James Cameron’s “Avatar: Fire and Ash” has returned audiences to Pandora with a $345 million global opening weekend, according to studio estimates, delivering one of the strongest debuts of the year. While its North American start was softer than its predecessor, the film again demonstrated the franchise’s enduring international appeal as it heads into the lucrative holiday period.
Sixteen years after the original “Avatar” reshaped the modern blockbuster, Cameron’s third installment opened with $88 million in U.S. and Canadian theaters and $257 million overseas. The combined total trails only “Zootopia 2,” which remains 2025’s biggest global opener so far.
The results underline a familiar pattern for the “Avatar” series: large but not record-breaking openings followed by sustained box-office performance over several weeks, particularly outside North America.
A solid debut, but below the previous chapter
“Fire and Ash” arrives three years after 2022’s “Avatar: The Way of Water,” which launched with $435 million worldwide and $134 million domestically. Compared with that film, the latest installment posted a roughly 35% decline in its North American opening.
Critical reception has also been more restrained. The film holds a 68% “fresh” score on Rotten Tomatoes, the lowest for the franchise to date, reflecting a more mixed response than earlier entries. Industry analysts, however, note that such comparisons reflect the unusually high benchmarks set by Cameron’s earlier films rather than outright underperformance.
Historically, the “Avatar” franchise has relied less on explosive debuts than on long theatrical runs. The original 2009 film opened to $77 million domestically but dominated the box office for seven consecutive weeks, eventually grossing $2.92 billion worldwide. “The Way of Water” followed a similar trajectory, closing its run with about $2.3 billion globally.
“The openings are not what the ‘Avatar’ movies are about,” said David A. Gross, a film consultant who publishes a long-running box office newsletter. “It’s what they do after they open that made them the number two and number three biggest films of all time.”
Audience response and premium formats
Early audience reaction suggests that “Fire and Ash” could again benefit from strong word-of-mouth. Moviegoers surveyed by CinemaScore awarded the film an “A” grade, indicating broad audience satisfaction despite more divided critical reviews.
Premium formats played a major role in the opening weekend. Studio data show that 66% of ticket sales came from large-format and premium screens, with 56% of audiences opting for 3D showings. The franchise has long been associated with immersive theatrical experiences, a factor that continues to distinguish it in an increasingly competitive release calendar.
International markets once again proved decisive. China emerged as the film’s strongest overseas territory, where “Fire and Ash” earned $57.6 million over its opening weekend. That figure surpassed the Chinese openings of the two previous “Avatar” films, reinforcing the franchise’s exceptional pull in the market.
High stakes for an expensive franchise
The financial expectations for “Fire and Ash” are unusually high even by blockbuster standards. With a reported production budget of at least $400 million, it ranks among the most expensive films ever made.
Cameron has said in recent interviews that the performance of the third film will play a significant role in determining the future of the series. While scripts for “Avatar 4” and “Avatar 5” have been completed, the films have not yet received final approval to move forward.
“James Cameron is not known for his low-budget movies,” said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst at Comscore. “You can’t exactly create the world of Pandora on the cheap. If you’re going to have a three-hour-plus epic in 3D, it’s a massive investment, and you have to hope audiences want to take that journey again.”
The upcoming holiday corridor could be crucial. With fewer direct competitors aimed at the same audience in the immediate weeks ahead, “Fire and Ash” is positioned to benefit from repeat viewings and family outings through Christmas and into the new year.
Competition from new releases
Although “Fire and Ash” dominated the weekend, it faced notable counterprogramming from several new wide releases.
Angel Studios’ animated biblical epic “David,” based on the story of David and Goliath, claimed second place with $22 million from 3,118 theaters. The result marked the strongest opening weekend in the studio’s history, following its breakout success with “Sound of Freedom” in 2023.
Lionsgate’s psychological thriller “The Housemaid,” directed by Paul Feig and starring Sydney Sweeney and Amanda Seyfried, debuted with $19 million from 3,015 locations. Produced for about $35 million, the R-rated film is expected to benefit from limited competition in its genre during the holiday season. It is adapted from Freida McFadden’s bestselling novel.
Paramount’s “The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants” rounded out the major newcomers with $16 million from 3,557 theaters. The G-rated release marks the first theatrical “SpongeBob” film since 2015 and is aimed squarely at family audiences during the school break.
Holiday releases waiting in the wings
The competitive landscape will intensify later this week as several films expand nationwide on Dec. 25. Among them is A24’s “Marty Supreme,” starring Timothée Chalamet and directed by Josh Safdie, as well as Focus Features’ “Song Sung Blue,” featuring Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson, and Sony’s action-adventure reboot “Anaconda,” starring Jack Black and Paul Rudd.
Ahead of its wider release, “Marty Supreme” opened in just six theaters over the weekend and grossed $875,000, translating to a per-theater average of $145,000. That figure represents the highest per-screen average of the year and the strongest since 2016, setting a new record for A24. The film, centered on an aspiring table tennis player in 1950s New York, is also the studio’s most expensive production to date.
Top 10 domestic box office
Based on estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday in U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Comscore:
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“Avatar: Fire and Ash” — $88 million
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“David” — $22 million
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“The Housemaid” — $19 million
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“The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants” — $16 million
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“Zootopia 2” — $14.5 million
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“Five Nights at Freddy’s 2” — $7.3 million
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“Wicked: For Good” — $4.3 million
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“Dhurandhar” — $2.5 million
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“Marty Supreme” — $875,000
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“Hamnet” — $850,000
As the holiday season begins, the coming weeks will determine whether “Avatar: Fire and Ash” can replicate the long-running box-office endurance that has defined the franchise—and justify the scale of Cameron’s ambitious vision once again.
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