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Avatar: Fire and Ash opens with $88m in North America
James Cameron's latest sci-fi epic, Avatar: Fire and Ash, earned an estimated $88 million in the U.S. and Canada during its opening weekend, falling short of the $134 million debut of Avatar: The Way of Water in 2022.
Box office performance and expectations
The film collected £9 million in the UK and Ireland, contributing to a global total of $345 million-below the $441 million global haul of its predecessor. Industry analyst David A. Gross of Franchise Entertainment Research noted that the franchise's strength lies in its sustained performance, not just opening numbers.
Both the original Avatar (2009) and The Way of Water dominated the box office for seven consecutive weeks, suggesting Fire and Ash could follow a similar trajectory.
Plot and cast
The film reunites Zoe Saldaña as Na'vi warrior Neytiri and Sam Worthington as former Marine Jake Sully, who face new threats to their family on the planet Pandora. Cameron has hinted at a five-film saga but recently tempered expectations, stating he may pause or continue based on fan demand and financial success.
Critical reception: A divided response
Reviews for Fire and Ash have been sharply divided. Empire critic Ben Travis awarded it four out of five stars, calling it "truly epic cinema" and praising its "technically masterful" visuals. He acknowledged the film doesn't reinvent the franchise but delivers an "utterly transportive" spectacle.
"It's near-unfathomable that barely anything on screen actually exists; so photo-real, you never even think about it."
Ben Travis, Empire
The London Evening Standard's Nick Howells echoed the praise, lauding the film's "unsurpassed cinematic pyrotechnics" and Cameron's ability to push 3D technology into a "wild new dimension."
"Cameron has taken 3D cinema to another wild dimension with a gloriously intense experience that will leave you deliriously exhausted."
Nick Howells, London Evening Standard
Others were less impressed. Time magazine's Stephanie Zacharek criticized the film as a "nostalgia trip," arguing it lacks the original's revolutionary impact. She wrote, "Avatar: Fire and Ash never lets you forget you're looking at a screen," calling it a "calculated" attempt to manufacture awe.
"Movie magic can take many forms, but rarely is it as calculated as this, confusing awe with stupor."
Stephanie Zacharek, Time
The Daily Telegraph's Robbie Collin was equally scathing, describing the experience as "like watching £300m of glitter tipped into a fish tank." He concluded that Cameron appears "stuck in a creative cul-de-sac."
Production background and future plans
Cameron wrote the scripts for The Way of Water and Fire and Ash a decade ago and filmed them back-to-back starting in 2017. Speaking to USA Today, he framed the latest installment as the culmination of a single story arc but left the door open for further sequels.
"For me, it's been a 10-year cycle, and this is the culmination of a single story arc. So I feel done. I could stop now or continue in the Avatar world."
James Cameron, director
UK box office figures for the opening weekend are expected to be released early this week.
