A new report claims that Avatar: The Way of Water is one of the most expensive movies ever made.

The Hollywood Reporter cites unnamed sources close to the production who pegged the Avatar sequel's budget at between $350 million and $400 million. If these estimates are accurate, it would make the film one of the most costly of all time. Neither 20th Century Studios nor Lightstorm Entertainment have publicly commented on Avatar: The Way of Water's production costs, which industry analysts previously projected at a relatively more modest $250 million.

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That said, reports that Avatar: The Way of Water's budget is in the ballpark of $400 million align with recent comments by director James Cameron. Cameron admitted that the upcoming sci-fi blockbuster will need to be "the third or fourth highest-grossing film in history" to break even. The Oscar-winning filmmaker noted that this meant Avatar: The Way of Water represented "the worst business case in movie history." Cameron has even said that plans for Avatar 4 and 5 could be curtailed and the franchise retooled into a trilogy if Avatar: The Way of Water doesn't perform well enough at the box office.

Avatar 2's Big Box Office Projections

While Cameron remains pragmatic about the Avatar franchise's immediate and long-term future, Avatar: The Way of Water's box office projections are looking decidedly optimistic. The sequel is currently on track to rake in $150 million to $175 million domestically over its opening weekend, with some analysts insisting the actual figure could be closer to $200 million, instead. Should Avatar: The Way of Water's opening weekend ticket sales fall somewhere between these figures, it stands to double the opening haul of its predecessor.

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Analysts also predict that Avatar: The Way of Water will perform solidly at the box office for several weeks, unlike most high-grossing superhero movies, which earn most of their money upfront. This contrast seems fitting, considering that Cameron recently explained he conceived the second Avatar installment at least partly as a rebuke of superhero storytelling tropes. "I was consciously thinking to myself, 'Okay, all these superheroes, they never have kids. They never really have to deal with the real things that hold you down and give you feet of clay in the real world,'" he said. Cameron went on to say that because many of the characters in The Way of Water have children, they're forced to temper the urge to "be fearless and do crazy things."

Avatar: The Way of Water arrives in theaters on Dec. 16.

Source: THR