Avatar: Fire and Ash (2025)

Avatar: Fire and Ash is a 2025 American epic science fiction film directed by James Cameron from a screenplay he co-wrote with Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver. Produced by Lightstorm Entertainment, it is the third installment in the Avatar film series and the sequel to Avatar: The Way of Water (2022). The film features Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldaña, Sigourney Weaver, Stephen Lang, and Kate Winslet reprising their roles from previous films. The story follows the human-turned-Na'vi Jake Sully and his family on the habitable moon Pandora, as they face the combined threat of the human RDA forces and the Mangkwan, a ruthless Na'vi clan.

Following the box office success of Avatar (2009), Cameron announced two sequels, with Avatar 3 aiming for a December 2015 release. However, the addition of two further sequels and the development of new performance capture technology required to film scenes underwater led to significant delays to allow the crew more time to work on writing, pre-production, and visual effects. Avatar: Fire and Ash started shooting simultaneously with The Way of Water in New Zealand on September 25, 2017, and filming wrapped in late December 2020. With an estimated production budget of at least $350 million, it is one of the most expensive films ever made.

Avatar: Fire and Ash had its world premiere at Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, on December 1, 2025, and was released in the United States on December 19 by 20th Century Studios. Critical response was mixed to positive, with praise for the visual effects and spectacle, but criticism for its runtime and for repeating the narrative beats of its predecessors. It was a box office success, grossing $1.490 billion worldwide and becoming the third highest-grossing film of 2025, as well as the 16th-highest-grossing film of all time. It is the lowest-grossing film of the Avatar series. The film won Best Visual Effects at the 98th Academy Awards and was also nominated for Best Costume Design. It received two nominations at the 83rd Golden Globes, and was named as one of the top ten films of 2025 by the American Film Institute and the National Board of Review.

Two sequels, Avatar 4 and Avatar 5, are scheduled for release in 2029 and 2031, respectively, though their status is dependent on the box office performance of Fire and Ash.