The first of the five planned Avatar sequels, The Way of Water, is on its way this December, but the series of films may end shorter than expected. James Cameron told Total Film that box office performance could alter these plans as he is ready to cut installments four and five if the energy from audiences is not there.
“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.”
When looking at the market and standing of the film industry, the director looked at what the future could hold for the Avatar sequels. He cited the pandemic putting people away from the theater and the rise of streaming, especially as studios are more open to putting major movies on streaming at the same time as a theatrical release or shortly after (normally 45 days). To him, The Way of Water could be what will “remind” audiences about the theatrical experience. He does question who will “give a s— now?”
“We’re in a different world now than we were when I wrote this stuff,” he said. “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?”
If people care enough, maybe there will be more Avatar sequels after three films
The box office is still recovering from the pandemic, but it has shown to be improving in some areas. Horror, in particular, has found great success this year as Smile grins widely at $200 million, Scream revived the franchise with $140 million, Nope continued to prove Jordan Peele is a dominant force in the genre as his latest grossed $170 million. On the other hand, we have seen blockbusters explode, with Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness at $955 million, Jurassic World: Dominion at $1 billion, and Top Gun: Maverick soaring above everything in 2022 at $1.4 billion.
As Avatar is the highest-grossing film in history, there is a good chance the sequels will perform well. Still, the time between the first and second movies being over a decade puts a gap that might be hard for people to gather enthusiasm.
The Way of Water hits theaters on December 16. It will star Zoe Saldana, Sigourney Weaver, Kate Winslet, Sam Worthington, Michelle Yeoh, Stephen Lang, Jermaine Clement, and more.
