Avatar: The Way of Water cost so much that it must become one of the highest-grossing movies of all time to break even

James Cameron's movies are notoriously expensive, but Avatar: The Way of the Water is particularly so – the director has revealed that his upcoming sequel will need to become of the highest-grossing movies of all time in order to break even at the box office.

He told GQ that the movie was "very fucking" expensive and "the worst business case in movie history." Cameron continued that in order to be profitable, "you have to be the third or fourth highest-grossing film in history. That’s your threshold. That’s your break even." 

The movies that currently hold those accolades are Cameron's own Titanic and Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Another of Cameron's movies, the first Avatar movie, holds the position of the highest-grossing movie of all time with a total of nearly $3 billion at the global box office, while Avengers: Endgame is in second place. Cameron remains confident in his success, stating: "I think this movie is going to make all the fucking money."

He continued: "If I can make a business case to spend a billion dollars on a movie, I will fucking do it. Do you want to know why? Because we don’t put it all on a pile and light it on fire. We give it to people. If the studio agrees and thinks it’s a good investment, as opposed to buying an oil lease off of the north of Scotland, which somebody would think was a good investment, why not do it?"

In Avatar: The Way of Water, several years have elapsed since the first movie, which was released back in 2009, and former marine Jake (Sam Worthington) and Na'vi princess Neytiri (Zoe Saldaña) are now parents. The sequel is also set to explore the underwater world of the Na'vi planet Pandora, with actors like Sigourney Weaver – who's playing Jake and Neytiri's adopted teenage daughter – holding their breath for up to six minutes. The movie's cast also includes Stephen Lang, Michelle Yeoh, Kate Winslet, Edie Falco, and Jemaine Clement. 

Avatar: The Way of Water hits theaters on December 16. In the meantime, check out our guide to the rest of the year's most exciting movie release dates.