Avatar director James Cameron joked that Matt Damon should "get over" the fact that he had to pass on starring in the 2009 film.
In an interview with BBC Radio 1, Cameron revealed that the Martian actor is still "beating himself up" over not appearing in the film -- a role he would have ultimately received $290 million for. "Matt, you know, you're kinda like one of the biggest movie stars in the world," said Cameron. "Get over it." The director explained that while Avatar was shooting, Damon had to do another Bourne film, which led him to "regretfully decline" Cameron's offer. The director joked that he will eventfully give the actor a cameo in the franchise "so that the world is in equilibrium again."
In 2019, Damon revealed that by not starring in Avatar, he ended up leaving "more money on the table than any actor," as Cameron offered him 10% of what would end up being the highest-grossing film of all time with a global box office revenue of $2.9 billion. At the time, the actor admitted that the most painful element of the experience was the fact that Cameron "works so infrequently," and so Damon "realized in having to say no that I was probably passing on the chance to ever work with him." The actor admitted that, despite foregoing a sizable chunk of cash, "my kids are all eating. I’m doing OK."
The Way of Water's Box Office Performance
Avatar's sequel, Avatar: The Way of Water, is currently on track to turn a massive profit just like its predecessor. The film brought in an impressive $53 million on its opening night, outpacing Avatar's Friday earnings of $27 million, making The Way of Water Cameron's biggest opening to date. Projections estimate that the 3+ hour epic will earn approximately $525 million during its opening weekend. Due to the sequel's enormous budget, the director previously estimated that it will need to pull a worldwide gross of over $2 billion just to break even.
If The Way of Water continues bringing in a sizable amount of money at the box office, that could mean good things for the Avatar franchise as a whole. Cameron revealed that he already has plans for five films in the series, explaining "If we make some money with two and three, it's all mapped out." He also noted his hopes that all of the Avatar sequels end up getting made, as it's all "one big story, ultimately." He added, "I got more excited as I went along."
Avatar: The Way of Water is now playing in theaters.
Source: YouTube