James Cameron has a backup plan for his enormous franchise, even if Avatar: Fire and Ash has already made half a billion dollars globally in its first week. Following the release of the third film, the three-time Oscar winner hinted at his plans for Avatar 4 and 5, stating that he would “hold a press conference” if he chose not to continue the 2009 film trilogy.
“I don’t know if the saga goes beyond this point.” He told Entertainment Weekly, “I hope it does. But, you know, we prove that business case every time we go out.”
Furthermore, he said, “Here’s what it is. If we don’t get to make 4 and 5, for whatever reason, I’ll hold a press conference, and I’ll tell you what we were gonna do. How’s that?” The director added that Cameron wants to novelize the movies even though there is “no business model for it anymore,” stating that “it might be good to have the canonical record of what it was all supposed to be.”
With a $237 million budget, Avatar made $2.923 billion at the box office, while Avatar: The Way of Water made $2.343 billion. Fire and Ash might be the first Avatar movie to fall short of $2 billion, given that the first sequel’s total income dropped by $580 million from the original.
However, this does not imply that Disney would abandon the remainder of the series. Moving forward with Avatar 4 and 5, which are now slated for December 21, 2029, and December 19, 2031, respectively, would still be justified if Fire and Ash made between $1.5 billion and $2 billion.
