Avatar: The Way Of Water practically has its work cut out for it as director James Cameron sets steep targets for his epic franchise. The director is not cutting his IP some slack in terms of expectations. Simply because, it truly has huge Pandora shoes to fill. Avatar remains the top grossing feature film for all time ever since its release. Aside from its commercial success, it was also critically acclaimed as it bagged prestigious awards left and right. Such a feat will not be easy to live up to.
Now advance sales on tickets are up. Once the numbers roll in, analysts can do their work and punch in a forecast for the movie. However, people cannot resist noticing what seems to be a pessimistic outlook Cameron has for his epic sequel.
Work Cut Out For Avatar: The Way Of Water
On December 16, experience the motion picture event of a generation.
Watch the brand-new trailer and experience #AvatarTheWayOfWater in 3D. Get tickets now: https://t.co/9NiFEIpZTE pic.twitter.com/UitjdL3kXr
— Avatar (@officialavatar) November 22, 2022
In an article from Deadline, the creator of Pandora and its peoples stated steep conditions for the movie to even just break even. According to Cameron:
You have to be the third or fourth highest-grossing film in history. That’s your threshold. That’s your break even.
This means that Avatar: The Way Of Water has to surf in at least $2.07B in the World Wide Box Office. Even if it beats Avengers: Infinity War or Spider-Man: No Way Home. It will still just sit at 5th, right behind Star Wars VII: The Force Awakens.
There are two sides to the coin that is in releasing a sequel 13 years after the original film. Cameron shares:
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?
Work Cut Out For Avatar: The Way Of Water
Image: 20th Century
Meanwhile, people also have two interpretations to this statement from Cameron. Either he is being pessimistic so that he won’t be disappointed or he’s fishing for compliments and reassurances. Whichever one however, some say that the director is not that confident about his work. He has previously said that if the sequel does not perform well, he will have to wrap up the story in Avatar 3. That is instead of pushing through with 4 and/or 5.
Realistic or pessimistic, there will always be this coming December to determine Avatar’s fate. 2oth Century Fox released its newest trailer with more scenes featuring new characters. Relationships and conflicts are present as well as the return of the human threat.
Coming to a cinema near you, December 16, 2022.
