Skip to main content
  • TotalFilm
  • Edge
  • Newsarama
  • Retrogamer
GamesRadar+ GamesRadar+
US EditionUS CA EditionCanada UK EditionUK AU EditionAustralia
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
  • News
  • Reviews
  • Features
  • More
    • PS5
    • Xbox Series X
    • Nintendo Switch
    • Nintendo Switch 2
    • PC
    • Platforms
    • Tabletop Gaming
    • Comics
    • Toys & Collectibles
    • Newsarama
    • Retro Gamer
    • Newsletters
    • About us
    • Features
Trending
  • Best Netflix Movies
  • Movie Release Dates
  • Best movies on Disney Plus
  • Best Netflix Shows
Don't miss these
Keanu Reeves in The Matrix Resurrections
Action Movies Matrix 5 gets a brand new update from writer and director Drew Goddard
Dune
Movies Movie release dates 2026: Every major film coming to cinemas and streaming
Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse
Marvel Movies Spider-Verse 3 producers know it's taking a long time: "There's no one that puts more pressure on us than ourselves"
Dune 2
Movies Upcoming movies: The most exciting new movies coming in 2026 and beyond
Ryan Gosling as Ryland Grace in Project Hail Mary
Sci-Fi Movies Ryan Gosling's upcoming sci-fi film Project Hail Mary is reportedly Amazon's most expensive movie ever
Oona Chaplin as Varang in Avatar: Fire and Ash
Sci-Fi Movies Avatar: Fire and Ash review: "Still a technical marvel, with some of the year's best action filmmaking"
The Mummy
Action Movies The Mummy 4 directors say the panned Tomb of the Dragon Emperor threequel isn't canon because Rachel Weisz wasn't in it
Marlon Brando as Vito Corleone in The Godfather.
Streaming Services The 20 best movies on Paramount Plus to watch right now
A Na'vi draws a bow in Avatar: Fire and Ash
Sci-Fi Movies James Cameron says Avatar 4 is still "very likely", despite Fire and Ash making $870 million less than The Way of Water
Elsa in Disney's Frozen
Animated Movies Frozen star denies reports of $60 million paychecks: "That's somebody making a lot of things up"
The first trailer for Markiplier's Iron Lung adaptation is here
Horror Movies Markiplier ditched Iron Lung VFX company over budget and turned his bathroom into "render farm" with servers from eBay
games like Resident Evil - Bioshock
Live Action Movies Netflix is "very anxious" for BioShock to coincide with the release of "potential new incarnations of the game"
Shrek and a cast of fairytale characters in Shrek 5
Animated Movies Shrek 5: release date, plot, trailer, news, and more
Mabel and King George in Pixar's Hoppers
Animated Movies Hoppers director Daniel Chong says his "chaotic, unhinged" Pixar movie took inspiration from Avatar and Studio Ghibli
Catherine Laga'aia in the live-action Moana movie
Animated Movies New Disney movies 2026 and beyond
  1. Entertainment
  2. Movies
  3. Sci-Fi Movies
  4. Avatar

James Cameron says he needs to figure out a cheaper way to make Avatar movies for Avatar 4 and 5 to happen

News
By Nick Staniforth published 17 January 2026

“We have to do well in order to continue."

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

Neytiri from Avatar
(Image credit: 20th Century Pictures)
  • Facebook
  • X
  • Pinterest
  • Flipboard
  • Email
Share this article
0
Join the conversation
Follow us
Add us as a preferred source on Google
Get the GamesRadar+ Newsletter

Bringing all the latest movie news, features, and reviews to your inbox


By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

You are now subscribed

Your newsletter sign-up was successful


An account already exists for this email address, please log in.
Subscribe to our newsletter

He’s no stranger to splashing cash on the cinema-dominating blockbusters he’s churned out, but when it comes to Avatar 4 and 5, James Cameron has admitted he might need to watch the purse strings a little this time around.

Even after earning $1.2 billion at the box office following the success of Avatar: Fire and Ash, the Pandora-based threequel is still leagues behind the previous instalments. Avatar still stands as the most successful film of all time with $2.9 billion, and Avatar: The Way of Water raking in $2.3 billion, making it the third most successful movie ever after Avengers: Endgame.

According to Box Office Mojo, though, Fire and Ash is the 28th on the list, which should spark understandable concerns among fans of the franchise about whether Disney will give Cameron’s long-planned follow-up films the blue thumbs-up. The director himself has acknowledged that the numbers might need to be shuffled if the projects proceed as planned.

You may like
  • A Na'vi draws a bow in Avatar: Fire and Ash James Cameron says Avatar 4 is still "very likely", despite Fire and Ash making $870 million less than The Way of Water
  • Neytiri and Jake Sully in Avatar: Fire and Ash Avatar 4 release date, cast, plot, and everything else you need to know
  • James Cameron James Cameron promises a press conference for Avatar 4 and 5 if the films don't happen

“Here’s the thing: the movie industry is depressed right now. Avatar 3 cost a lot of money,” Cameron explained during an appearance on Taiwanese outlet, TVBS News. “We have to do well in order to continue. We have to do well, and we need to figure out how to make Avatar movies more inexpensively in order to continue.”

