Avatar: The Way of Water is on the cusp of release, and that means its press cycle is ramping up. Director James Cameron commented on the Avatar franchise and acknowledged that, though he wants the franchise to go on for five movies, he could feasibly wrap it up in three if The Way of Water does not perform well.
Avatar: The Way of Water is coming out to a very, very different cinema landscape. While the first Avatar was king of the cinema when it was first released in 2009 and remains the highest-grossing film of all time, the sequel has to contend with the rise of streaming and the pandemic having harmed many theater chains. The Avatar re-release did phenomenal numbers at the box office globally, raking in an additional $76.5 million to its overall haul, but the sequel isn't a proven asset just yet, and it appears Cameron isn't taking it for granted that it will be.
Total Film magazine ran a cover feature in its December 2022 issue which concerned Avatar: The Way of Water. In the issue, Cameron revealed what the game plan is if The Way of Water doesn't perform well. "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 ... We're in a different world now than we were when I wrote this stuff," Cameron 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?"
The Avatar: The Way of Water runtime is currently over 3 hours long, so it certainly will be a commitment for audiences. The film is also being released 13 years after the first installment, something that rarely happens in franchises. Still, it appears that the re-release's box office numbers point towards audiences still being interested in the story. On the other hand, the first film's story was considered lacklustre by many, with some asking if Avatar might only be good if it's seen in 3D in theaters.
Some have questioned the need for a second film in the series, though Cameron certainly doesn't seem to be one of them. His comment about the film reminding audiences "what going to the theater is all about" indicates that he has great faith in the quality of his work, and Cameron has rarely failed at the box office.
Avatar: The Way of Water is already projected to earn less than its predecessor at the domestic box office, but expecting it to do as well as the first film would be a very tall order. The first film couldn't even be displaced by Avengers: Endgame, with its decade of setup. It's unlikely that the sequel would ever catch up to the first film's heights, but it will still probably do very well at the box office.
Avatar: The Way of Water releases on December 16, 2022.
Source: Total Film (via Slash Film)