It's been almost a month since Avatar: Fire and Ash entered cinemas, and almost immediately, it generated over $1 billion at the global box office. As it continues its theatrical run, James Cameron's latest sci-fi hit has broken another box office milestone, increasing its chances for a fourth and fifth installment.
As of writing, Avatar: Fire and Ash has grossed over $1.2 billion, entering the top 30 highest-grossing films of all time at #29. The movie sits between The Fate of the Furious and Iron Man 3, and it won't be long before its chart placement rises. At the moment, the first two Avatar films have generated over $2 billion at the box office each, placing them first and third on the Highest-Grossing films charts, with Avengers: Endgame sitting in between. It's too early to tell whether Avatar: Fire and Ash will reach $2 billion, but there is a chance based on its ongoing box office performance.
Cameron has previously stated that the fate of the Avatar franchise lies in the box-office performance of Fire and Ash. During his appearance on The Town with Matthew Belloni podcast, the filmmaker stated that Avatar: Fire and Ash needs to make "two metric f*ck tons of money to make a profit" to break even and justify making another installment. And if it doesn't, he's okay with Avatar 3 being the franchise's epic conclusion.
What's Avatar: Fire and Ash About?
Avatar: Fire and Ash is the third installment of the Avatar films, picking up just after the events of Avatar: The Way of the Water. In this film, Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) and his family are introduced to a third Na'vi clan, the Mangkwan, a tribe that rejects Eywa and finds spiritual fulfilment through fire and conflict. Colonel Miles Quaritch (Stephen Lang) also returns after surviving in the 2022 sequel and finds interest in the Mangkwan's leader, Varang (Oona Chaplin). Meanwhile, the RDA continues to exploit Pandora's resources as it hunts for Tulkun, a whale-like species found near the Metkayina clan.
Avatar: Fire and Ash continues to find praise among fans and critics alike, but not as much as its predecessors. It currently has a 66% critics' score on Rotten Tomatoes, the lowest received in this franchise. But it has earned a high Verified Hot audience score of 90%, which is between the scores of Avatar 1 and 2.
Avatar: Fire and Ash is now showing in theaters.