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Avatar 2 Box Office Is Now Profitable & Sequels Safe, Report Claims
According to a newly released report, Avatar: The Way of Water's current box office has surpassed the threshold to be considered successful, guaranteeing further sequels beyond Avatar 3 being greenlit. The long-awaited sequel to James Cameron's 2009 sci-fi spectacle sees the director reunite with Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldaņa, Sigourney Weaver, and Steven Lang. In Avatar: The Way of Water, Jake Sully (Worthington) and Neytiri's (Saldaņa) family are forced to leave their home in the jungles of Pandora to travel to its vast oceans, encountering new civilizations, amazing wildlife, and the return of the RDA's colonizing efforts.
According to Matthew Belloni of Puck News, Avatar: The Way of Water's continued success at the box office has guaranteed the theatrical future of the franchise. The film has reportedly surpassed the $1.4 billion box-office earnings threshold required for it to be considered successful by the Walt Disney Company. Cameron previously claimed that the film would need to make $2 billion would to do so. With the box office proving that audience interest in the series remains strong despite the large gap between installments, it is said that Avatar 4 and 5 are likely to get the greenlight, allowing the director to continue the series for as long as he previously suggested.
Everything We Know About The Avatar Sequels
While Avatar 3 has long been considered a guarantee, installments beyond the third film were less certain, as Cameron claimed he could alter Avatar 3 to conclude the franchise should The Way of Water underperform. However, with Avatar: The Way of Water's success, it is likely that Cameron will be able to continue the franchise beyond Avatar 3, which was filmed back-to-back alongside the second film. Alongside the new and returning cast members featured in The Way of Water, Avatar 3 will see David Thewlis and Oona Chaplin join the franchise as new Na'vi characters, while Michelle Yeoh will portray human researcher Dr. Karina Mogue.
While Avatar 3 would follow on from Avatar: The Way of Water by exploring a more aggressive Na'vi society centered around fire, producer John Landau has teased that the Avatar franchise will eventually travel to Earth in the fifth film. While Pandora will be further explored, Landau teased that the Na'vi would travel to the dying Earth, giving Neytiri a challenging new perspective on humanity removed from the colonial RDA forces that have long plagued her world. Landau has also teased that the sequels will see Jake and Neytiri's children take on more leading roles as the series progresses, gradually moving beyond the original characters to focus on the new generation.
With Cameron emphasizing the Avatar franchise's episodic nature in recent interviews, audiences are sure to breathe a sigh of relief knowing that it is likely that the director will be able to tell his full story. While Avatar 4 and 5 had been confirmed by various high-up voices including Landau and now-returning Disney CEO Bob Iger, Cameron's frank comments about the currently filmed sequels underperforming and potentially leading to plans changing had raised concerns among audiences about whether the films would see the light of day. But with Avatar: The Way of Water reportedly meeting the studios' own expectations, it is likely audiences can expect further adventures to Pandora in the foreseeable future.
