Avatar 3 Box Office Collection: How Fire and Ash Is Performing Worldwide

Published On: December 20, 2025

Avatar mania is back! Fans have packed theaters (especially IMAX and 3D shows) to see James Cameron’s Avatar: Fire and Ash, and everyone’s talking numbers. After years of hype, the avatar, fire and ash, box office collection is being watched like a sports score. Early reports say the sequel is off to a big start, even if it’s not quite as explosive as its predecessors. In this article, we break down Fire and Ash’s box office in simple terms – from India to the US to the rest of the world – and explain what it all means. (No math Ph.D. needed!)

Avatar: Fire and Ash Box Office Collection at a Glance

Worldwide (first 2 days): ≈$55.1 million. This combines ~$43.1M overseas (Thu–Fri) and $12M from North American Thursday previews.
USA & Canada (Thursday previews): $12 million. (Full Friday numbers are still rolling in, but industry trackers like Deadline projected an $84–90M 3-day weekend.)
India Opening Day (Fri): ~₹19–20 Cr net (about $2.3M). (Bollywood Hungama called this an “average start”, roughly half of what Avatar 2 had on Day 1.)
India Day 2 (Sat): ~₹6.6 Cr netsacnilk.com. That brings the 2-day total to ₹25.6 Cr net. (A steep drop compared to Friday.)
Key Overseas Hits: So far, Avatar 3 led the charts in many markets – it was the #1 film in countries like Australia, Germany, Italy, and more on opening day. In China alone, it reportedly earned an estimated ₹153 Cr (~$18M) on Day 1.

These quick facts show Fire and Ash had a strong opening week globally (especially internationally) and a modest start in India. Now let’s dig into the details.

Opening Day & Opening Weekend Collection

Global (International + Domestic previews): James Cameron’s Na’vi adventure lit up box offices worldwide right away. In international markets, Avatar: Fire and Ash grossed about $43.1 million over its first two days. This includes $16.1M on Wednesday (early releases in 18 countries) and another $27M on Thursday in 25 more markets. At the same time, U.S. and Canada theaters raked in $12 million from Thursday night preview shows. All together, that puts the 2-day global total at roughly $55 million. (Box Office Mojo confirms the international gross at $43.1M, with domestic still catching up.)

Industry trackers had been predicting a big opening. For example, Deadline projected $84–90M for the 3-day domestic opening weekend. Scott Mendelson (a longtime box office analyst) notes that the $12M Thursday preview is below Avatar 2’s $17M previews in 2022, but above the $3.5M midnight previews of the original Avatar in 2009. If Fire and Ash has similar “legs” (weekend multipliers) to those films, Mendelson estimated a ~$96M domestic opening as a “safe bet,” though he warns that it might not quite reach Way of Water’s heightsscottmendelson.substack.com.

USA & Canada: As mentioned, the U.S./Canada box office started with the $12M in preview shows. Friday daytime and evening grosses are still coming in, but signs are that Fire and Ash will open big. Mendelson notes that even with a slightly smaller preview total than Avatar 2, an ~8–8.8× multiplier could still land Fire and Ash around $96–106M for its 3-day weekend. TheWrap reports current tracking at $90–105M, which would make Fire and Ash 2025’s biggest release so far (easily topping other blockbusters this season). In short: domestically it looks to be a very strong opening, though likely below Avatar: The Way of Water’s $135M 3-day launch.

India: The numbers in India tell a mixed story. On Day 1 (Friday), Fire and Ash earned about ₹19–20 Cr net (all languages combined). This was well below the pre-release hype and about half of Avatar 2’s Indian Day 1 (which was ~₹40.3 Cr net). Bollywood Hungama notes that strong local competition – the Hindi film Dhurandhar – cut into Avatar’s business, with Dhurandhar itself grossing ~₹22 Cr on Friday.

By Day 2 (Saturday), Fire and Ash pulled in only ₹6.64 Cr net, a drop of more than 65% from Friday. That brought the 2-day net total to ₹25.64 Cr. (Day 2 itself was weaker partly because Dhurandhar continued to dominate; Carnival Cinemas recorded full houses for Dhurandhar on Saturday while Avatar attendance fell.) In simpler terms: the movie opened okay in India but then fell off a cliff on Saturday. By the end of the opening weekend (Saturday/Sunday), analysts expected the 3-day total to be in the ₹75–80 Cr gross range if it rebounds, which would still be a big drop from Avatar 2’s comparable ₹100+ Cr weekend.

One more thing: the film is playing heavily in 3D and IMAX (India sold a lot of those premium tickets), but even with premium pricing, the Day 1 box office wasn’t as high as hoped. (For comparison, Avatar 2 benefited from sky-high 3D/IMAX ticket sales on launch.) The takeaway is that while Fire and Ash is clearly The Big Hollywood Movie of the moment in India, local competition and earlier releases have kept its numbers modest.

