Good news for those who missed Avatar: Fire and Ash and its spectacle in theaters (or who simply want to rewatch this three-plus-hour film while being able to take a bathroom break): the third movie in the Avatar saga will be on Disney Plus on June 24. That’s three days earlier than the previously announced June 27 release date.
As is well documented, James Cameron’s sci-fi series began with aplomb. The 2009 movie Avatar eventually became the highest-grossing film of all time after earning $2.924 billion at the box office. Given this massive success, Cameron planned several sequels soon afterward, but repeated delays created a 13-year gap between the original and its 2022 follow-up, Avatar: The Way of Water. The long break didn’t do much to slow the series down, though, and while the sequel didn’t do quite as well as the original, it still made $2.334 billion, becoming the third highest-grossing film of all time.
Last year’s Fire and Ash didn’t do quite as well, making $1.485 billion against a $350 to $450 million budget. While that’s almost certainly enough to make a profit even after factoring in marketing costs and other fees, Cameron has been cagey about the future of the series. Avatar 4 and 5 are scheduled for 2029 and 2031, respectively, but the director has said that their status depends on how well Fire and Ash performs.
Cameron cheekily said that if the follow-ups don’t happen, he’ll hold a press conference to reveal what would have gone down in the next two movies. In response to the fall-off in earnings, he revealed he wants to make Avatar 4 and 5 in “half the time for two-thirds of the cost,” a process that will take a year or so to figure out.
As for Fire and Ash, the film’s CGI is still second to none, but many felt it was a bit of a repeat of its direct predecessor, with overly similar conflicts and obstacles; the situation has made some consider alternatives for the franchise. While it seems somewhat ridiculous that Cameron would have trouble getting approval for a sequel to the highest-grossing movie of all time, Fire and Ash’s upcoming streaming performance will likely play some part in whether the series returns to theaters.
