The future of the Avatar franchise relies on the success of Avatar 2
By Ariba Bhuvad
Avatar 2 is finally releasing next month! After waiting for more than a decade, Avatar: The Way of Water will finally arrive and, hopefully, dazzle us all.
People expect this movie to be the best thing they’ve ever seen; if it is anything less than that, it just might fail. I know that sounds harsh, but director James Cameron has made us wait for a very long time, and now we expect only greatness.
But times have changed have since the first movie came out in 2009, and it’s possible the movie could underperform. If that happens, Cameron has a backup plan.
If Avatar 2 fails, it just might be the end of the franchise
Speaking with SlashFilm, Cameron said that if Avatar 2 isn’t a success, he’s willing to forego the other planned sequels…after one more. “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,” he said.
"We’re in a different world now than we were when I wrote this stuff, even. 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?"
At the moment, Avatar 3 has just finished principal photography and has a release date of December 20, 2024. The fourth film, if it happens, would get a 2026 release date. It’s quite a long time from now, but I’d like to think that the fanbase behind the Avatar franchise is strong and will show up for the sequel. I mean, the original film made $2.905 billion globally, so I think the sequel is going to be just fine.
Avatar: The Way of Water releases in theaters on December 16, 2022.
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h/t Collider