Avatar: The Way of Water grossed $2.32 billion worldwide after arriving 13 years after the first Avatar film was released in 2009, where it also eclipsed the $2 billion mark.
Those numbers are important as many detractors of the franchise predicted that the sequel wouldn't gross anywhere near the same amount that the first Avatar film did, citing such reasons as too much time had passed and that current filmmaking techniques have caught up to the technical splendor of the 2009 release.
Even director James Cameron seemed to acknowledge those fears as he publicly stated that he wouldn't need to worry about Avatar 4 and 5 if The Way of Water flopped.
Well, with the sequel's box office prowess in his back pocket, Cameron is obviously feeling a little more bullish these days, as he recently let it be known that he's starting to work on a sixth and seventh installment in the franchise.
Speaking to Collider, Cameron stated, "We're fully written through movie five, and I've got ideas for six and seven, although I'll probably be handing the baton on at that point. I mean, mortality catches up. But I mean, we're enjoying what we're doing. We're loving it. We get to work with great people."
The site went on to add that Cameron told them that he views Avatar as a franchise that can continue to expand over the years, much the same way that George Lucas and Gene Roddenberry kept expanding Star Wars and Star Trek.
More recently, franchise star Sam Worthington revealed that filming on Avatar 3 would resume at some point during this month. A portion of the third film was shot during The Way of Water but there are still some additional scenes to film.
Similarly, a portion of Avatar 4 will be filmed during the current shoot that finishes up the third installment.
The Avatar franchise stars Sam Worthington as Jake Sully, Zoe Saldaña as Neytiri, Sigourney Weaver as Kiri/Dr. Grace Augustine, Stephen Lang as Colonel Miles Quaritch, Kate Winslet as Ronal, Cliff Curtis as Tonowari, CCH Pounder as Mo'at, Britain Dalton as Lo'ak te, Jamie Flatters as Neteyam, Edie Falco as General Frances Ardmore.
New additions to the franchise for the third installment include Oona Chaplin, Michelle Yeoh, and David Thewlis and the introduction of a new aggressive volcanic tribe of Ash Na’vi.
Barring any delays, Avatar 3 will arrive in theaters on December 19, 2025 while Avatar 4 currently has a December 21, 2029 release date.