'Avatar: Fire and Ash' Delivers Solid Global Opening At Box Office

James Cameron’s third Avatar film, Fire and Ash, has opened broadly in line with expectations, earning an estimated $345 million worldwide through Sunday. Of that total, $257 million came from international markets, while the film collected $88 million in the United States and Canada, according to Disney. Domestic earnings were about 35% lower than Avatar: The Way of Water, which was released in 2022.

Cinema owners are hoping Fire and Ash will help revive moviegoing momentum and carry audiences into next year. Many remain upbeat about 2026, citing a strong slate that includes Avengers: Doomsday, Dune: Part Three, Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey, and The Mandalorian and Grogu. Cameron has previously acknowledged that the Avatar franchise is costly to produce and depends on strong box-office returns, though Disney has not disclosed budgets. The original Avatar earned $2.9 billion worldwide after its 2009 release, while The Way of Water grossed $2.3 billion.

In India, Fire and Ash had a modest opening, closing its first weekend with an estimated net collection of Rs 66.65 crore, according to Sacnilk. China emerged as the film’s strongest single market, delivering about $57.6 million in its opening weekend. Across the Asia-Pacific region outside China, the film earned $60.1 million, though it trailed Zootopia 2 in Japan. The launch was particularly strong in Vietnam and Indonesia.

Globally, the film performed best in China, followed by France, Germany, South Korea, and the UK. Its IMAX release brought in $43.6 million worldwide during the opening weekend, marking the biggest IMAX debut of 2025 and the fifth-largest ever, according to Deadline.