James Cameron’s cinematic universe has once again taken the global box office by storm. Just one week after its worldwide release on December 19, 2025, Avatar: Fire and Ash has soared past the $500 million mark, cementing its place as one of the year’s most dominant theatrical releases. While the film’s opening was met with cautious optimism—some even called it underwhelming compared to its predecessors—its performance over the holiday period has demonstrated the extraordinary staying power that’s become a hallmark of the Avatar franchise.
According to Collider, the third installment in Cameron’s epic series, starring Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldaña, Stephen Lang, and Sigourney Weaver, has now grossed more than $500 million globally. That figure, confirmed by Variety and Box Office Mojo, includes a robust domestic haul of $153.7 million after nine days and an overseas total of $390.6 million across 53 markets. The film’s global cume stands at $544.3 million as of December 27, 2025, making it the 11th-highest-grossing film of the year so far, as noted by Koimoi.
The numbers are impressive, but the stakes are higher than ever for Cameron and his team. With a reported production budget of $400 million, Avatar: Fire and Ash likely needs to hit at least $1 billion worldwide just to break even—a daunting benchmark, even for a franchise with such a storied box office pedigree. Cameron himself has acknowledged the pressure, telling reporters that the bar is “extremely high” for the third entry in the saga.
Despite the daunting financial targets, the film has already outperformed several notable sci-fi releases, overtaking Denis Villeneuve’s Arrival and Dune at the domestic box office, as well as doubling the gross of George Miller’s Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga. Yet, it’s not all smooth sailing. The critical response has been somewhat muted compared to the first two entries. On Rotten Tomatoes, Avatar: Fire and Ash holds a 66% critics’ score, but audiences have rallied behind the film, awarding it a glowing 91% audience score, according to Collider. This divergence suggests that while critics may find the third film less revolutionary, moviegoers are still captivated by the lush world of Pandora and its inhabitants.
Internationally, the film’s performance has been particularly strong in India. As reported by Times of India and Hindustan Times, the movie collected approximately Rs 7.50 crore net on its eighth day, marking its lowest single-day total so far, but still pushing its India net total to an estimated Rs 117 crore by the end of Day 8. Its gross domestic box office collection in India has reached Rs 141.75 crore, making it the highest-grossing Hollywood release of 2025 in the country within one week. The English-language screenings led the way, contributing Rs 51.05 crore net, followed by Hindi (Rs 37.4 crore), Tamil (Rs 16.68 crore), Telugu (Rs 11.42 crore), Kannada (Rs 0.39 crore), and Malayalam (Rs 0.11 crore) versions. Trade analysts expect the film to target the Rs 200 crore gross milestone in India by the end of its second week, despite facing stiff competition from local hit Dhurandhar.
Globally, the film opened to an estimated $347 million over its first weekend, including $88 million from the U.S. and Canada and $250 million from overseas markets, according to Variety and Hindustan Times. It also posted the seventh-biggest Christmas Day non-opening in domestic box office history, pulling in $24 million on December 25 alone—a day that saw Avatar: Fire and Ash slightly trail the $29.1 million earned by Avatar: The Way of Water on Christmas Day in 2022, as reported by Vulture.
Despite these strong returns, Avatar: Fire and Ash is pacing behind its immediate predecessor, Avatar: The Way of Water, which opened with $441 million globally and $134 million domestically in its first weekend back in 2022. Still, the third film’s holiday debut stands as the strongest of 2025, trailing only the animated juggernaut Zootopia 2 in terms of opening weekend performance.
James Cameron’s unique position in Hollywood cannot be overstated. With the first Avatar still holding the crown as the highest-grossing film of all time ($2.9 billion), and Avatar: The Way of Water sitting comfortably as the third-biggest hit in global box office history ($2.3 billion), expectations for every new installment are sky-high. Cameron, who also directed Titanic—the fourth-biggest film ever—has hinted that his time at the helm of the Avatar series may be drawing to a close, despite initial plans for at least five films. However, the future of the franchise remains somewhat uncertain. As Hindustan Times reported, Cameron has stated, “If we don't get to make 4 and 5, for whatever reason, I'll hold a press conference, and I'll tell you what we were gonna do. How's that?”
Looking ahead, the franchise is scheduled to continue, with Avatar 4 planned for release in 2029 and Avatar 5 in 2031. A portion of the fourth film was reportedly shot during the production of the second and third movies, but whether these sequels reach the screen will likely depend on the continued box office performance of Fire and Ash.
As the holiday season draws to a close, industry observers are watching closely to see if Avatar: Fire and Ash can maintain its momentum. Projections from Koimoi and Box Office Mojo suggest the film could cross the $1 billion threshold by New Year’s Day 2026, and perhaps even challenge the $2 billion mark if word of mouth remains strong. The film’s performance so far has certainly set the stage for a dramatic second act at the box office.
No matter what the coming weeks bring, one thing is clear: James Cameron’s vision continues to draw audiences into theaters around the world, proving that the allure of Pandora—and the power of big-screen spectacle—remains as potent as ever.
