By Lisa Richwine
December 21 – Director James Cameron’s third “Avatar” film makes its box office debut with nearly $345 million in global ticket sales through Sunday, meeting pre-weekend forecasts for Walt Disney’s epic film franchise.
“Avatar: Fire and Ash” was ranked as the second-biggest Hollywood film opening of 2025, behind the $556 million gross of Disney’s “Zootopia 2” in November.
According to Disney estimates, the film topped the box office charts in the United States and Canada, where it grossed a total of $88 million worldwide. “Fire and Ash” continues the story of nine-foot tall blue Na’vi people on a lush green planet called Pandora.
The domestic gross was down 35% from 2022’s “Avatar: The Way of Water.” The sequel, released 13 years after the first film, wowed audiences with stunning visual effects.
With “Fire and Ash”, “audiences didn’t miss it as much as they did with the sequels,” said Jeff Bock, senior box office analyst for Exhibitor Relations Company.
Still, “It’s a great start to the holiday aisle,” Bok said, noting the excitement of seeing the movie on Christmas and New Year’s Day. “There’s going to be a huge shakeup at the box office over the next two or three weekends.”
Theaters hope “Fire and Ash” will spark a resurgence in film production that will continue into next year. Year-to-date ticket sales are up 1.3% from 2024, but down 22.5% from the pre-pandemic year of 2019, according to comScore data.
Cinema operators believe they have a strong 2026 lineup including “Avengers: Doomsday,” “Dune: Part Three,” Christopher Nolan’s “The Odyssey” and the “Star Wars” film “The Mandalorian and Grogu.”
Cameron’s blockbuster films continue to drive sales for several weeks longer than others. “Fire and Ash” was released three days closer to Christmas than “The Way of Water”, suggesting that holiday commitments may have kept people away from theaters on the opening weekend.
Zoe Saldana and Sam Worthington voice the lead “Avatar” characters, portraying two parents who are forced to fight to protect their family and their planet.
Cameron has acknowledged that the “Avatar” films are expensive and require huge returns to continue the series. Disney has not disclosed the film’s budget.
The first “Avatar” film, released in 2009, grossed $2.9 billion in global ticket sales. “Way of Water” grossed $2.3 billion.
The fourth and fifth “Avatar” films are scheduled to be released in 2029 and 2031.
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