HOLLYWOOD — Avatar: The Way of Water, the latest blockbuster from director James Cameron, has been named the biggest financial flop of all time. It will be released later this week.
The Avatar sequel has the unique distinction of being the only film to completely bomb before its theatrical release.
“James Cameron has always been a pioneer at the forefront of cinema,” says Reddit user TitanicFan97. “What other director could make a movie that flopped before anyone even saw it? Take that Spielberg!”
The film had a production budget of $400 million dollars and a marketing budget of thirty-seven cents. Unfortunately, Cameron used up most of the budget trying to film an underwater car chase. Costs continued to rise as the director insisted on shooting on location on Pandora, a planet that does not exist.
“I’m very proud of the sheer amount of money we blew on this project,” says 20th Century CEO Don Smith. “Did you know that every individual frame of the movie is actually an NFT?”
The production has been relying on high-interest loans and IOUs since running out of funding. Stars Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldaña, and Sigourney Weaver were paid entirely in Cameron Bucks, a currency the director invented to cover his costs.
“At first, I thought Cameron Bucks were such a fun and unique way to get paid,” says Weaver. “But the rate of inflation has gotten out of control. I’m starting to think James is just printing more whenever he runs out of money!”
The filmmaker is hoping to recoup most of his Cameron Bucks losses in DVD sales and iTunes Store rentals, a plan he developed when he first pitched the movie back in 2010.
