Now that we have seen the success Avatar had in theaters when it was released in 2009, it’s hard to believe anyone would tell the director James Cameron aspects of the film. The adventure epic currently ranks first for the highest-grossing movie of all time worldwide (via a back-and-forth with Avengers: Endgame), with an astonishing $2.84 billion at the box office.
Avatar is hugely successful; However, Cameron admits that the studio managers behind the film had issues with the film during the development process. During an interview with the New York Timesthe 68-year-old filmmaker discussed his quarrels during the making of the film and why he needed to remind the studio that he was directing Titanic. “I think at the time I felt like we were clashing over certain things,” Cameron admits, “for example, the studio thought the film should be shorter and there was too much flying around the ikran – what people call the banshees. Well , turns out that’s what the public liked the most, in terms of our exit polls and data collection.”
The ikran or banshees are dragon-like creatures native to Pandora in Avatar, and they were featured in several scenes flying through the sky with their riders. Cameron continues: “And that’s a place where I just drew a line in the sand and said, ‘You know what? I made Titanic. This building where we meet now, this new half-billion dollar complex on your lot? Titanic paid for that, so I get to do this.'” In the end, the studio’s gamble paid off as Avatar became a hit with the public and broke box office records. Avatar will receive a total of five films, with the second installment in the franchise, Avatar: The way of the waterarriving later this year.
James Cameron says they’ve improved the creative process since then Avatar
After the success of Avatar, the studio was fully on board for sequels that would make a ridiculous amount of money upon release. They may not have expected there to be a 13-year gap between the initial release and the upcoming sequel; however, 148 million views on Avatar: The way of the water trailer in the first 24 hours showed that James Cameron folks are ready to dive back into the world of Pandora.
Highlighting the improved creative process for the upcoming film, Cameron says, “It’s such an intense process when you’re editing a movie and you have to fight for every frame that stays in it.” He continues: “I felt pretty good about the creative decisions that were made at the time. We put a lot of time and energy into improving our process over the next decade. Facial performance work. But it doesn’t cut you. I think it still does.” is increasingly competitive with everything out there today.”
The long-awaited sequel is out later this year, featuring Avatar: The way of the water debuts in theaters on Friday, December 16.