James Cameron Really Wants Movie Theaters, and Blockbusters, to Survive

James Cameron has a bunch of Avatar sequels on the way, and he’d very much like movie theaters to still be around to play them, please and thank you. During a recent appearance on The Tonight Show, Cameron spoke about how special the theatrical experience still is, and shared his hopes that – when everything is safe – we’ll all flock back to the multiplex to watch big movies. And hey, if some of those big movies happen to be directed by James Cameron, that would be nice, too.

In the video above, Mr. Jim Cameron talks about his hopes for the survival of movie theaters as we enter the post-pandemic age. “Everybody makes a big deal out of [the box office battle], but the truth is what we really need to focus on is getting back to theaters,” Cameron said. “Hopefully we can still have movies like that, Endgame and Avatar and the big Marvel movies and all that, movies that are able to make $1 billion or $2 billion.”

Now, a cynical read of Cameron’s comments might make it sound like he’s saying he wants movie theaters to open up because he wants to make more money. And while I’m sure that’s not not true – of course Cameron wants to make money, we all do, that’s life here in a capitalist society – I don’t think he’s saying, “Open up the theaters so Avatar 2 can make a billion bucks!” Sure, Cameron’s Avatar recently reclaimed its crown as the biggest box office hit of all time, but I think what Cameron is saying here is that he hopes movie theaters can thrive again so there can be more big movies to come – be they Avatar sequels, or something else.

“Let’s pray that movie theaters are still there after this pandemic and after this shift towards streaming, not that I have anything against streaming,” Cameron added. “There’s great writing and great shows in [streaming], but let’s remember that movie theaters are a sacred experience for all of us. Let’s get back out there when it’s safe to do so.”

With more and more people being vaccinated, there’s a real hope in Hollywood that movie theaters can bounce back. And while it’s still too early to know for sure, there are signs of life – Godzilla vs. Kong is doing very well at the box office, even though people have the option to watch it at home via HBO Max. There might be hope yet.

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