Shazam! 2 Director on Co-Existing with James Cameron's Avatar 2: "He Should Be Very Scared"

Among many thriving blockbuster sequels this year, including Minions: The Rise of Gru, Thor: Love and Thunder, and Tom Cruise's Top Gun: Maverick, two more will round up the year of triumphant sequels in December with the arrival of Shazam! The Fury of the Gods and James Cameron's long-awaited sequel, Avatar: The Way of Water.

Any film courageous enough in competing against Cameron's sequel at the box office would certainly be alarmed, considering the first film’s groundbreaking box office receipt that still secures the first spot as the highest-grossing film of all time even after a decade of its theatrical release. However, Shazam! 2 director David F. Sanberg feels confident that his sequel stands a chance of co-existing with Avatar: The Way of Water at the box office.

"He should be very scared. This is the end of James Cameron. (laughs) No, I think it's actually good, because they're such different movies. I mean, look at the first Avatar," Sanberg told Slashfilm. "There were other movies that came out at the same time and did really well ... especially at Christmas ... everybody knows that 'Avatar' is going to be, like, the biggest movie ever. I'm going to go see it. But yeah, there's room for 'Shazam!' too."

To be fair, December is a good time for cinemas as people all over the world are spending their time outdoors, or probably inside theaters. Despite Shazam! Fury of the Gods premiering five days after Cameron's Avatar: The Way of Water, it doesn't entirely mean that it would flop at the box office. After all 2019's Shazam! earned a total of $366 million at the global box office, an impressive feat given the restrictions of the COVID-19 Pandemic. The Shazam! sequel might not possibly beat the Avatar sequel in December, but just like what Sanberg uttered, the two can still co-exist.

James Cameron's Avatar: The Way of Water will hit the big screens on December 16, while Shazam! Fury of the Gods will premiere on December 21.

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