The Release of Avatar: Fire and Ash

Avatar: Fire and Ash, the third movie in the Avatar franchise by James Cameron, was released on December 19, 2025. James Cameron’s previous two movies in the franchise—Avatar, released in 2009, and Avatar: The Way of Water, released in 2022—were both highly successful. Avatar grossed $2.9 billion worldwide, while Avatar: The Way of Water grossed over $2.32 billion worldwide. Due to the popularity and success of the previous films, Avatar: Fire and Ash was held to very high expectations, with millions of people around the world eagerly waiting for the third movie after a three-year gap between The Way of Water and Fire and Ash.

However, when the movie was released, fans had mixed opinions. Some critics said it was simply too boring, especially considering the long runtime of three hours and seventeen minutes. On the other hand, many viewers found the movie exciting and considered it a complete hit. Despite this, the film received a 66% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and a 7.4/10 on IMDb. Even with the backlash, the movie has made over $1.083 billion at the global box office within its first month of release, crossing the $1 billion mark on January 3, 2026—just two weeks after its release.

James Cameron’s Avatar franchise originated from his fascination with science fiction and a dream he had as a child about a bioluminescent forest. This dream became the inspiration for Avatar and ultimately led Cameron to begin working on the first film in the franchise. Cameron has also produced and directed other major films such as Titanic (1997), The Terminator (1984), and The Abyss (1989). His films have grossed over $9 billion worldwide, making him the second highest grossing director of all time, behind Steven Spielberg.

Looking ahead, James Cameron has stated since the release of the first Avatar film that there would be a total of five movies in the franchise. However, due to the advanced technology used to produce each film, the budget for a single Avatar movie exceeds $400 million. As a result, each installment must gross at least $1 billion globally to justify continuing the series. Avatar 4 is rumored to be released in 2029, while Avatar 5, the final film, is expected to release in 2031. By that time, Cameron—who is currently 71—would be nearing 80 years old. Although the future of the Avatar franchise remains uncertain, Cameron has stated that if he is unable to complete the final two films, he would still share how the story ends to provide closure for fans.