Coming from a visual effects background, they spent so much time and money building technology and assets for the first film, they'd be crazy not to make a sequel(s).

Yep, Cameron's statement underscores what I've been saying for years: that blockbuster films are really just vehicles to sell more shit. Movies are just a part of a multi-channel marketing campaign.

The Hollywood equivalent of Unobtainium is money.

Cameron hit the mother lode.

PS: Don't know if you're still interested in sleeper films, and I don't know if it even qualifies as a sleeper, since it did reasonable business, but I want to give a shout out to Disney's "The Greatest Game Ever Played" starring Shia LaBeouf.

The utterly charming true story of how Francis Ouimet beat the great Harry Vardon in the US Open in 1913. Worth watching for the Edwardian-style animated credits alone.

Could Avatar be the first trillion dollar trilogy?! Cameron is setting the bar a little high for us ordinary visionaries.

It could also be the biggest flop in history :p Just saying~

I've always been astonished how financially successful such a mediocre movie like Avatar was. This article puts it in perspective, essentially saying that much of the BO gross is inflated due to higher ticket sales for 3D shows:

http://scifi.about.com/od/scififantasymovieguide/a/KingAvatar.htm

"and will continue to explore its themes and characters"

should read EXPLOIT. Jimmy squeezes it out of us, folks.