Marvel Cinematic Universe fans weren’t best pleased when the Chinese re-release of Avatar managed to dislodge Avengers: Endgame to reclaim the title of highest-grossing movie ever made, but you can guarantee James Cameron was rubbing his hands in delight, having previously claimed the Na’vi were only knocked off the top spot due to a rounding error.
Fifteen months from now, and thirteen years after the first installment, the first of what could be up to four sequels will finally hit theaters. Or at least, that’s the current plan and has been for a while, even though Avatar 2 was initially announced for 2014.
A lot of insiders and analysts are already confident that it won’t come close to matching the record-breaking performance of its predecessor, but Cameron has been written off more than once during his career and always ended up having the last laugh when the dust settled.
In a new interview with Entertainment Tonight Canada, Sigourney Weaver hoped that theaters would be back to operating at full capacity by the time Avatar 2 rolls around in December 2022, because it deserves to be seen by as many people as possible in packed houses around the world.
“I have seen stuff. And all I can tell you is that everything he’s allowed to be in print is true. There’s going to be a lot of underwater and luckily it’s not coming out until 2022 Christmas. By which time I think we will all really be able to jam the theaters. Because that is going to be a theater experience. And so he’s busy working on it. He’s terribly excited. The stories are amazing. And of course all the effects and the world and everything. It was just a joy to do.”
Avatar‘s reputation has taken a bashing over the last decade, but if anyone can lure audiences into their local multiplex with the sequel to a movie that’s star has only faded over time, it’s James Cameron. We might even see some footage in the next few months with shooting having wrapped last year, although production remains underway on chapters 3 and 4 as part of a mammoth production that began all the way back in August 2017.