Most studios would love their films to earn $128 million at the U.S. box office.
That wasn’t enough for the 2016 “Ghostbusters” reboot.
That film’s seemingly impressive tally wasn’t enough to kick start the franchise or make its money back. Sony lost tens of millions from that modest haul.
Which brings us to “Avatar: Fire and Ash.”
The third film in the sci-fi saga earned nearly $1.5 billion at the global box office. To the Disney bean counters, that wasn’t good enough.
And, for context, “Avatar: The Way of Water” broke the $2 billion mark internationally.
Why won’t the gargantuan math add up on these projects?
It’s simple. The film’s massive production budget, that’s why – a reported $400-plus million. And, yes, that plus sign may do some heavy lifting.
The third film in the saga works as either a franchise capper or a pause in the action. Even “Avatar” creator James Cameron can be coy about the saga’s future.
Now, we’re learning Disney wants a fourth and fifth “Avatar” film, but under certain conditions.Try “cheaper,” ‘shorter” and “less risky,” according to The Wrap.
Is that any way to treat the King of the World?
Cameron may be amenable to the changes, according to the report. He’s a realist, and perhaps he sees whatever challenges facing him as an obstacle, even a creative one.
Now, if only other Hollywood filmmakers took the “shorter” advice to heart.
A recent Hollywood Reporter feature confirmed that movies are getting longer in the modern era. It’s not just the occasional Oscar-bait movie like “Marty Supreme” or films based on lengthy books (“Project Hail Mary”).
Researcher Stephen Follows checked the run times of 36,000 films that were released theatrically from 1980 to 2025 and discovered the average length of a wide-release theatrical title has grown from roughly 106 minutes in the 1990s and early 2000s to 114 minutes in recent years. Films with big budgets — $100 million plus — tend to be even longer. He points out that pre-show advertising and trailers have also expanded to average around 20 to 30 minutes. So you’re spending more time sitting in a theater seat than ever before.
That works against the studios in two major ways. Longer movies can mean fewer screening opportunities at your neighborhood theaters. And, obviously, longer movies mean larger budgets.
It might be humiliating for someone of Cameron’s stature to get those kind of studio notes, but it’s a step in the right fiscal direction. It also means less time spent in the cineplex bathroom mid-movie.
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