‘Avatar: Fire and Ash’ is off to a good start for most films, with $345 million globally. However, it only did about $88 million domestically, and the media is saying that the film will not perform as well as its predecessors. A $2 billion box office like “Avatar: The Way of Water” is highly unlikely.
The Domestic Box Office Missed Expectations
“Avatar: Fire and Ash” fell far below domestic expectations, which were expected to be between $110 million and $125 million.
This was not surprising to me as these films tend to perform the best overseas. It did, hitting around $257 million in those markets.
Given the box office in 2025 $88 million is still pretty good.
Disney must have expected this as well, since they started making the seemingly desperate move of putting out one teaser trailer a week for “Avengers: Doomsday,” which isn’t coming out for a year.
Perhaps the films Were Too Close Together?
It is possible that “The Way of Water” and “Fire and Ash” were too close together. While the first film and “The Way of Water” had about 13 years in between them. The demand seemed greater for the second film.
“Fire and Ash” Is Also Really Long
Another potential issue is the runtime of the third film. With previews, the film was hitting three hours. That might be too long for people, especially during the holidays when time is a commodity.
“Avatar: Fire and Ash” Could Still Do Very Well,
The “Avatar” films do tend to have a “long tail” at the box office. It’s a slower, but steady burn over time. It is possible it could hit a high number, but it’s highly unlikely that the film will bring the totals “The Way of Water” did.
Disney Has Plans For Two More Films
Currently, two more “Avatar” films are set for December 2029 and December 2031. It will be four years between the final films.
It will be interesting to see how “Fire and Ash” does over the next month or so. If a downward trend continues, it won’t be a good sign for the final two films.
What do you think? Comment and let us know!
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