Director James Cameron once said that his new film Avatar: The Way of Water would have to become the “third or fourth highest-grossing film in history” in order to break even. Well, the movie recently became the third highest-grossing film in history (not adjusted for inflation), clearing the way for not only Avatar 3 (which is scheduled to reach theatres on December 20, 2024) but also Avatar 4 and Avatar 5 – which will be released on December 18, 2026 and December 22, 2028, respectively. But before Cameron dives into getting all of those sequels ready, he and producer Jon Landua gathered fans together for a special screening of Avatar: The Way of Water on the Walt Disney Studios lot in Burbank, California so they could “field feedback directly from an audience that Cameron said will help shape the rest of the franchise.”
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the Avatar fans invited to this screening had all seen The Way of Water at least once before, with one fan in attendance having already seen the movie seven times. As the event began, Cameron said, “This is something we’ve never done, which is [ask], ‘How do we make the next film even better for the fans?’ Go talk to them, find out what’s on your mind. … You guys can be totally honest with us, this is not just about telling us stuff we want to hear. It’s about telling us the stuff we … need to work on more.“
The Q&A that followed lasted for more than an hour and covered topics like plot points, shot selection, frame rates, character development, emotional reactions, moments that made the fans laugh, and whether or not they felt the movie looked too much like a video game at times. You can hear it for yourself in the embed at the bottom of this article.
Cameron told the fans, “I just want to assure you guys that you have made a measurable improvement to Avatar 3 and beyond with your effort here tonight.” He intends to keep track of everyone who was at the screening and get back together with them after Avatar 3 has been released at the end of 2024.
What advice would you have given Cameron if you had attended this fan screening of Avatar: The Way of Water? Share your thoughts on the Avatar franchise by leaving a comment below.
