Edie Falco Says She Thought Avatar 2 Came Out A Long Time Ago

It is no secret that "Avatar: The Way of Water" is arguably one of the most highly-anticipated films in recent memory –- if not one of the most highly-anticipated films of all time. Not only is it the follow-up to the smash hit blockbuster "Avatar" (which at one point was the highest-grossing film in history), but it also is the first film directed by James Cameron in 13 years. With that in mind, it's easy to assume that many fans have been incredibly excited about the movie's debut.

This particular installment in the "Avatar" series catches up with Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) and Neytiri (Zoe Saldana) years after the events of the first film. With Jake now a father and the leader of his clan, he finds himself forced to do battle once more when the humans return to Pandora to harvest the brain matter of the planet's whale population.

With all of that said, with "Avatar: The Way of Water," now officially in theaters and more "Avatar" films on the way in the coming years, the movies can get a bit confusing for those involved in their production. In fact, Edie Falco, who stars in the film as General Ardmore, recently came out and admitted that she initially thought "The Way of Water" had already come out prior to its December 2022 debut and performed poorly at the box office. Here is what the actress had to say about the situation.

With the press tour for "Avatar: The Way of Water" well underway, the film's cast is out promoting the movie across all forms of media. As such, Edie Falco recently made an appearance on "The View" to help drive up hype for the film. During the interview with the hosts, she confirmed that she completed her portion of the photography for "The Way of Water" four years ago.

Due to the sheer length of time between when she filmed "The Way of Water" and now, Falco admitted to the hosts of "The View" (via Twitter) that she actually thought the film had already come out and simply received a lackluster response from fans, hence why she had heard nothing about its release. The "Sopranos" actress said, "I've been busy. I've been doing stuff. Somebody mentioned 'Avatar' and I thought 'oh, I guess it came out and didn't do very well because I didn't hear anything about it.' It happens. Then somebody recently said Avatar's coming out. It hasn't come out yet!?" Falco capped off her remarks with the humorous note that she may never work again for saying those things about the latest "Avatar" film. Based on their laughter, the audience clearly seemed to understand the comedy in it all.

One thing worth noting about "Avatar: The Way of Water" is the fact that its December 2022 release window was not always the plan. In fact, the film has been moved, postponed, and otherwise delayed several times over the course of the last 13 years. Once production officially began in earnest, "Avatar: The Way of Water" was then given a December 2020 release window (per The Hollywood Reporter).

Of course, that is all before the world changed in a major way. Edie Falco finished production on this particular movie four years ago, but circumstances outside of the studio's control ultimately caused some major delays in the production and post-production processes. Specifically, the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic created massive delays in all four "Avatar" sequels. This caused "The Way of Water" to be delayed a year to 2021 and then delayed another year to 2022, which ultimately proved to be its final release window.

While Edie Falco might have been joking about "Avatar: The Way of Water" coming and going with little fanfare, the reality is a bit more complicated. The film had a massive debut among critics and has generated an ample amount of buzz among moviegoers. However, whether or not that fanfare can translate to a performance that rivals the original (or "Top Gun: Maverick," this year's current box-office front-runner) remains to be seen.

However, it is worth noting that "The Way of Water" has not broken the box office in the way that some had anticipated -– at least, not yet. Its opening weekend fell slightly short of expectations (per Variety), but still performed admirably in its opening weekend, earning $134 million domestically and $435 million at the global box office. Much like the original "Avatar," the success of "The Way of Water" will be a test of endurance. If the movie can sustain its week-over-week box-office results and experience minimal drops, then it will prove a massive success. However, if "Avatar: The Way of Water" does not build momentum and continue to bring out audiences to premium-priced showings (such as 3D and high frame rate screenings), then the scenario laid out by Falco may come to pass.