Cameron also name-dropped Michelle Yeoh as a potential new cast member who could join the franchise if it continues. “If we continue and we do 4, we also do 4 and 5 together. So we made 2 and 3 together, one big story. And then 4 and 5 is another big story. And Michelle will be in 4 and 5. And she will play a performance capture character. Her character name is Paktu’eylat. She will be a Na’vi.”

If Yeoh does end up joining the Navi, it’ll be a while before we see it happen. Avatar 4 has been scheduled for a release on December 21, 2029, followed by Avatar 5 on December 19, 2031. While we wait, why not check out the films that are set for release this year instead?

Sign up for the Total Film Newsletter

Bringing all the latest movie news, features, and reviews to your inbox

By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.
TOPICS
James Cameron
Nick Staniforth
Nick Staniforth
Social Links Navigation
Contributing Writer

Nick is a freelancer whose work can be found at Screen Rant, The Digital Fix, and Looper. He loves movies, TV, DC, and Marvel. He also believes that the best Robin Hood is still a talking fox.

You must confirm your public display name before commenting

Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.

Read more
A Na'vi draws a bow in Avatar: Fire and Ash
James Cameron says Avatar 4 is still "very likely", despite Fire and Ash making $870 million less than The Way of Water
 
 
Neytiri and Jake Sully in Avatar: Fire and Ash
Avatar 4 release date, cast, plot, and everything else you need to know
 
 
James Cameron
James Cameron promises a press conference for Avatar 4 and 5 if the films don't happen
 
 
Michelle Yeoh as Philippa Georgiou in Star Trek: Section 31
James Cameron says Wicked star and Oscar winner Michelle Yeoh will play a Na’Vi in Avatar 4
 
 
Oona Chaplin as Varang in Avatar: Fire and Ash
Avatar: Fire and Ash has officially crossed $1 billion
 
 
Sigourney Weaver as Kiri in Avatar: Fire and Ash
Aquaman director James Wan says he'd "love to take a crack" at James Cameron's Avatar
 
 
Latest in Sci Fi Movies
A Na'vi draws a bow in Avatar: Fire and Ash
James Cameron says Avatar 4 is still "very likely", despite Fire and Ash making $870 million less than The Way of Water
 
 
Hayden Christensen in Revenge of  the Sith
Star Wars fans are debating an iconic Revenge of the Sith scene that's now one of the saga's biggest 'what if' moments
 
 
Jessie Buckley as Ida/Penny in The Bride
The Bride bombs at the box office with $13.6 million opening against a $90 million budget
 
 
Dave Filoni
Kathleen Kennedy says Dave Filoni taking over as Lucasfilm co-president has "been a 10-year mentoring process"
 
 
A still from The Mandalorian season 3
Kathleen Kennedy insists Baby Yoda won't speak in The Mandalorian and Grogu
 
 
Alan Ritchson in War Machine
War Machine star Alan Ritchson says the film's most dangerous stunt was "pretty terrifying," as he ziplined over rapids
 
 
Latest in News
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 lead Gustave faces a gommage
Clair Obscur Expedition 33 took inspiration from a surprising anime - Soul Eater creator's Fire Force
 
 
A close-up of Grace talking with someone through glass in Resident Evil Requiem
Resident Evil Requiem leads let actors re-do "technically" perfect scenes if it made them happy, says Grace actor
 
 
Kratos approaches Aphrodite's bedchamber in God of War 3
"The God of War sex mini-games were designed by women," which is why Aphrodite's bed looks "like a labia"
 
 
Alan Ritchson in Reacher season 3
Reacher star Alan Ritchson says season 4 is coming this year: "It's by far the best season we've had yet"
 
 
Spider-Noir aiming his webshooter
Spider-Noir is the "same character, different version": "It's not a continuation of Into The Spider-Verse"
 
 
Helldivers 2
Helldivers 2 support agent says "there's no balance team" at Arrowhead because "it's all a team effort"
 
 
LATEST ARTICLES
  1. Close up of PS1 console on woodgrain TV bench next to OSSC with Sir Dan MediEvil figure on top.
    1
    If Sony thinks surge pricing won't prompt me to shun new-gen consoles and go back to the PS1, it should think again
  2. 2
    Spider-Noir showrunner says the goal is "to make a version of Spider-Man that no one had seen before," clarifying it's the "same character, different universe" from the Spider-Verse variant
  3. 3
    Helldivers 2 support agent says "there's no balance team" at Arrowhead because "it's all a team effort": "No dev gets to just change whatever they want without oversight"
  4. 4
    Resident Evil director Shinji Mikami has been working on a new AAA action RPG for at least 1 year after Microsoft closed his last studio, and no one noticed
  5. 5
    How to complete the Marathon Introducing Sekiguchi contract

GamesRadar+ is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

Add as a preferred source on Google Add as a preferred source on Google
  • Terms and conditions
  • Contact Future's experts
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Accessibility statement
  • Careers
  • About us
  • Advertise with us
  • Review guidelines
  • Write for us
  • Accessibility Statement

© Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.

Please login or signup to comment

Please wait...