Cameron Proves Aging Movie Franchises Never, Ever Die

The math doesn’t add up, and James Cameron doesn’t care.

The erstwhile King of the World is back in theaters via “Avatar: Fire and Ash.”

The film’s early box office numbers suggest some saga fatigue is creeping in after just three films.

• “Avatar: The Way of Water” opened to $134 million (U.S.) in 2022
• “Avatar: Fire and Ash” may not break $90 million in its debut domestic frame

So Cameron is already doing a hard pivot. He’s talking up a return to the “Terminator” franchise.

Really.

Cameron directed the 1984 original, which made Arnold Schwarzenegger a superstar. His 1991 follow-up, “Terminator 2: Judgment Day,” is an action movie classic. It’s also one of the best sequels ever and the film that introduced CGI effects into the mainstream.

Both films proved financially successful, to say the least. Cameron handed the saga off to his peers following “T2.” The results speak for themselves:

• “Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines” – $150 million US / $283 international
• “Terminator: Salvation” – $125 million US / $246 million international
• “Terminator: Genisys” – $89 million US / $350 million international
• “Terminator: Dark Fate” – $62 million US / $198 million international

U.S. audiences are burned out on the franchise. Globally, only “Genisys’s” strong showing from China ($113 million) stopped its international slide.

The franchise is done. Over. Kaput. And that’s fine. Even the dual return of original stars Linda Hamilton and Schwarzenegger could save 2019’s “Dark Fate.”

Not every franchise must continue indefinitely. Tell that to Cameron.

He has spent most of 20 years on the “Avatar” franchise, and it appears he’s ready for something new.

Or old, as it were.

He wants to revisit the “Terminator” saga minus the man who became the face of the franchise – Schwarzenegger.

“It’s time for a new generation of characters. I insisted Arnold had to be involved in Terminator: Dark Fate, and it was a great finish to him playing the T-800. There needs to be a broader interpretation of Terminator and the idea of a time war and super intelligence. I want to do new stuff that people aren’t imagining.”

Few filmmakers have earned audience goodwill quite like Cameron. He’s not in it strictly for the money, but his laser-like passion does come with a price.

His “Avatar” films haven’t moved the cultural needle on Climate Change. They haven’t impacted pop culture in any profound way, either.

Quick, when was the last time you saw a kid carrying an “Avatar” lunch box or sporting a Pandora poster on his or her wall?

And the third film is getting the weakest reviews of the trilogy, with even Cameron himself suggesting it may be time to move on.

Must that include more “Terminator” films? Great artists create to express themselves, not merely make a profit. For once, though, Cameron would be well advised to read the room.

We’re done with “Terminator” films. He may find that out the hard way.