James Cameron Had The Perfect Response To Studio Pushback Against Another Avatar Movie

Even in today’s tough market, James Cameron’s Avatar franchise has proven its box office prowess beyond a doubt. After “Avatar: The Way of Water” became Cameron’s third $2 billion film at the global box office (along with “Titanic” and, of course, the first “Avatar”), studio executives were expected to throw money at it to produce as many sequels as possible. And yet.

In an interview with Andrew J. Salazar of Film Discussion, Cameron spoke about the moment he decided to split the planned second “Avatar” film into two separate films, thus creating a fifth “Avatar” film. He also revealed that while he told his people about this before notifying the studio and reassured them that a fifth film wouldn’t be an issue, it turned out that the studio wasn’t entirely enamored with the idea. However, Cameron said he had the perfect response to executives who were hesitant about committing to an additional “Avatar” movie:

My counterargument was: “Wait a minute. What part of you getting another chance to make $2 billion is in question here?”

With “Avatar” and “The Way of Water” having grossed over $2 billion, James Cameron certainly has box office numbers to match. However, when you remember the fact that all four “Avatar” sequels were announced at once in 2016 (when “Avatar 5” was optimistically scheduled for a 2023 release), it makes sense that higher-ups at Fox before the Disney sale would have been somewhat apprehensive when they heard that Cameron had expanded from three to four sequels.

The problem is that the “Avatar” movies aren’t cheap to make. The upcoming “Avatar: Fire and Ash” is one of the most expensive films ever made, with a production budget that could exceed $400 million. So, when Cameron came up with his plan for a sequel to the Fox series, the sheer amount of moneybags on the table was likely enough to make almost anyone — except Cameron, apparently — a little worried.

“Fire and Ash” will demonstrate the enduring appeal of the “Avatar” franchise, but given its track record, betting against Cameron may be a fool’s errand. Just ask all the Fox executives who didn’t want the fifth “Avatar” back in the day.

Avatar: Fire and Ash will be released in theaters on December 19, 2025.