LOS ANGELES – December 30, 2025, Holiday crowds have been filling cinemas across the country, but one film has stood above the rest: James Cameron’s Avatar3: Fire and Ash. The third chapter in the long-running series, Avatar: Fire and Ash, arrived in theatres on December 19 and proved that Pandora still pulls people in, even 16 years after the first film changed what big-screen cinema could look like.
Cameron, the director behind 2009’s Avatar and 2022’s The Way of Water, brings audiences back to Pandora with his sci-fi threequel Avatar: Fire and Ash, produced by 20th Century. This time, Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) and Neytiri (Zoe Saldaña), leaders of the Na’vi, face a new threat, the volcanic Ash People. They are led by Varang (Oona Chaplin), who brings real force to the role.
Fire takes centre stage here, acting as a strong counterpoint to the water focus of the last film. The result is a bigger look at the culture, with new clans, sweeping air combat, and more attention on family ties, colonial pressure, and living in balance with nature.
The running time is over three hours, and Cameron goes big in every sense. Some reviewers point out familiar story rhythms and a few lines that feel awkward. Even so, most agree that the filmmaking is top-tier. Many say it’s built for the largest screen possible, with IMAX 3D being the best way to see it.
Box Office Heat: The Figures Speak Loudly
At the box office, Avatar: Fire and Ash has arrived with serious power. Its domestic debut delivered an estimated $89 million in North America over the opening weekend, earning the seventh-best December opening on record. It also beat the 2009 film’s $77 million opening weekend start. It didn’t reach The Way of Water’s $134 million opening weekend, but its hold through the holidays has been strong, topping fellow Disney release Zootopia 2 in the family market.
In its second weekend, it dropped only 28%, taking in $64 million across three days. Over the four-day Christmas stretch, it pulled in $88 million. By December 29, the North American total sat at $217.7 million. As counter-programming for moviegoers in multiplexes, Marty Supreme and Zootopia 2 tried to carve out space, but they couldn’t dent the Avatar juggernaut.
Worldwide, the story is even bigger. The film launched with $347 million globally, then kept pace into weekend two, pushing the worldwide total past $760 million in just two weekends. The international box office has been a major driver, with China edging close to $100 million, and the global box office boosted there over Zootopia 2 and Marty Supreme.
Premium formats also matter here, with more than 66% of ticket sales coming from IMAX. With this run, the Avatar franchise, one of the highest-grossing ever, has now passed $6 billion in total box office. Industry tracking suggests $1 billion will land soon, strengthening Disney’s lead in a year when only a small number of films hit that mark, even as Zootopia 2 chased family audiences and Marty Supreme offered an alternative for multiplex moviegoers.
The timing matters too. The 2025 box office has risen only about 1.5% compared with last year, and it still sits well below pre-pandemic levels. Even so, Cameron’s latest has brought people back out during this holiday frame, delivering the strongest post-Christmas weekend in years and lifting holiday takings to post-COVID highs.
What Audiences Think of Avatar 3
Online reactions have poured in, and they show both strong praise and clear criticism. Fans who love the series call it the strongest entry so far, pointing to the emotion, the scale, and Chaplin’s performance as Varang. Some posts on X say Cameron still knows how to deliver the kind of big-screen show few others can match. Others describe this instalment as larger, darker, and more affecting than what came before.
Audience scores back up the enthusiasm, earning a strong CinemaScore and 91% from viewers on Rotten Tomatoes, often describing it as a must-see cinema event. Many recommend watching it in 3D, with some saying it’s the sort of film theatres were made for. The expanded world-building and action set pieces have also helped drive repeat visits.
Not everyone is fully won over. A group of viewers says the plot leans too hard on familiar beats, and the long runtime can drag. A common refrain is that it looks amazing, but feels less fresh in story terms. Critics have been more mixed, sitting at around 66%. Even those who are lukewarm tend to respect the scale and intent, even if the narrative doesn’t surprise them.
A Franchise That Still Pulls Crowds
From the point of view of a critic who has watched Cameron’s path from Titanic to the Avatar series, the commitment to big-screen innovation remains hard to ignore. Avatar 3 doesn’t shock the industry in the same way the first film did, but it tightens what the franchise does best, mixing environmental themes with huge action.
At a time when many franchises feel tired, this one still gives audiences a reason to show up together and stare at the screen in silence. With strong word of mouth and the holiday boost, it looks set for a steady run into 2026.
Cameron has talked about two more sequels, and the box office momentum makes that feel likely. For now, Pandora is back in full force, and people are clearly happy to return.
