No 'Avatar' sequels if 'The Way of Water' tanks, says James Cameron

LOS ANGELES: Scepticism has always troubled artistes, including illustrious director James Cameron, who is awaiting the release of 'Avatar: The Way of Water' which hits theatres next month.

The director will be paying close attention to the box office results of the film, reports Deadline. Cameron said that the performance of this movie will dictate the longevity of the film series.

"The market could be telling us we're done in three months, or we might be semi-done, meaning: 'OK, let's complete the story within movie three, and not go on endlessly', if it's just not profitable," he told Total Film in an interview.

According to Deadline, fans of the original 'Avatar' had to wait thirteen years for its sequel and Cameron said that a lot may have changed ever since. Although there's a story to tell across three other sequels, if the franchise doesn't spark interest everything could be truncated.

"We're in a different world now than we were when I wrote this stuff, even," Cameron added, quoted by Deadline.

"It's the one-two punch -- the pandemic and streaming. Or, conversely, maybe we'll remind people what going to the theatre is all about. This film definitely does that. The question is: how many people give a shit now?"

Earlier this year, Cameron expressed doubt into directing the fourth and fifth installment as he has other projects he's also interested in partaking in.

"The 'Avatar' films themselves are kind of all-consuming," Cameron told 'Empire' magazine. "I've got some other things I'm developing as well that are exciting.

I think eventually over time -- I don't know if that's after three or after four -- I'll want to pass the baton to a director that I trust to take over, so I can go do some other stuff that I'm also interested in. Or maybe not. I don't know."