Industry analysts estimate the production budget for James Cameron’s Avatar: Fire and Ashes at no less than $400 million. That total is comparable to the expenses of the previous sequel, which exceeded $460 million. Sources say much of the overrun stems from the pandemic — lockdowns forced the director’s team into effectively paying twice for certain elements of production.
As a result, for Avatar 4 to move forward, the third installment will need to earn well over one billion dollars at the box office. Whether that is achievable remains to be seen.
Cameron reportedly does not intend to return to the franchise imminently. It was recently revealed that the filmmaker is currently busy writing the screenplay for a new Terminator project.
The world premiere of Avatar: Fire and Ashes is scheduled for December 19.
