Since James Cameron hinted his retirement from the franchise is subject to the box office, here's what we think after Avatar: Fire and Ash's first reactions.
With the first reactions of Avatar: Fire and Ash out now, it seems that director James Cameron might just not quit the franchise, after all. Ahead of the film’s worldwide release on December 19, 2025, critics got to see an early screening of the movie, and it was quite the spectacle for them.
The director had earlier claimed that if Avatar: Fire and Ash wasn’t a major box office hit, he might leave the director’s chair from the franchise. However, it seems that critics have praised Cameron’s world-building alongside the visuals and the grandiose nature of the film, and overall, considered it better than Avatar: The Way of Water!
Early Critics’ Reaction to James Cameron’s Avatar: Fire and Ash
From hailing Oona Chaplin’s performance as Varang to be genuinely scary to talking about the ability of James Cameron to immerse the audience in Pandora’s world, the early reviews for Avatar: Fire and Ash have been nothing short of fabulous. Check out some of them below:
AVATAR: FIRE AND ASH: Thank goodness for badness. James Cameron’s third trip to Pandora hits familiar beats of environmental threats, colonial malfeasance & family solidarity, with many of the same characters. The great new addition is Oona Chaplin as badass Varang, leader of the… pic.twitter.com/LkbvT3iEed
— Peter Howell 🖊 (@peterhowellfilm) December 2, 2025
AVATAR: FIRE AND ASH is a visual feast that somehow outdoes everything that came before it. The story takes bold swings, lands surprises you’d never expect, and proves James Cameron is still operating on a different level. Hard to believe, but it’s the best of the trilogy so far. pic.twitter.com/lWTevaXnLi
— Josh Tyler (@ItsJoshTyler) December 2, 2025
James Cameron always seems to be trying to raise the bar in terms of his own ambition whenever he makes a new movie. 'Avatar: Fire and Ash' is no exception. It's the most densley plotted #Avatar film yet, for better or worse. There are many compelling story and character threads,… pic.twitter.com/oNy4xu8epv
— Hunter V Norris (@hunterVnorris) December 2, 2025
#Avatar #FireAndAsh left me awestruck. Stranger, scarier and more spiritual than “Way of Water,” it closes out this trilogy brilliantly. Cameron pushes the possibilities of performance capture — the action sequences are eye-popping but this time crackle with surrealist flourishes pic.twitter.com/Dq1Zq2ru1d
— Drew Taylor (@DrewTailored) December 2, 2025
Avatar: Fire and Ash is visually stunning, and it has a better spectacle-to-story balance than previous films in the series, but some of the story choices are…bizarre. There's some nice character moments. Oona Chaplin's Varang is genuinely scary, which is cool. It's a fun time. pic.twitter.com/Btig2mXhwo
— Molly Freeman (@mollyrockit) December 2, 2025
Well, the world is quite impressed with the visual spectacle of James Cameron’s Avatar: Fire and Ash. Considering Cameron’s love for nature, the trilogy likely has elements of ash, volcano, and the consuming nature of fire, which gives the director potential to experiment with visual pieces.
Avatar 3 Box-Office Projection Hints Another James Cameron Record
The box office projections for Avatar: Fire and Ash are out, and it just seems that James Cameron might have another record on his hands. According to Deadline, it seems that the film will likely have an opening day collection of somewhere between $100 to $130 million.
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Although the projection is slightly less than Avatar: The Way of Water, James Cameron has had a history of crossing the billion-dollar mark twice with the Avatar franchise and thrice if you include Titanic.
Even Avatar and Avatar: The Way of Water had their box office openings around a similar range, and both films have crossed the $2 billion mark. Check out some of the stats below:
| Key Facts About: | Avatar | Avatar: The Way of Water | Avatar: Fire and Ash |
| Release Date: | December 18, 2009 | December 16, 2022 | December 19, 2025 |
| IMDb Rating: | 7.9/10 | 7.5/10 | – |
| Rotten Tomatoes Score: | 81% | 76% | – |
| Opening Day Collection: | $77 million | $134 million | $100 to $130 million (expected) |
| Worldwide Box Office: | $2.9 billion | $2.3 billion | – |
| Where to Watch: | Disney+ | Disney+ | Exclusively in movie theaters on release |
Naturally, the trend is quite evident that Avatar: Fire and Ash could be on its way to becoming the next $2 billion-crosser, and if that happens, it would be another record for James Cameron and a testament to his brilliant filmography.
Do you think Avatar: Fire and Ash will breach the $2 billion mark? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
Avatar: Fire and Ash will release on December 19, 2025, in theaters (USA).
