Ahead of Avatar: The Way of Water's release in theaters last month, filmmaker James Cameron made it clear in interviews that, if the sequel flopped, that would likely be it for the franchise. The third movie has already been shot, so we're getting that whatever happens, but Cameron's ambitious plans extend as far as fourth, fifth, and sixth movies (and possibly more).
Since its release, the 3D blockbuster has massively exceeded expectations at the box office, and has already become one of the ten highest-grossing movies of all time.
Cameron, who once claimed a whopping $2 billion haul was necessary for Avatar: The Way of Water to be considered profitable, has now shared an update, and it's good news for Na'vi fans. As the Avatar follow-up nears $1.8 billion worldwide, it sounds like it will turn a profit, meaning the director will be given the chance to move forward with his ambitious sequel plans.
"It looks like just with the momentum that the film has now that will easily pass our break even in the next few days, so it looks like I can’t wiggle out of this, I’m gonna have to do these other these other sequels," Cameron confirmed during a recent interview (via SFFGazette.com). "I know what I’m going to be doing the next six or seven years."
"The point is we’re going to be okay. I’m sure that we’ll have a discussion soon with with the top folks at Disney about the game plan going forward for Avatar 3, which is already in the can – we’ve already captured and photographed the whole film so we’re in extended post-production to do all that CG magic."
"And then Avatar 4 and 5 are both written," he added. "We even have some of 4 in the can. We’ve begun a franchise at this point. We’ve begun a saga that can now play out over multiple films."
We're sure Disney will be keen to continue making Avatar movies, particularly as they have a Pandora in Orlando's Disney World! Interest in that, and merchandise, has likely increased significantly in recent months, and no matter how you felt about The Way of Water, those box office figures suggest this sci-fi franchise is here to stay.
Are you looking forward to seeing Cameron's entire Avatar vision play out after watching The Way of Water?