James Cameron's third Avatar film, Avatar: Fire and Ash, is on track for a domestic opening weekend of $85 million to $90 million after earning $36.5 million on Friday. Internationally, it has crossed $100 million through three days, pushing global projections to $340 million to $350 million. The movie tops charts in nearly all major markets despite coming in on the lower end of expectations.
Avatar: Fire and Ash, the latest installment in James Cameron's Pandora saga, launched with solid box office numbers over the holiday weekend. The film, starring Sam Worthington as Jake Sully and Zoe Saldaña as Neytiri, earned $12 million from Thursday previews starting at 2 p.m., followed by $36.5 million on Friday across 3,800 North American theaters. This puts it on pace for $85 million to $90 million domestically by Sunday, surpassing the original Avatar's $77 million debut but falling short of Avatar: The Way of Water's $134 million opening.
Internationally, the threequel crossed $100.4 million through Friday, with a two-day start of $43.1 million before China and other markets joined. It achieved the highest opening day of 2025 in countries including Australia, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the UK, and India. China contributed $17.2 million through Friday, estimated at $41 million by Saturday, marking the third-highest opening day for a studio film since Avatar: The Way of Water. Korea added $4.3 million on Friday, lifting its total to $9.7 million. Top markets through Friday include China ($17.2 million), France ($8.7 million), Germany ($8.3 million), Mexico ($4.4 million), and the UK ($4.1 million). The global opening is projected at $340 million to $350 million, within but on the lower end of pre-weekend forecasts.
Audience reception is strong, with an A CinemaScore, 91% Rotten Tomatoes audience score, and 72% definite recommend on PostTrak. Critics are more divided at 67% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes, the lowest in the franchise. Social media buzz reaches 834 million impressions, praising the visual effects and lore expansion. In India, it collected Rs. 23 crore on Saturday, up 20% from Friday, while competing with local film Dhurandhar. The Na'vi epic, running 3 hours and 17 minutes, benefits from 53% of grosses in 3D and 45% in premium formats like IMAX.
