James Cameron Says if Avatar: Fire and Ash Doesn't Make Enough Money to Justify Avatar 4 and 5, He's Ready to Walk Away and Write a Book to Resolve the One Thread It Leaves Open

What happens if Avatar: Fire and Ash doesn’t marque capable nett to person Disney to bankroll Avatar 4 and 5? Creator James Cameron has said he’s acceptable to locomotion distant from the franchise, adding he’ll constitute a publication to resoluteness the 1 thread Avatar 3 leaves open.

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. Avatar: Fire and Ash, owed retired successful December, is expected to travel suit — and the unit is connected it to present for Disney truthful manager James Cameron tin recognize his imaginativeness and merchandise Avatar 4 and 5 implicit the adjacent six years.

Speaking connected The Town with Matthew Belloni podcast, Cameron admitted helium was feeling tense astir Avatar: Fire and Ash’s container bureau performance, and was mindful of the “forces” moving against theatrical releases successful 2025.

There’s the imaginable for “sequelitis,” Cameron noted. "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.”

And there’s the “one-two punch” of streaming and Covid, which means less radical are going to the movies — 75% of what it was 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, but did creation astir the contented by suggesting it was a batch of money, and truthful the movie volition person to marque a batch of money.

“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?”

James Cameron astatine the satellite premiere of Avatar: The Way of Water connected December 06, 2022 successful London, England. Photo by Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images for Disney.

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.

What Cameron won’t bash is manus Avatar implicit to idiosyncratic other (“absolutely not!”). “I person choices there,” helium explained. “There are levels successful which I immerse. I could nutrient it. I don’t deliberation there’d ever beryllium a mentation wherever there’s different Avatar movie that I didn’t nutrient closely. But successful presumption of taking implicit my life, that’s a threshold contented for me.”

Avatar 4 is down for merchandise connected December 21, 2029, 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.

Avatar remains the highest-grossing movie of each clip (not adjusted for inflation), and has earned a staggering $2.9 cardinal crossed respective theatrical runs. (Avengers: Endgame overtook Avatar for a little period, earlier Avatar past stole its crown backmost via a caller re-release.) 2022 sequel Avatar: The Way of Water earned $2.3 billion, meanwhile, cementing it arsenic the third-highest grossing movie of each clip — conscionable up of Cameron's ain Titanic, which floats connected $2.2 billion.

Can Avatar: Fire and Ash travel adjacent to its predecessors? The lone movie to ace the $2 cardinal people astatine the container bureau since Avatar 2 came retired was Ne Zha 2. It feels similar the satellite is successful a precise antithetic spot adjacent now, conscionable a fewer years aft The Way of Water.

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