James Cameron's Avatar: Fire and Ash, the third installment in the epic Avatar saga, has made a strong debut at the box office, earning an estimated ₹85.50 crore in India in its first five days. The film, distributed by 20th Century Studios, continues to draw audiences back to the visually stunning world of Pandora.
The movie had an overall 20.84% English occupancy on Tuesday, December 23, 2025. In Hindi, the occupancy stood at 20.51%.
Globally, Avatar: Fire and Ash has grossed $347.1 million during its opening weekend, securing the No. 1 spot domestically with $89 million and internationally with $258.1 million. This makes it the third-largest global opening of 2025, behind Zootopia 2 ($560.30 million) and China's animated title Ne Zha 2 ($431.20 million).
While Fire and Ash outperforms the original Avatar in its opening weekend, which earned $232 million, it lags behind Avatar: The Way of Water, which garnered $441.70 million. The Avatar franchise has now grossed a cumulative $5.6 billion.
The film was the No. 1 Motion Picture Association (MPA) release in all material markets except Japan, with a notable start in China, bringing in $57.6 million. This makes it the second-highest MPA opening in China for 2025, following Zootopia 2.
Avatar: Fire and Ash has received positive reception, holding a 91% Rotten Tomatoes Verified Moviegoers score, a 4.5/5 PostTrak score, and an "A" CinemaScore.
Despite the film's success, it faces challenges from other major releases, including the Bollywood espionage thriller Dhurandhar. While initial weekend collections suggested potential for Avatar: Fire and Ash to dominate, weekday earnings have not yet surpassed the local competition.
Directed, written, produced, and edited by James Cameron, Avatar: Fire and Ash is believed to be the darkest chapter of the Avatar franchise. The film stars Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldaña, Sigourney Weaver, Stephen Lang, and Kate Winslet, who reprise their roles from previous films.
The production of Avatar: Fire and Ash began simultaneously with The Way of Water in New Zealand on September 25, 2017, and concluded in late December 2020. With a budget exceeding $400 million, it stands as one of the most expensive films ever made. The film is dedicated to editors John Refoua, who died in 2023, and producer Jon Landau, who died in 2024.
The question remains whether the film's performance is strong enough to justify Avatar 4, given its substantial budget. Avatar: Fire and Ash had the second-biggest global opening of 2025, only trailing Zootopia 2, but the cost of producing Avatar films is a significant factor for Disney.
