James Cameron cites Avatar’s success as a message that audiences are done with streaming

When the television was first invented, audiences found they could receive the same kind of entertainment at home that they also could at movie theaters. Films combated the new medium with specialty formats as widescreen and 3D movies were used as a way to offer audiences a new cinema experience. History seems to be repeating itself as movie theaters are finding themselves at odds with streaming platforms, and James Cameron had aimed to make Avatar a one-of-a-kind experience to get audiences excited about cinema again.

With Avatar: The Way of Water being up for prestigious awards, Cameron responded to his newest box office success with enthusiasm that audiences are getting sick of streaming and want to have a good old-fashioned cinema experience. Variety reports on Cameron’s appearance at last night’s Golden Globes as he gave his reaction on the red carpet, “I’m thinking of it in the terms of we’re going back to theaters around the world. They’re even going back to theaters in China where they’re having this big COVID surge. We’re saying as a society, ‘We need this! We need to go to theaters.’ Enough with the streaming already! I’m tired of sitting on my ass.”

The sequel’s success is no small feat. With an incredibly elaborate filming process with revolutionary technology being used and Cameron’s penchant for detail and perfection, the sci-fi epic needed to raise $2 billion to break even. Avatar: The Way of Water‘s box office gross not only means it had become profitable, but also Cameron will be moving on with his planned additional sequels.

“The point is we’re going to be okay. 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, which is already in the can – we’ve already captured and photographed the whole film, so we’re in extended post-production to do all that CG magic. And then, Avatar 4 and 5 are both written. We even have some of 4 in the can. We’ve begun a franchise at this point. We’ve begun a saga that can now play out over multiple films,” Cameron says.