The future of James Cameron’s Avatar franchise is uncertain after the latest film, Avatar: Fire and Ash, underperformed compared to its predecessors.
The 2025 release earned nearly $1.5 billion globally, a strong number but significantly below the first film’s $2.9 billion and Avatar: The Way of Water’s $2.3 billion.
Disney is reportedly reassessing the financial viability of Avatar 4 amid declining box office returns.
The Avatar films are among the most expensive ever made, with Fire and Ash alone costing over $400 million, excluding marketing. Studios like Disney expect massive profits from such projects, and the series’ steady decline in earnings raises concerns about further investments. The franchise remains the only film trilogy to cross $6 billion globally, but the falling revenue has prompted caution under Disney’s new CEO, Josh D’Amaro.
James Cameron has acknowledged the financial challenges of continuing the saga at its current scale.
He noted that Avatar 4 and 5 are planned to be even larger, requiring Disney to approve two massive projects simultaneously, which now seems difficult. Cameron has also discussed alternative ways to conclude the story, including publishing it in book form and pursuing other projects like Ghosts of Hiroshima.
For now, Fire and Ash continues to play in theatres, and the decision on Avatar 4 will depend on its final box office performance and whether it can justify another major investment.