Avatar: Fire and Ashcould be the key to pushing the franchise into untold box office territory if it continues a major trend for the series. The 2025 movie, which is set to debut in theaters on December 19, is the third installment in the sci-fi franchise, which kicked off in 2009 withAvatar. The movie was written and directed by James Cameron and rose to become the highest-grossing movie of all time worldwide, a position that it still holds. Cameron also helmed the second installment, 2022’sThe Way of Water, which he co-wrote with Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver.
Cameron is back in the director’s chair for theupcomingAvatar: Fire and Ash, which was also co-written by himself, Rick Jaffa, and Amanda Silver.The sequel will continue exploring the moon Pandora by introducing two new clans of Na’vi, namely the Fire Clan (led by Oona Chaplin’s Varang) and the Wind Traders Clan (led by David Thewlis' Peylak). The massive returning cast includes Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldaña, Sigourney Weaver, Kate Winslet, Stephen Lang, Joel David Moore, CCH Pounder, Giovanni Ribisi, Cliff Curtis, Edie Falco, Brendan Cowell, Jemaine Clement, Britain Dalton, Trinity Jo-Li Bliss, Dileep Rao, and Jack Champion.
Avatar Is 1 Of 2 Franchises With Multiple $2 Billion Movies
Only 6 Movies Have Ever Hit The $2 Billion Milestone
The streak thatFire and Ashcould potentially continue is the fact thatboth previous installments have grossed more than $2 billion. On top ofAvatar’s record-breaking sum,The Way of Watergrossed $2.32 billion worldwide, making it the No. 3 highest-grossing movie of all time. The only other franchise to have two installments that crossed the $2 billion milestone is theAvengersmovies, which are the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s star-studded crossover subfranchise. 2018’sInfinity Warstands at No. 6 with $2.052 billion while its 2019 follow-upEndgameis No. 2 with $2.799 billion.
While no other MCU movies have grossed more than $2 billion, nine other titles in the 36-film franchise have grossed more than $1 billion.
The fact that both franchises have two $2 billion movies apiece is remarkable becausethere are only six movies in history that have ever crossed that enormous milestoneat the worldwide box office. The other titles to have done so are the 1997 smash hitTitanic(No. 4, with $2.265 billion), which also won 11 Oscars including Best Picture, and the 2015 sci-fi legacy sequelStar Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens(No. 5 with $2.071 billion), which is still the highest-grossing movie of all time at the domestic box office after earning $936.7 million in North America.
Avatar Could Become The First Franchise With Three $2 Billion Films After Avatar 3
It Could Reach Unprecedented Heights
If it follows in the footsteps of the previous installments, theupcomingAvatarmoviecould also gross more than $2 billion worldwide by the end of its run. If it does so,it will make the franchise the first in history to have three movies that have surpassed that milestone.
Typically, franchises grow into billion-dollar behemoths rather than starting that way.
This record would also be remarkable in another way, becauseit would mean that the first three movies in the franchise all grossed more than $2 billion. Typically, franchises grow into billion-dollar behemoths rather than starting that way. The only franchise to have ever had its three debut movies each surpass even $1 billion isThe Avengers, which was technically preceded by five other Marvel tentpoles.
Avatar 3 Making $2 Billion Will Extend An Unbelievable James Cameron Record Too
The Director Has A Long History Of Smash Hits
In addition to making history for theAvatarfranchise,Fire and Ashcould also break a record forJames Cameron moviesin general.Cameron is currently the director with the most $2 billion moviesbecause he also wrote and directedTitanic, meaning that he has helmed exactly half of the movies to have crossed the $2 billion milestone at the box office. While brothers Joe and Anthony Russo helmed bothAvengers: Infinity WarandEndgame, giving them two slots on the top of the chart, they are the only other directors to have multiple titles gross more than $2 billion.
IfFire and Ashcontinues this trend for the franchise, it will give Cameron four $2 billion movies, widening the gap between him and any other directors on the chart. While this could be challenged by the fact that the Russo Brothers are set to helm the upcomingAvengersmoviesDoomsdayandSecret Wars,it is possible that Cameron could hold that record for several years, as the latter title is not currently set to premiere until December 2027.
How Likely Avatar 3 Is To Make $2 Billion
It Still Has To Prove Itself
There are multiple reasons whyAvatar: Fire and Ashmight break the franchise’s $2 billion streak. The most important is the fact that it comes just three years after the previous installment, sothe anticipation it has built cannot compare to the 13 years between the first two installments. This is a similar issue that was faced byStar Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi, which came just two years afterThe Force Awakens, which itself came out 10 years afterRevenge of the Sith. WhileThe Force Awakensmade $2.07 billion,The Last Jedifell precipitously to $1.334 billion.
The originalAvatar’s gross was also boosted by the surcharge on tickets to 3D screenings, but the format has been dwindling in popularity in recent years. This may be one reason whyThe Way of Watercame in more than $600 million below its predecessor by the end of its run. That huge dip is another warning sign, because ifFire and Ashhas a similar drop,it may only gross roughly $1.72 billion by the end of its run.
$1.72 billion would still makeAvatar: Fire and Ashthe ninth highest-grossing movie of all time.
However, the James Cameron movies have beaten the odds in the past, leading to it earning two $2 billion titles in the first place.Avatar: Fire and Ashcould very well gross more than $2 billion if it plays its cards right and especially if it gets better reviews than its predecessor, which only had a 77% score on Rotten Tomatoes. Additionally,it does not have much competition on the upcoming scheduleat the time of writing.
While there is an untitled Warner Bros. movie set for December that could prove to be a major competitor, the only major IP movies opening from December 12 through the end of the year areThe SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePantsand theAnacondaremake,neither of which belong to franchises that have had anything close to the box office pullof the two predecessors toAvatar: Fire and Ash.
