A Promising Update on James Cameron's 'Avatar' Sequels
If you've been following the 'Avatar: Fire and Ash' press circuit closely, James Cameron has said in no uncertain terms that the future of his billion-dollar franchise epic 'Avatar' has a long way to go to convince studio executives at Disney that bankrolling two additional films to round out the planned five film arc is a worthwhile investment.
When prompted, Cameron's updates on the future of the 'Avatar' franchise have ranged from casual dismissal to downright cynical about the future of the fourth and fifth films. The second and third films in the saga cost "one [metric ton] of money," implying that the barrier to 'Avatar' four and five is largely financial in nature. "I have no doubt in my mind that this movie will make money," said Cameron in an interview with Matthew Belloni, "The question is, does it make enough money to justify doing it again?"
In the midst of all of the public skepticism, however, eagle-eyed fans have noticed a promising update on the future of the 'Avatar' franchise that seems to run contrary to the public narrative. In a post on Twitter, user @JADENMOVIES spotted a series of new job postings from 880 Productions, Cameron's New Zealand-based company, which imply that early production on 'Avatar' four and five is beginning to spin up. These new postings are a strong positive sign that, while nothing is certain, Cameron is hedging his bets that 'Avatar: Fire and Ash' will carry on the series' impressive box-office run.
'Fire and Ash' is currently projecting a lower opening weekend than its $2.3 billion predecessor, 'Avatar: The Way of Water', based on domestic presale data. Overseas presales are tracking to be on-par with 'The Way of Water', with a strong showing in China that suggests the film will match or exceed its 2022 performance in the Chinese market. The marketing for 'Fire and Ash' has taken a noticeably different approach from the angle that was used to entice audiences for 'The Way of Water', with the trailers leaning heavily into the rising threat of the Ash Clan in Cameron's third trip to Pandora. Where 'Avatar: The Way of Water' invited audiences to return to Pandora after a thirteen year gap, 'Fire and Ash' will be the true test of 'Avatar's ability to keep them there. Are audiences solely interested in the breathtaking visuals of a virtual world, or is a focal shift toward the drama and intrigue of Cameron's broad cast of Na'vi and human characters enough to invest viewers in the future story that Cameron is attempting to tell? All eyes will be on the box-office when the film opens on December 19th.
'Avatar: Fire and Ash' arrives in theaters on December 19th. Social media embargos lift on December 2nd, while critical reviews drop on December 16th. Keep an eye on our social media for our first impressions on December 2nd and for our full, fan-minded review on December 16th.
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