James Cameron Says He Must Find a Cheaper Way to Produce the Avatar Movies in Order to Continue With Avatar 4 and 5

Avatar writer and manager James Cameron has discussed the anticipation of moving guardant with Avatar 4 and 5 pursuing the merchandise of the 3rd film, Fire and Ash, saying helium indispensable find a cheaper mode to nutrient the movies successful bid to continue.

The peculiar effects-heavy Avatar films outgo a immense magnitude of wealth to produce, but they person historically made billions of dollars astatine the container office. 2009's Avatar 1 remains the highest-grossing movie of each clip (not adjusted for inflation), and has earned a staggering $2.9 cardinal crossed respective theatrical runs. 2022's Avatar: The Way of Water has earned $2.3 billion, meanwhile, cementing its spot arsenic the third-highest grossing movie of each time.

Latest figures bespeak Avatar: Fire and Ash has present grossed $1.231 cardinal globally aft 4 weekends successful theaters. It is trailing some its predecessors astatine this constituent successful its run. After play four, Avatar: The Way of Water had made $1.713 billion, and Avatar had made $1.335 billion. It looks progressively improbable that Fire and Ash volition extremity up matching Avatar 1 oregon 2 by the extremity of its theatrical run. But the bigger question is whether it volition extremity up doing good capable to person Disney to greenlight Avatar 4 and 5. Disney has fixed some sequels merchandise dates already: Avatar 4 presently has a December 21, 2029 merchandise date, with Avatar 5 owed retired December 19, 2031. Cameron, present 71, would beryllium adjacent to 80 years aged by the clip it each wraps up.

In a caller interrogation with Taiwanese outlet TVBS News, Cameron stopped abbreviated of confirming whether Avatar 4 and 5 would decidedly happen. But helium did accidental Avatar 3 volition request to marque a batch of money, and he’ll request to fig retired a mode to marque Avatar 4 and 5 for little money, successful bid to get the thumbs up from Disney.

Cameron was asked astir the chances of Everything Everywhere All astatine Once prima Michelle Yeoh appearing successful aboriginal Avatar movies, which is wherever speech of 4 and 5 came up.

“Michelle [Yeoh] is decidedly going to beryllium successful 4, if we marque 4,” Cameron began. “Here’s the thing: the movie manufacture is depressed close now. Avatar 3 outgo a batch of money. We person to bash good successful bid to continue. We person to bash good and we request to fig retired however to marque Avatar movies much inexpensively successful bid to continue.

“If we proceed and we bash 4, we besides bash 4 and 5 together. So we made 2 and 3 together, 1 large story. And past 4 and 5 is different large story. And Michelle volition beryllium successful 4 and 5. And she volition play a show seizure character. Her quality sanction is Paktu’eylat. She volition beryllium a Na’vi.”

Cameron’s comments present echo those helium made successful the tally up to Fire and Ash’s release, wherever helium admitted helium was feeling tense astir the film’s container bureau show and expressed interest astir the “forces” moving against theatrical releases successful 2025. Speaking connected The Town with Matthew Belloni podcast, Cameron said determination was imaginable for “sequelitis.”

"People thin to disregard sequels unless it’s the 3rd Lord of the Rings movie and you privation to spot what happens to everybody, which successful my caput this is — this is the culmination of a communicative arc, but that whitethorn not beryllium however the nationalist sees it,” helium said. And there’s the “one-two punch” of streaming and Covid, which means less radical are going to the movies — 75% of the fig successful 2019, Cameron suggested.

When pressed connected however overmuch Avatar: Fire and Ash outgo to make, Cameron wouldn’t beryllium drawn into divulging a figure, lone suggesting it was a batch of money, and truthful the movie volition person to marque a batch of wealth to crook a profit.

The destiny of Avatar 4 and 5 is inactive up successful the air. Photo by VCG/VCG via Getty Images.

“It is 1 metric f**k ton of money, which means we person to marque 2 metric f**k tons of wealth to marque a profit,” helium said. “I person nary uncertainty successful my caput that this movie volition marque money. The question is, does it marque capable wealth to warrant doing it again?”

And connected that point, Cameron admitted helium was “absolutely” acceptable to locomotion distant from Avatar if Fire and Ash flops. “I’ve been successful Avatar onshore for 20 years,” helium said. “Actually 30 years due to the fact that I wrote it successful ‘95, but I wasn’t moving continuously connected it for those archetypal 10 years. Yeah, absolutely, sure. If this is wherever it ends, cool.” But what astir unfastened communicative threads? “There’s 1 unfastened thread. I’ll constitute a book!” Cameron responded.

Disney has utilized Avengers: Doomsday teaser trailers (which, apparently, are neither teasers nor trailers) to promote repetition viewings of Avatar: Fire and Ash successful theaters. Four teasers person been released truthful far, with each going online aft a week of theatrical exclusivity up of Fire and Ash.

The aboriginal of cinemagoing is apical of caput arsenic 2026 kicks off, with Netflix, which is buying Warner Bros. for $72 billion, reportedly funny successful a 17-day model for theatrical releases earlier they deed the streaming platform. Meanwhile, container bureau gross is struggling, with adjacent Marvel movies — antecedently guaranteed hits — having occupation getting fans into theaters. The large question close present is, are we witnessing the opening of the extremity of going to the cinema?

Hollywood fable Leonardo DiCaprio precocious expressed interest astir the aboriginal of cinemagoing, wondering whether it volition go a niche pursuit. In an interrogation with The Sunday Times, the Titanic, Inception, and The Wolf of Wall Street prima wondered whether “people inactive person the appetite” for theaters, and, if not, whether they mightiness “become silos — similar jazz bars.”

Photo by VCG/VCG via Getty Images.

Wesley is Director, News astatine IGN. Find him connected Twitter astatine @wyp100. You tin scope Wesley astatine [email protected] oregon confidentially astatine [email protected].