James Cameron Reveals What He’ll Do With Avatar If Fire And Ash Doesn’t Make ‘Two Metric F–ktons Of Money’

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James Cameron’s Avatar was a hugely ambitious film, and it’s become even bigger than originally planned. What started as a three-movie idea has grown into a five-movie series. Cameron filmed two of the sequels at the same time, and intends to do the same with the next two. While the first two Avatar films were massive box office successes, leading many to believe the remaining movies are guaranteed, Cameron isn’t completely confident they’ll happen.

James Cameron has discussed the potential for future Avatar movies to be at risk if Avatar: Fire and Ash doesn’t perform well financially, or even be postponed. He’s hoping the increasing costs of creating digital effects will decrease. In a recent podcast interview on The Town, Cameron shared an approximate figure for how much an Avatar film costs to make and explained why the sequel’s success isn’t a given. He stated:

We’re talking about a huge amount of money, so we’ll need to earn twice that much just to break even. I’m confident the movie will be profitable, but the real question is whether it will earn enough to make a sequel worthwhile.

It’s surprising to consider that a follow-up to two of the biggest blockbuster movies ever might struggle financially, but it’s a real possibility. The original Avatar was groundbreaking, a 3D movie that people needed to see on the big screen. The first sequel, Avatar: The Way of Water, arrived ten years later, and many felt compelled to see it after such a long wait.

With Avatar: Fire and Ash arriving so soon after the previous film, it’s uncertain if audiences will still rush to see it in cinemas. Blockbuster success isn’t guaranteed these days. Avatar is a unique franchise, making it impossible to predict how this new movie will perform.

As Cameron points out, making these films is very costly. This means Avatar: Fire and Ash likely needs to perform as well as the previous Avatar movies – becoming one of the highest-grossing films of all time – to prove the franchise is worth continuing. Lower earnings might prevent future installments.

James Cameron appears to be accepting the idea that he might be finished with the “Avatar” series. He assures worried fans that by the end of the upcoming film, “Fire and Ash,” most of the story will be resolved. Any remaining plot points, he says, can be addressed in a different way later on. He then added:

If this is where it ends, cool. There is one open thread. I’ll write a book.

I’ve been blown away by how stunning the Avatar movies have been, so it would really bum me out if the story just fizzled out as a book. Honestly, even a book ending would be better than no ending at all! Everyone’s going to be watching how Avatar: Fire and Ash does in theaters, but I know James Cameron is probably the most anxious of all of us to see if people connect with it.

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2025-11-26 18:43