Avatar box office update. Cameron talks Avatar sequels.

by Liam on December 23, 2009 · 15 comments

avatar still1 Following the massive $232 million worldwide opening for Avatar at the weekend (which is the highest opening for an original film ever), the success continued with another $16.2 million on Monday in the US. This is the 3rd highest non-Holiday Monday behind Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest and The Dark Knight. It appears strong word of mouth and positive reviews are giving the film a boost. It’ll be interesting to see how it does next weekend against Sherlock Holmes.

In other Avatar news James Cameron spoke to MTV about potential sequels. He says that he’s already got an arc figured out, and that if a sequel goes ahead it shouldn’t take another 4 years to get made:

Cameron made clear that the next film won’t be a prequel, recounting previous backstory, but will begin after the events of the initial movie. “We’ll follow Jake and Neytiri,” he confirmed.

In fact, Cameron intends to follow the couple for another two films. “I have a trilogy-scaled arc of story right now, but I haven’t really put any serious work into writing a script,” he said.

The next two films, however, won’t necessitate the four years of production time that “Avatar” took to perfect its motion-capture technology and computer-generated environments and beings. “Part of what we set out to do is create a world and create these characters,” Cameron said. “From the time we capture and finish the capture, it’s literally nine to 10 months to get the CG characters working, to get their facial musculature working. … So now we have Jake, we have Neytiri. Sam can step right back into it, the characters will fit them like a glove, and we’ll just go on. So a lot of the start-up torque that had to be done for one movie really makes more sense if you play it out across several films.”

I though Avatar was amazing. It’s my favourite movie of the year and I would love an Avatar trilogy, although i’m not sure how Cameron will be able to top the first film. Now he’s got the effects sorted he should concentrate on the story, which was really the only negative aspect according to a minority of critics. If he nails the story for the next two films we could have a new fantasy trilogy to rival The Lord of the Rings.

  • Colleen Sando

    My family and I loved the movie but found it offensive with the swear words about God's name used in vain more than once. We will not go see any sequels if God's name is used in vain in them.

    • Texan

      That is why we did not go see that movie (or most of the other movies that come out). You can check the language out at Screenit.com or Unplugged Online and know ahead of time what offensive words, morals, or sights are in the movies. I believe avatar took God’s name in vain at least 7 or 8 times according to one of the movie reviews.

  • jdacats

    The sequel to Alien – Aliens – was superior to the original. T2 was superior to the original Terminator. If Cameron keeps up that trend then Avatar 2 promises to really blow us all out of the water.

  • jdacats

    Aliens was superior to Alien. T2 was superior to Terminator. If Cameron keeps up that trend then Avatar 2 will really blow us all away.

  • AL

    I hate almost 95% of the sci-fi movies that have been put out in the last 3 decades, The original Star Wars trillogy is my favorite of all time, and now Avatar has joined the ranks. Avatar will work for the majority, but not entirely everyone. Avatar, with its special effects and vivid colorization, is a sci-fi lovers dream and is second to none in enjoyment factor based on any sci-fi movie in the past 30 years! If you do not believe it, you will once the movie goes past $1.8 billion dollars in overall sales.

  • Steven

    lol

  • jen

    hilarious. i hope that comment is a joke.
    if its not, get over yourself. you're going to a movie to be entertained, and if you cant place religion aside in order to enjoy the theater, especially anything above a PG rating, than go see a children's movie instead.

    • Texan

      People that live their religion do not “set it aside” to please themselves. If it is real for them, it effects the way they live their lives. It has nothing whatsoever to do with “getting over yourself”. It has to do with living for God and taking Him seriously when He says not to take His name in vain. But, you are correct in saying not to go see them then. That is what I do. If it takes God’s name in vain, I don’t pay money or take my time to go see it.

  • Mrsully

    better be a joke, otherwise you have some serious issues, i doubt god cares very much if someone is using “his” name in “vain” in a film

    • Texan

      Apparently, you’ve never read the Ten Commandments (more likely that you just don’t give a rip about them). Taking God’s holy name in “vain” IS a serious issue. The fact that you can’t even “see” this speaks volumes. If something or someone is of value to them, abusing or mocking their name is a “serious” issue with them. I am not “joking” when I say I refuse to pay money to hear the name of my holy God taken in name as if He does not care, hear, or remember.

