Disney wants the next Avatars to be shorter and cheaper

Unhappy with the economic benefits of the sequel to Fire and Ashes, the studio is reportedly calling into question the exploitation of the franchise. The future is uncertain on Pandora.

What future for Pandora? Will we see Avatar 4 ? Avatar 5 ? And in what version?

According to a survey by The Wrap, 24% of filmingAvatar 4 has already been completed, and the scripts for the fourth and fifth films have also been completed. However, at Disney, the future of the saga remains hanging by a thread.

Despite colossal income, the reception ofAvatar: Fire and Ashes sowed doubt: the third opus generated a billion dollars less thanAvatar: The Way of Waterand critical enthusiasm as well as audience excitement were lower than expected.

Result: the studio thinks twice before continuing. According to The Wrap, internal discussions are underway to consider sequels.much shorter and cheaper”in order to limit financial risk. The strategy is clear: reduce the length of films, simplify technical processes and, above all, prevent Pandora from becoming a sinkhole with no return on investment.

This caution also extends to theme parks, as proof that the Pandora brand is not that popular.

The project of a zone Avatar at Disney California Adventure, which was to complement the success of the Florida land, is now in question.
According to former Disney employees, management today prefers to invest in Zootopiawhich seems to speak more widely to a global audience (Chinese in particular) and which use systems that are simpler to operate, like the one which opened its doors in Shanghai in 2023. The land initially reserved for Pandora could therefore soon welcome Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde rather than the Na’vi, illustrating to what extent the studio hesitates to still bet on the universe of James Cameron.

The reasons for this caution are multiple. The promotion ofAvatar: Fire and Ashes was considered too similar to that of Avatar: The Way of Waterthe teaser arrived late and the merchandising almost non-existent. The film lasts 197 minutes, the longest in the saga, and its release during the Christmas period complicated things. The public, accustomed to James Cameron’s spectacular events, did not find the same enthusiasm.

For James Cameron, the challenge is to continue to make films in his image, ambitious, visually dizzying, centered on the ocean and the environment, while reducing costs and logistics. The teams know that a Avatar “lighter” will have to remain an immersive and spectacular spectacle, otherwise the appeal of Pandora risks eroding.

Clearly, Pandora is not yet saved. Disney weighs the pros and cons, between the desire to continue a historical saga and the fear of repeating the “ups and downs” of a third film deemed too colossal for its own good.