Avatar: Fire and Ash,” the third in billionaire director James Cameron’s fantasy franchise, is still expected to make a big impact at the box office this weekend.

Avatar: Fire and Ash set a disappointing record with its Rotten Tomatoes score so far, but will that hurt the movie's box office legs and audience appeal?

Fire and Ash” hit the box office trifecta? James Cameron’s two previous epics, 2009’s “Avatar” and 2022’s “Avatar: The Way of Water,” each grossed well over $2 billion globally and stand as two of the biggest movies in history.

Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. I’m a freelance writer with a focus on Queer media and entertainment. Jul 28, 2025, 11:43pm EDT Jul 29, 2025, 06:47am EDT Avatar: The Last Airbender first aired on Nickelodeon in 2005.

Fire and Ash.' "For example, Lo'ak really emerged as a character that people went with," Cameron said, suggesting that the character played by Britain Dalton would have a larger role in subsequent films.