  • justinciminero

    MY PERSPECTIVE AS A SCREENWRITER ON THE POSSIBILITIES OF AVATAR SEQUELS

    The first thing to note is many people are skeptical with the idea of Avatar sequels. The skepticism is based on the following arguments:
    1. Avatar's revolutionary 3D technology made it work and Avatar 2 wouldn't be special since that revolution would've already pasted. However, Cameron responds in a interview that the sequel will be successful because it will focus more on the story.
    2. Avatar did not finished with an open ending, making it very hard for the story to continue.
    3. Jake became a Navi and is no longer using Avatar technology which completely negates the title “Avatar 2”.

    I'm going to put my faith in Cameron to develop a strong story and argue that the sequels are possible. Even though I'm an undergraduate screenwriter far from the professional level of Cameron, I have been using all the knowledge I've learned to predict how Cameron might structure an Avatar sequel. I've been analyzing Avatar and reading the following sequel rumors over the past week to developed my prediction. The sequel rumors are:
    1. In an article at Movie Moron (http://www.movie-moron.com/?p=10837), Landau said the Avatar sequels will follow Jake and Nytiri.
    2. Landau also said that the interior of Pandora remains to be explored.
    3. In the same article, Cameron said that Pandora has sister moons that will be explored.

    I argue the title “Avatar 2” can still be maintained while satisfying these three sequel rumors with the following setup. As you know, Eywa is a mystical force that links everything in Pandora. Landau says the interior remains to be explored. As I see it, Pandora is an embodiment of Eywa and the interior would be the source of Eywa. This is where the exploration of other moons comes in. Since the Navi are too primitive to travel in space, what if the source of Eywa has the ability to link up with sources on other moons. The Navi could thus link up to an avatar body on a different moon, which would satisfy the rumors and the title “Avatar 2”. This is my suggested base structure derived from the facts and rumors; how Cameron molds the story is completely up in the air. I can use my base structure to make a blind guess to what the options might entail.
    From what I know in Avatar, the main threat to the Navi are the humans. Since the humans have been driven out, there is not much room for a decent enemy. It would take the humans at least 5 years to be reinforced if they are to make a second assault. Pretty much all of Pandora has just been united though Eywa which rules out the possibility of any kind of civil war. The humans don't have to be completely out of the sequel; perhaps Selfridge retreats to one of the company's other mining sites on a different moon and there he succeeds in convincing the native aliens that the Navi on Pandora are a threat. Jake and Nytiri could possibly become ambassadors to Pandora and use the source of Eywa to link to an avatar body on the other moon in an attempt negotiate peace. And of coarse I could really go out on a limb and predict elements of the third avatar movie. Nytiri and Jake having kids is a possibility. Perhaps Nytiri got pregnant from their little “intimate” moment in Avatar and gives birth to babies in the end of Avatar 2. Avatar 3 could be five years later when their kids are older and when the human reinforcements arrive.
    Who knows, this is completely up in the air. Moviegoers must realize that in the world of Sci Fi screenwriting, there is no limit to the imagination. As you can see by my prediction, there are elements established in the universe of Avatar making it possible to continue the story. As for prequels, it is an unlimited possibility too, but I must say the way Avatar unfolds, the stronger plot line is found in the sequels not prequels.

  • vid_ghost

    :) 3 movies 3 moons! .. could be a go!

  • http://www.jewellerytips.com/ Jewellery Tips

    I like the Avatar movie It is a blockbuster movie of the year it is such a amazing movie…

  • Cormy

    Best. Movie. Ever. After I look at it clearly, it isn't all that great 'cept for graphics but who can resist the glowy plants!! O.O soooooo glowy….

    The characters were also REALLY great. Loved the crying, more real then any I've ever heard in movies before. The ears added emphasis too. I was also a sucker for the whole network that can be tapped with nerve endings.

    The civilization: EPIC. Seriously, it was really like a whole new concept. Sure, he took alot from native africans and what not but who cares! That was the point, take a little of everyone's culture to make a new one!

    Music: I'm a little embarassed to use the word but… it was an eargasm.

    Storyline: not that original but the way it was demonstrated was exceptional and on quite a grand and impressive scale.

    That will be all,
    Cormy

  • Me

    Colleen Sando I agree with you