James Cameron, the director of Avatar 2: The Way of the Water, has recently revealed that the upcoming movie will have to make approximately two billion dollars in order to break even due to how much was spent on production.
Now, there's no denying that there's been a lot of hype around the sequel set to hit the big screens next month, but what a lot of people don't know is that there's also a lot of pressure behind the scenes.
Canadian film director James Cameron revealed to GQ that during a conversation with Disney and 20th Century Studios executives, he referred to the high budget as "the worst business case" because "you have to be the third or fourth highest-grossing film in history.
"That’s your threshold. That’s your break even."
According to Variety, the current chart of the highest-grossing movies worldwide includes two of Cameron's other major projects in the top 3. The original Avatar came out on top at $2.9 billion and Titanic ranked third with $2.1 billion. Disney’s Avengers: Endgame ranked second overall, pulling in $2.7 billion.
To put it into perspective, Avatar 2: The Way of the Water will have to beat either Star Wars: The Force Awakens ($2.07 billion) or Avengers: Infinity War ($2.05 billion) which currently ranks 4th and 5th place.
Yeah, the 68-year-old might be well and truly in the big leagues here, but if he's the one to set the standard, then he can be the one to beat them too.
Avatar 2: The Way of the Water will be the first feature film Cameron has directed in 13 years and it is the second of four total Avatar sequels. While the upcoming instalment has been a talking-point for well over a decade now, it only started filming in 2017.
It tells the story of Jake Sully and his quest to finish what was previously started when a familiar threat returns to planet Pandora. He, along with Neytiri and the army of the Na'vi race, must work together to protect their families and their home.
Speaking of the upcoming movie, Cameron told Entertainment Weekly that the production process is "crazy."
"It sounds kind of nuts, the process," he says, "I mean, if Avatar hadn't made so much damn money, we'd never do this — because it's kind of crazy."
The film is set mostly in and around the ocean, which, along with directing, is one of the 68-year-old's many passions. As per the outlet, he has long advocated for ocean conservation, and he also completed a record-breaking journey to the bottom of the Mariana Trench in 2012.
"I do the ocean thing when I'm not making movies," he says. "So if I could combine my two greatest loves — one of which is ocean exploration; the other, feature filmmaking — why wouldn't I?"
Avatar 2: The Way of the Water hits the big screen December 16.