New ‘Avatar’ Film on Track to Claim Unflattering Franchise Box Office Record
The latest installment of the Avatar franchise, Avatar: Fire and Ash, is on track to earn between $1.5 billion and $1.7 billion worldwide, making it the lowest-grossing film in the series.
As of December 31, the movie has earned $242.3 million in the United States and Canada, and $609.5 million in other international markets. This brings its global total to $851.8 million so far.
Before its U.S. release, projections by Deadline Hollywood estimated the film would open with $340–380 million globally. The movie ultimately made $347 million worldwide during its opening, with $12 million coming from Thursday previews in North America.
While this opening led the box office and surpassed the debut weekend of the original 2009 Avatar ($77 million), it is a sharp decline from the $134.1 million opening of Avatar: The Way of Water in 2022.
New teaser for ‘AVATAR: FIRE & ASH’
— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) November 27, 2025
In theaters on December 19. pic.twitter.com/U3mwwF4iYI
In its second weekend, Fire and Ash remained number one at the box office, earning $63.1 million domestically. This represented a 29% drop from its opening, which is a much smaller decline compared to the 53% second-weekend drop for The Way of Water.
For comparison, Avatar: The Way of Water grossed $684.1 million in North America and $1.636 billion internationally, totaling $2.32 billion worldwide. The original Avatar, including its extended re-release, earned $785.2 million in the U.S. and Canada and $2.138 billion internationally, for a total of nearly $2.923 billion globally.
While Fire and Ash is performing well by most standards, it clearly falls short of its predecessors, which set the bar extremely high. This makes it the least financially successful film in a franchise known for its blockbuster numbers.
Even though Fire and Ash isn’t breaking franchise records, it’s still a strong performer and shows that the Avatar universe has lasting appeal. The decline may reflect changing audience habits or franchise fatigue, but it will still be a major player in theaters. What do you think about Fire and Ash underperforming compared to earlier Avatar films? Share your thoughts in the comments.
