Avatar: Fire and Ash Hits US$1 Billion in Global Box Office

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Director James Cameron's film Avatar: Fire and Ash has reached the US$1 billion mark at the global box office as of Saturday, January 3, 2026. This marks another achievement for Cameron, who has directed three out of the top four highest-grossing films of all time at the global box office, led by Avatar (2009) followed by Avatar: The Way of Water (2022) and Titanic (1997).

Avatar: Fire and Ash is one of three Hollywood films released in 2025 to cross the US$1 billion mark, following other Disney films such as Lilo & Stitch (US$1.038 billion) and the record-breaking Zootopia 2, which has grossed US$1.51 billion to date.

"Avatar is expected to lead the weekend box office with earnings between US$36 million and US$38 million, surpassing the US$300 million mark in North America and reaching the historic US$1 billion milestone," wrote The Hollywood Reporter on Saturday, January 3, 2026.

Global earnings for Avatar 3 as of New Year's Day (Thursday, January 1, 2026) reached US$935 million, including US$266 million in the United States and US$699 million overseas. On Friday, January 2, 2026, the film earned an additional US$14 million in North America from 3,832 theaters, bringing its total domestic earnings to US$280 million.

Variety noted that as of Friday, January 2, 2026, Avatar: Fire and Ash remained stable with only a 38% drop compared to the previous week. "This epic science fiction film is expected to gross US$36 million by Sunday, bringing the total domestic earnings to approximately US$302 million," it stated.

For comparison, both previous films, Avatar: The Way of Water and Avatar, each generated over US$60 million at the same stage of their respective screenings. Released in 2009, Avatar went on to earn US$2.9 billion at the global box office, including revenue from re-releases over the years. It remains the highest-grossing film in cinematic history.

Avatar 2 was released more than a decade later and systematically dispelled pre-release skepticism about the perceived cultural relevance of the franchise. The film has grossed over US$2.3 billion globally, currently ranking as the third-highest-grossing film of all time.

Read: Avatar: Fire and Ash Nets Rp94 Billion in Indonesia Debut

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