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Audiences continue to be thrilled by Avatar: The Way of Water, as evidenced by its dominating run at the box office. Even with the 2023 new movie releases starting to hit theaters, co-writer/director James Cameron has had a pretty strong hold on all competition since his big sequel’s mid-December debut. Throughout each step of the way, one question has occupied the minds of fans and spectators alike: given the production budget, will Avatar 2 break even, leading to more sequels getting the official green light?
According to Cameron during an interview with CNN/HBO Max’s Who’s Talking To Chris Wallace (opens in new tab), that’s not only going to “easily” happen, but Avatar 4 and 5 may now be a firm part of the director’s future. Said the filmmaker,
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 sequels… The point is that we’re gonna be ok, and I’m sure that we’ll have a discussion soon with the top folks at Disney about the game plan going forward for Avatar 3.
As if James Cameron was ever going to let himself “wiggle out of” making Avatar 4 and 5! It’s an adorable joke when you think about it, but a conversation that the filmmaker himself started last summer when he spoke about passing the baton to another director for future installments of the franchise. More recently, Cameron has talked about training a director to take over for Avatar’s potential sixth and seventh entries.
While James Cameron declined to offer an official “break even” number during the Chris Wallace interview, he did share a ton of optimism for the future of the Sully family’s adventures. As of this past weekend’s box office results, Avatar: The Way of Water sits with $1.7 billion in the bank in worldwide grosses, so he’s absolutely right to do so too. Thirteen years after breaking ground on this sci-fi universe, the people have returned to see what happens next, and the interest in the future appears high.
Avatar 3’s game plan will definitely be a focus for some time to come, as James Cameron has repeatedly confirmed that the third adventure is in post-production and part of Avatar 4 is already filmed. Some have even been inspired with a bold notion that, if 20th Century Studios really wanted to strike while the iron is hot, the company could consider an early 2023 release for Avatar 3. (it’s currently dated for December 2024.)
Currently, that is only a speculative question hanging in the air, but with box office results like those that Avatar: The Way Of Water has put up, it wouldn’t hurt to revisit the matter. Not for nothing, but if Avatar 3 is released earlier, the timeline of the series could be pushed up to the point where James Cameron just might be able to make Avatar 6 and 7 himself.
In the here and now, you can catch Avatar: The Way of Water exclusively at a theater near you. Meanwhile, if you’re looking to brush up on the history of the previous film, you can use your Disney+ subscription to stream Avatar in the comfort of your own home.