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,” he added. “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.“Cameron said whileThe Way of Water"definitely does that,” in delivering a one-of-a-kind movie theater experience, “the question is: how many people give a s— now?“Matt Winkelmeyer/GettyNever miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.Cameron noted that the key aspects to making a sequel work are “to be surprising in ways that are not off-putting,” before he revealed that he actually held some ideas for the upcoming sequel back to include inAvatar 3.“There are a couple of things that I took out [ofAvatar 2] that I want to shoehorn into movie three, hopefully,” Cameron said. The director also admitted that theAvatarsequels “are hideously expensive movies” to make.“It was a sketchy business case before the pandemic to make a movie that cost this much,” Cameron said. “At this point, we just have to play it out to see what happens. But what I know right now is we’re delivering three hours of a pretty much insane experience.“Avatar: The Way of Water(2022).20th Century StudiosCameron, who has directed iconic sequels likeTerminator 2: Judgment DayandAliensplus beloved standalone films likeTitanic, admitted beforethat theAvatarsequels are a box-office gambleand suggested in July that he may not even direct the series' later installments, should they come to fruition.“TheAvatarfilms themselves are kind of all-consuming,” Cameron toldEmpireat the time. “I’ve got some other things I’m developing as well that are exciting. I think eventually over time — I don’t know if that’s after three or after four — I’ll want to pass the baton to a director that I trust to take over, so I can go do some other stuff that I’m also interested in. Or maybe not. I don’t know.““I got more excited as I went along,” the director said about developingAvatar’s sequels. “Movie four is a corker. It’s amotherf—–. I actually hope I get to make it But it depends on market forces,” he toldEmpire. “Three is in the can so it’s coming out regardless. I really hope that we get to make four and five because it’s one big story, ultimately.“Avatar: The Way of Wateris in theaters Dec. 16.
James Cameronmight abandon theAvatarfranchise if the upcoming sequel doesn’t meet box office expectations.
In an interview withTotal Film, the director said how well the second film,Avatar: The Way of Water, performs when it hits theaters next month — 13 years after the record-breaking original — will dictate whether the series goes beyond the already-in-the-works third entry.
“The market could be telling us we’re done in three months,” Cameron said. “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,” he added. “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.”
Cameron said whileThe Way of Water"definitely does that,” in delivering a one-of-a-kind movie theater experience, “the question is: how many people give a s— now?”
Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty
Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
Cameron noted that the key aspects to making a sequel work are “to be surprising in ways that are not off-putting,” before he revealed that he actually held some ideas for the upcoming sequel back to include inAvatar 3.
“There are a couple of things that I took out [ofAvatar 2] that I want to shoehorn into movie three, hopefully,” Cameron said. The director also admitted that theAvatarsequels “are hideously expensive movies” to make.
“It was a sketchy business case before the pandemic to make a movie that cost this much,” Cameron said. “At this point, we just have to play it out to see what happens. But what I know right now is we’re delivering three hours of a pretty much insane experience.”
Avatar: The Way of Water(2022).20th Century Studios
Cameron, who has directed iconic sequels likeTerminator 2: Judgment DayandAliensplus beloved standalone films likeTitanic, admitted beforethat theAvatarsequels are a box-office gambleand suggested in July that he may not even direct the series' later installments, should they come to fruition.
“TheAvatarfilms themselves are kind of all-consuming,” Cameron toldEmpireat the time. “I’ve got some other things I’m developing as well that are exciting. I think eventually over time — I don’t know if that’s after three or after four — I’ll want to pass the baton to a director that I trust to take over, so I can go do some other stuff that I’m also interested in. Or maybe not. I don’t know.”
“I got more excited as I went along,” the director said about developingAvatar’s sequels. “Movie four is a corker. It’s amotherf—–. I actually hope I get to make it But it depends on market forces,” he toldEmpire. “Three is in the can so it’s coming out regardless. I really hope that we get to make four and five because it’s one big story, ultimately.”
Avatar: The Way of Wateris in theaters Dec. 16.
source: people.com
