Avatar director James Cameron recently revealed he likes the 2009 movie's controversial Papyrus font logo.
Cameron defended the widely-derided decision to use Papyrus during an interview with Empire, even making reference to a classic Saturday Night Live sketch devoted to the sci-fi blockbuster's logo. "Just think of how much we could have grossed if it wasn't for that damn font," he quipped. "I was not aware that our font was an off-the-shelf thing; I assumed the art department or the title company came up with it. Of course, it was trolled mercilessly as a lazy choice, but frankly, I like the font. [SNL sketch star] Ryan Gosling needs to get out more, instead of freaking out over our font. Time to move out of your mom's basement, Ryan! And if Papyrus resonates with the issues of Indigenous cultures in the public consciousness, then that fits well with Avatar, so I'm not losing any sleep over it."
As Cameron alluded to in his remarks, Avatar's Papyrus font logo seemingly had little impact on the film's commercial success. Avatar was the first movie in history to amass $2 billion in global ticket sales and has since added to that figure with subsequent theatrical re-releases. The film's lifetime international box office haul recently edged even closer to the $3 billion mark, after a remastered version of Avatar hit theaters in September 2022. This version of Avatar boasted improved picture and sound quality and was released to tie in with upcoming sequel Avatar: The Way of Water, which premieres on Dec. 16, 2022.
Will Avatar 2 Outperform Its Predecessor?
Industry analysts are already predicting a big opening weekend for Avatar: The Way of Water. Box office projections for the belated follow-up's opening range from $150 million to $200 million. If the higher-end estimate proves accurate, The Way of Water's performance over its first weekend stands to double that of its predecessor. Analysts also contend that the movie's ticket sales will remain steady for several weeks, which differs from the front-loaded earnings of the superhero blockbusters that currently dominate the market.
Cameron and 20th Century Studios will no doubt be hoping these predictions pan out, given Avatar: The Way of Water is reportedly among the most expensive movies ever made. A recent report claims that the Avatar sequel's budget came in at between $350 million and $450 million. While 20th Century Studios is yet to publicly confirm the movie's production costs, Cameron himself previously noted that The Way of Water will need to be "the third or fourth highest-grossing film in history" just to break even.
Avatar is currently streaming on Disney+.
Source: Empire, via Screen Rant