Avatar Fire and Ash struggles to hit $400M; fans call it a 'relentlessly bleak' spectacle, others shrug

Once the unshakable box-office titan, the Avatar franchise is facing turbulence with its third installment, Avatar: Fire and Ash. The film, which was supposed to continue the Cameron magic, is instead showing cracks just days after release. Back in 2009, the original Avatar stunned the world, racking up $2.9 billion globally. Its 2022 sequel, The Way of Water, earned $2.3 billion. Expectations for Fire and Ash were sky-high—but reality has been… less spectacular.

After a modest $88 million domestic opening and a global three-day haul of $347 million, the film’s momentum faltered fast. Monday’s numbers saw a sharp drop: only $13 million domestically—a 45% dip from Sunday—barely pushing the four-day domestic total past $100 million. Internationally, the story was similar, with $39 million added on Monday, taking overseas earnings to $296 million. That puts Fire and Ash at $398.7 million worldwide after day four—a number that makes it the third biggest opener of 2025 behind Zootopia 2 and Wicked For Good, but still more than 25% below what The Way of Water achieved in the same time frame.

What’s going wrong? Usually, Avatar films build steam through word-of-mouth and sustained audience enthusiasm in the first week. This time, though, the North American box office has been lukewarm, and global audiences haven’t compensated enough to keep it afloat. The reviews have been tepid. While some fans still express some interest for the franchise, others on social media seemed to have 'grown out' of it, and aren't discussing it with the same vivid interest, that they did for the older films. However, others praised the film: 'The pacing was much better, and it felt more fluid and engaging than Way of Water." One wrote, "It was a visual feast, I really don't care what anyone else says." Another added, "It's a relentlessly bleak experience, but it is rewarding."

The cast remains strong: Zoe Saldana and Sam Worthington reprise their roles as parents fighting to protect family and planet, while Oona Chaplin joins as the new antagonist. Fans are still hopeful, but the numbers suggest that Fire and Ash might not yet live up to the colossal legacy of its predecessors.

The future? James Cameron’s ambitious franchise isn’t done yet. Part four is slated for 2029, and part five for 2031, so there’s still time for the Avatar empire to reclaim its throne. But for now, the first week of Fire and Ash is a reminder that even a franchise as massive as Avatar isn’t immune to audience indifference.

All the records Avatar broke: