Avatar 2 success proves people are sick of streaming, says James Cameron

Avatar: The Way of Water is reigning supreme, scoring Golden Globe nominations and knocking the socks off viewers with its state of the art 3D and immersive alien scenes. As it continues to go from strength to strength, director James Cameron has said that it's showing that the age of streaming shows and films is coming to an end.

Given the year that Netflix has had, he's not necessarily wrong. No show is safe from cancellation, it seems, and the loss of some beloved series led to customers starting a "#CancelNetflix" trend to air their aggravation. And it's not like the second Avatar film didn't have a high bar to clear, as the future of the franchise was dependent on the financial performance of The Way of Water. Well, it's obvious that we are getting a fourth and fifth film now, and rather than rest on his laurels, Cameron's hit out at streaming services.

Here's the trailer for the sci-fi epic:

Cameron connected the success of Avatar: The Way of Water, which is currently sitting at a box office total of $1.73 billion, with a possible fatigue for streaming services. “I’m not thinking of it in those terms,” answered the director when Variety applauded him and his team on the financial returns of the film. “I’m thinking of it in the terms of we’re going back to theaters around the world. They’re even going back to theaters in China where they’re having this big COVID surge. We’re saying as a society, ‘We need this! We need to go to theaters.’ Enough with the streaming already! I’m tired of sitting on my ass.”

Avatar: The Way of Water is 192 minutes long, leading to no small number of tired asses when the lights came up in the cinema. I think what Cameron is referring to is the experience of going to the cinema - bickering over what to watch because you'll have to sell an organ to cover the price of the ticket, purchasing soft popcorn from an employee who is probably underpaid, and being blinded by a phone screen illuminating the room while someone returns a missed call. Though, those who partake in the heinous use of a phone in the cinema are on Cameron's list.

“They’re missing the point,” he complained. “When we go to the movies we make a deal with ourselves to have undivided attention for a couple of hours. It’s about immersing yourself…choosing to commit to that ahead of time.” Sometimes there are really lengthy scenes with alien whales that could have been cut down, Cameron. What am I meant to do for those 20 minutes?