Avatar: Fire and Ash has crossed the billion-dollar mark at the box office, setting a major record. The movie, which was directed and co-written by James Cameron, is a direct sequel to 2009’s Avatar and 2022’s The Way of Water, which are the first and third highest-grossing movies of all time respectively.
The Avatar: Fire and Ash release kicked off on December 19, 2025, and is currently in the middle of its third weekend in theaters.
Per The Hollywood Reporter, Avatar: Fire and Ash has officially passed the $1 billion milestone worldwide. While exact details will be laid out later on Sunday morning, this feat was accomplished late on Saturday. This means that it took the movie just 16 days to pass this monumental milestone.
In doing so, 2025’s Avatar: Fire and Ash has made James Cameron the first director in history to have helmed four billion-dollar hits in a row, namely 1997’s Titanic ($2.265 billion), Avatar ($2.924 billion), and The Way of Water ($2.343 billion).
Previously, the only directors to have been tied with Cameron for the record of three billion-dollar movies in a row were Joe and Anthony Russo. The duo co-directed 2016’s Captain America: Civil War ($1.155 billion), 2018’s Avengers: Infinity War ($2.052 billion), and 2019’s Avengers: Endgame ($2.799 billion).
If this record only counts wide-release narrative films, the Russo Brothers have a chance of catching up to Cameron in 2026. Having only directed limited release or streaming titles since 2019 (Cherry, The Gray Man, and The Electric State), their upcoming Marvel Cinematic Universe crossover Avengers: Doomsday, which debuts on December 18, could become their fourth billion-dollar title in a row.
While Fire and Ash hitting the billion-dollar milestone is remarkable, considering the fact that it is one of only 60 movies in history to have ever done so, its performance is paling in comparison to the previous Avatar movies. While the original took 19 days to pass the billion-dollar milestone, its progress when adjusted for inflation shows it far outgrossing Fire and Ash at this point in its run.
Additionally, The Way of Water took just 14 days to pass the billion-dollar milestone worldwide. While Avatar: Fire and Ash is still a mega-blockbuster, only having fallen two days shy of that record, it is facing diminishing returns that call into question whether it can pass the $2 billion milestone by the end of its run, following in the footsteps of the previous installments.
Enjoy ScreenRant’s box office coverage? Click below to sign up for my weekly box office newsletter (make sure to check “Box Office” in your preferences) and get exclusive analysis, predictions, and more:
Release Date
December 19, 2025
Runtime
197 Minutes
