In anticipation of the sequel to the 2009 movie, Avatar, filmmaker, James Cameron is now looking to recoup the money they sunk into making the sequel.
He made this known during an interview with GQ, where he stated that the new film is very expensive.
James Cameron said, “It was always the first thing anybody would mention, and now I’m like, if I can make a business case to spend a billion dollars on a movie, I will *BLEEP BLEEP* do it. Do you want to know why? Because we don’t put it all on a pile and light it on fire. We give it to people.”
He added that just for the film to break even, Avatar: The Way of Water will “have to be the third or fourth highest-grossing film in history. That’s your threshold. That’s your break even.”
James Cameron also recalled a conversation he had with an executive at Fox who begged him to shorten the first Avatar film before its release.
He told GQ, “I said something I’ve never said to anybody else in the business, ‘I think this movie is going to make all the *BLEEP BLEEP* money. And when it does, it’s going to be too late for you to love the film.
The time for you to love the movie is today. So I’m not asking you to say something that you don’t feel, but just know that I will always know that no matter how complimentary you are about the movie in the future when it makes all the money.’
And that’s exactly what I said, in caps, ALL THE MONEY, not some of the money, all the *BLEEP BLEEP* money.”
Questioned if he had a theory on why the original Avatar was such a global phenomenon, James Cameron said, “I don’t think I need a theory. I think anybody that’s seen the movie knows why; it’s a *BLEEP BLEEP* gigantic adventure that’s an all-consuming emotional experience that leaves you wrung out by the end of the movie.
And it was groundbreaking visually, and it still holds up today. So I don’t think I need a theory.”
Just so you know, the Avatar sequel titled Avatar: The Way of Water is scheduled for release on the 16th of December 2022.