Pandora’s Latest Chapter Generates $345M in Global Ticket Sales

Walt Disney’s “Avatar: Fire and Ash” has made a powerful entrance into the worldwide theatrical marketplace, collecting approximately $345 million in ticket sales throughout its opening weekend. Director James Cameron’s third journey to Pandora met pre-release box office projections, confirming the franchise’s enduring commercial appeal more than a decade and a half since its inception.
The film claimed second position among 2025’s Hollywood opening weekends, surpassed only by the animated feature “Zootopia 2,” which generated $556 million when it premiered last November. “Fire and Ash” led domestic box office charts, accumulating $88 million from theaters across the United States and Canada, representing a significant portion of its worldwide haul according to Disney’s official calculations.
“Fire and Ash” continues the multi-layered narrative of Pandora’s Na’vi people, the nine-foot-tall blue-skinned beings whose story has unfolded across multiple films. The opening weekend performance, while impressive, represents a 35% decline from the domestic launch of 2022’s “Avatar: The Way of Water,” the sequel that arrived 13 years after the original 2009 film revolutionized cinema with its stunning visual effects and immersive 3D experience.
Senior analyst Jeff Bock from Exhibitor Relations Co. contextualized the numbers by explaining that audiences naturally didn’t approach this installment with the same intense longing that characterized the sequel’s reception after such an extended absence. However, Bock emphasized positive aspects of the launch, describing it as an excellent start for the traditionally robust holiday moviegoing season. He forecasted substantial box office activity over upcoming weekends as Christmas and New Year’s holidays drive families to theaters.
The cinema industry is hoping “Fire and Ash” will stimulate renewed enthusiasm for theatrical experiences that extends throughout the next year. Current Comscore data shows year-to-date ticket sales running marginally ahead of 2024 by 1.3% while still trailing 2019’s pre-pandemic performance by 22.5%. Theater chains express optimism about their 2026 schedule, which includes highly anticipated releases such as Christopher Nolan’s “The Odyssey,” Marvel’s “Avengers: Doomsday,” and “Dune: Part Three.” Cameron’s Avatar films have demonstrated remarkable commercial longevity, continuing to generate revenue well beyond typical release windows. With Zoe Saldana and Sam Worthington providing voices for Na’vi parents protecting their family and planet, and considering the franchise’s extraordinary track record—$2.9 billion for the original and $2.3 billion for “The Way of Water”—expectations remain high for sustained performance, though Cameron has acknowledged these expensive productions require enormous returns to justify continuing the series with fourth and fifth films planned for 2029 and 2031, with Disney maintaining confidentiality regarding production budgets.