Total agreement with Collider‘s Matt Goldberg: the Avatar sequels have “become their own punchline,” and the brand has “fizzled” since ’09 (a full six and 1/3 years ago, remember). I’m not saying interest is dead but who do you personally know who has said repeatedly that they can’t wait to go back to Avatar-land? I’m asking.
I would’ve been down with a sequel if it had happened by, say, ’13 or ’14, and maybe even a third installment next year or even in ’18 to cap things off. But no way am I interested in seeing four (4) sequels, which James Cameron announced today at Cinemacon. Four sequels over a five-year period, he said.
Avatar 2 will open around Christmas 2018, Cameron said, and then comes Avatar 3 around Xmas 2020, Avatar 4 around Christmas 2022 and Avatar 5 on or about Christmas 2023.
We all know Cameron is a grade-A, full-metal-jacket filmmaker and that he’s never been one to shovel second-tier “product” just to make dough, but four sequels…c’mon! That’s nothing but frenzied corporate greed. “Four sequels” isn’t a punchline — it’s a satire of the sequel mentality, of absurd corporatism, of a gifted filmmaker who gone over the falls.
Today HE is standing up and resuscitating the spirit of Howard Beale and officially launching a Bernie Sanders-type movement that will seek to rouse moviegoers to say no to this shit. Two more sequels, maybe, but four sequels or two x four = eight hours of follow-up is ridiculous. I’m sorry but Cameron has become the Noah Cross of Hollywood blockbuster filmmaking.
“No to Avatar madness, no to Avatar madness, no to Avatar madness”…say it over and over. No to corporate greed, stream your movies, don’t be chumps, enough is enough.