James Cameron willing to cut the Avatar franchise short if The Way of Water bombs

With $2.9 billion worldwide, James Cameron’s Avatar remains the highest-grossing movie of all time, but that was more than a decade ago, which leaves us wondering whether the upcoming Avatar sequels have a chance of recapturing that box-office glory. In addition to The Way of Water, James Cameron has three more Avatar sequels in the works, but what happens if The Way of Water bombs?

While speaking with Total Film, James Cameron said that he would cut the Avatar franchise short if The Way of Water doesn’t impress at the box office. This would leave Avatar 3 as the finale of the series. “The market could be telling us we’re done in three months, or we might be semi-done, meaning: ‘OK, let’s complete the story within movie three, and not go on endlessly’, if it’s just not profitable,” Cameron 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 theatre is all about. This film definitely does that. The question is: how many people give a shit now?“

Despite remaining on top of the box-office throne, audiences have long questioned whether we really need another Avatar movie, let alone four more, but I’ve learned long ago never to underestimate James Cameron. While I’m not expecting Avatar: The Way of Water to dethrone its predecessor, I’m fairly confident it will do well.

Set more than a decade after the events of the first film, Avatar: The Way of Water begins to tell the story of the Sully family (Jake, Neytiri, and their kids), the trouble that follows them, the lengths they go to keep each other safe, the battles they fight to stay alive,  and the tragedies they endure.  Avatar: The Way of Water will hit theaters on December 16th.

Do you think we’ll see all four Avatar sequels?