{"id":25787,"date":"2026-01-05T02:59:34","date_gmt":"2026-01-04T18:59:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/?p=25787"},"modified":"2026-01-05T02:59:34","modified_gmt":"2026-01-04T18:59:34","slug":"avatar-fire-and-ash-becomes-third-film-in-the-franchise-to-surpass-1-billion-globally-but-will-it-match-avatar-1-or-2-at-the-box-office","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/?p=25787","title":{"rendered":"Avatar: Fire and Ash Becomes Third Film in the Franchise to Surpass $1 Billion Globally \u2014 but Will It Match Avatar 1 or 2 at the Box Office?"},"content":{"rendered":"


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Avatar: Fire and Ash has become the third film in the franchise to surpass $1 billion at the global box office, but questions remain on whether it will end up matching Avatar 1 or 2 by the end of its theatrical run \u2014 or convince Disney to green light Avatar 4 and 5.<\/p>\n

On weekend three, James Cameron\u2019s Fire and Ash made another $40 million domestically, marking a 37% drop week on week. It\u2019s now up to $306 million domestically. Fire and Ash is proving a bigger hit internationally \u2014 particularly in China \u2014 with $777.1 million so far from theaters. That makes for a grand total of $1.083 billion. Disney said Fire and Ash pushes the Avatar franchise total past $6.35 billion globally.<\/p>\n

The special effects-heavy Avatar films cost a huge amount of money to produce, but they have historically made billions of dollars at the box office. Avatar 1 remains the highest-grossing movie of all time (not adjusted for inflation), and has earned a staggering $2.9 billion across several theatrical runs. Avatar: The Way of Water<\/u> has earned $2.3 billion, meanwhile, cementing it as the third-highest grossing film of all time \u2014 just ahead of Cameron’s own Titanic.<\/p>\n

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Will Fire and Ash end up matching the box office hauls of its predecessors? Fire and Ash is slower to $1 billion than both Avatar 1 and 2, but not by much. The Way of Water, released in 2022, hit $1 billion 14 days after launch, and Avatar, released in 2009, reached $1 billion after 17 days. Fire and Ash managed $1 billion 18 days after release.<\/p>\n

The Avatar films typically show impressive staying power at the global box office, particularly internationally, so the coming weeks will be crucial. Adding a helping hand, Disney is drip-feeding Avengers: Doomsday teaser trailers ahead of Fire and Ash in theaters in a bid to encourage repeat viewings (the X-Men trailer is set to be replaced by a fourth next week).<\/p>\n

Perhaps the pertinent question is, will Avatar 3 end up making enough money theatrically to convince Disney to greenlight Avatar 4 and 5? Disney has given both sequels release dates already: Avatar 4 currently has a December 21, 2029 release date, with Avatar 5 due out December 19, 2031. Cameron, now 71, would be close to 80 years old by the time it all wraps up.<\/p>\n