Avatar: Fire and Ash — Avatar 3 Release Date, Cast, Budget, Runtime, Advance Booking And More

Following the huge global success of Avatar (2009) and Avatar: The Way of Water (2022), filmmaker James Cameron is back with the latest edition of his sci-fi adventure series, Avatar: Fire and Ash. The third version of the Avatar franchise is scheduled to release worldwide on Dec. 19.

The latest instalment is going to be the longest film in the franchise, with a runtime of 3 hours and 15 minutes (195 minutes). Each new Avatar movie has been longer than the previous versions, and this third part adds a full half-hour to the original film’s runtime. 

The Avatar series follows the story of paraplegic Marine Jake Sully, who uses a Na’vi-human avatar to infiltrate Pandora’s natives. In the initial part, Jake struggles between his military mission to mine resources from Pandora and his love for the Na’vi and their world.

In Avatar: Fire and Ash, while the native Na’vi people continue their struggle against the human military, Cameron has shifted focus from protagonists Jake and Neytiri, according to the BBC.

"With Avatar: Fire and Ash, James Cameron takes audiences back to Pandora in an immersive new adventure with Marine turned Na’vi leader Jake Sully (Sam Worthington), Na’vi warrior Neytiri (Zoe Saldaña), and the Sully family," the caption for the official trailer stated on YouTube.

Besides Sam Worthington and Zoe Saldana, audiences will also get to see Sigourney Weaver, Stephen Lang, Oona Chaplin, Cliff Curtis, Britain Dalton, Trinity Bliss, Jack Champion, Bailey Bass and Kate Winslet in action.

According to multiple media reports, 20th Century Studios reportedly allocated over $400 million for the production of Avatar: Fire and Ash.

Earlier, Deadline reported that the movie is expected to earn $340–$380 million worldwide in its opening weekend. The report added that the movie will open at 3,800 theatres, including 430 IMAX 3D, 1,050 premium large-format screens, 380 D-Box/4D and 120 ScreenX locations, in the United States.

In China, the movie leads pre-sales, but lags behind its predecessor, Avatar: Way of Water. The Deadline report added that the China pre-sales hint at about $7.6M earnings, based on bookings through Sunday and early next week.

According to Indian industry tracker Sacnilk, the movie is likely to open in the range of Rs 30-35 crore gross in India. However, the ongoing craze for Ranveer Singh’s Dhurandhar is likely to put a dent in the earnings of Avatar: Fire and Ash. Moreover, Avatar 3 has received mostly negative initial reviews, with the latest edition in the franchise earning the lowest Rotten Tomatoes score. This has raised concerns that Cameron’s highly anticipated third film may not keep the cash registers ringing.