James Cameron is taking audiences back to Pandora for a third adventure in Avatar: Fire and Ash. Will audiences flock to the theater this weekend to propel Avatar: Fire and Ash to an opening weekend north of $100 million?
What is Avatar: Fire and Ash about?
“This world goes much deeper than you imagine,” Sam Worthington’s Jake Sully says in the latest Fire and Ash trailer.
When he last visited the Na’vi, the Sullys were mourning the death of their oldest child, Neteyam. A year has passed since that tragic incident, and the family is still struggling to grieve.
Neytiri (Zoe Saldaña), Neteyam’s mother, has been hit the hardest with grief, to the point where she loses her way.
Jake will face a new challenge in the form of the Mangkwan clan, also known as the Ash people. The aggressive Mangkwan are led by Varang (Oona Chaplin), who proves she will do anything to protect her clan when she aligns with Colonel Miles Quaritch (Stephen Lang) in the fight against the Sullys.
Other returning cast members include Sigourney Weaver as Kiri, Cliff Curtis as Tonowari, Britain Dalton as Lo’ak, Trinity Bliss as Tuk, Jack Champion as Spider, and Kate Winslet as Ronal.
Cameron directs Avatar: Fire and Ash from a screenplay he co-wrote with Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver. It’s the third movie in the Avatar franchise, following 2009’s Avatar and 2022’s Avatar: The Way of Water. Avatars 4 and 5 are still scheduled for 2029 and 2031, respectively.
Avatar: Fire and Ash opens in theaters on December 19, 2025.
Avatar: Fire And Ash Box Office Odds
| Avatar: Fire and Ash Box Office Opening Weekend: Domestic | Odds |
|---|---|
| Less than $90 million | +257 |
| $90 million to $101 million | +156 |
| $101 million to $112 million | +426 |
| $112 million to $123 million | +900 |
| Over $123 million | +1567 |
Odds via Polymarket on 12/15/25
Avatar: Fire and Ash will be the No. 1 movie at the box office this weekend. Can its domestic opening surge past $100 million?
Avatar is truly a global franchise, as most of its business comes from outside of the United States. Avatar ($2.9 billion) and Avatar: The Way of Water ($2.3 billion) are the first and third highest-grossing movies of all time.
These movies have significant legs at the box office and do good business long after this weekend.
However, the Avatar movies are not box office juggernauts when it comes to domestic opening weekends.
Avatar opened to $77 million, while The Way of Water nearly doubled that with $134.1 million in its opening weekend.
Early projections have Avatar: Fire and Ash looking at an opening weekend between $95 million and $105 million.
Again, these movies rely on the long-term box office, and Fire and Ash should dominate the rest of December before cruising to solid weekly hauls in January.