India Box Office Collection Report

Let’s break India’s performance down:

Day 1 (Fri Dec 19): ₹19.0 Cr net (roughly ₹23.25 Cr gross). By language, roughly half was English (~₹8.5 Cr) and the rest spread among Hindi, Telugu, Tamil, etc.. Occupancy was decent (around 70% English shows), but not record-breaking. Bollywood Hungama put the Day 1 at ~₹19 Cr.
Day 2 (Sat Dec 20): ₹6.64 Cr net. This sharp fall was expected given Dhurandhar’s hold on audiences, but it does mean the weekend haul will be lower than hoped.
Day 3 (Sun): Numbers for Sunday are still rolling in (not in our sources yet), but analysts expected a rebound – possibly a 50% jump over Saturday – giving a 3-day weekend around ₹25–30 Cr net total. (Avatar 2, by comparison, did about ₹40 Cr net on just Day 1goodreturns.in.)

In plain terms, Avatar 3’s India opening is average for a Hollywood blockbuster. It’s much stronger than, say, most non-franchise English films, but far below what Avatar titles usually do in India. For context, Avatar: The Way of Water had an insane ₹40.3 Cr net Day . The falloff here might be partly due to movie fatigue (COVID-era multiplex competition, plus that local hit Dhurandhar).

One bright spot: Avatar still outperformed many other Hollywood releases. It’s on track to be one of the top Hollywood openers of 2025 in India, even if it’s not topping charts. IMAX and 3D versions are largely sold out for its first week, and overseas enthusiasm (fans importing tickets) suggests the film’s appeal is still very high. Simply put, in India Avatar 3 is doing okay, but not spectacular.

USA & International Box Office Performance

North America: As noted, the US/Canada start came via $12M in Thursday previews. Friday’s day-1 numbers will arrive later, but early trends indicate a very strong opening weekend. Fire and Ash had the best December previews ever, surpassing Spider-Man and Holiday flops. Industry chatter suggests it’s on track to be the biggest domestic opener of 2025.

Mendelson points out that even with lower opening-day receipts than Avatar 2, Avatar 3 could still end up in the ballpark of a $100M debut. The Wrap adds that tracking is around $90–105M, which would put it as 2025’s #1 so far (well ahead of films like Zootopia 2). In short, North America loves big Pandora sequels, and Fire and Ash is leading the holiday rush at home (though probably not quite topping Avatar 2’s lightning-rod $135M launch).

International (Non-India): Overseas audiences have embraced Fire and Ash. Many markets opened on Wed/Thu ahead of the U.S. release: for example, China launched it on December 17 and reports Day 1 earnings of about ¥1.52 billion (≈₹153 Cr)goodreturns.in – a massive start for 2025. In Europe, Cameron’s classic style pulled in strong numbers; Box Office Mojo notes Avatar 3 led several big overseas charts, becoming “the biggest opening day of 2025” in many territoriesn.

Overall, the international box office (outside North America) hit $43.1M in the first 2 . This actually makes it the largest overseas opening of 2025 so far. Koimoi confirms that, when you add in the $12M domestic previews, the global haul was already $55.1M in just 48 hourskoimoi.com. That’s an impressive start and shows how beloved Avatar is worldwide – despite a global box office climate that The Guardian calls “down about 13% from pre-Covid levels”, big event films like this can still pack theaters.

A fun detail: premium formats are driving much of the overseas buzz. Cineworld and IMAX chains report that a large fraction of early tickets are for 3D/IMAX screens (Pandora was designed for 3D!), and that even tickets beyond the first weekend are selling fast. In China and elsewhere, many fans plan to rewatch it in the coming weeks (a phenomenon from Avatar 2 days).

Key overseas markets: After North America and India, the next biggest earners will likely be China, Japan, South Korea, and major European markets. Early trends (as of this writing) suggest China will easily be #1 overseas. Local trackers there are optimistic, noting Avatar 3’s strong Day 1. Europe’s big markets (like Germany, Italy, UK) often love spectacle; in Italy, for example, Avatar 3 “set the biggest start of 2025”. We should have full international weekend totals soon, but it’s safe to say Avatar 3 will top the weekend box office in most countries it opened.

In summary: World-wide, Fire and Ash is off to a big start overseas. It’s not smashing Avatar 2’s records – yet – but it’s on pace to become one of 2025’s biggest films globally.

Worldwide Box Office Collection So Far

Adding up all territories, Avatar: Fire and Ash has already crossed the $50 million mark worldwide in just two days. With around $55.1M by Day 2, it’s a blockbuster start. If U.S./Canada hits (Friday and beyond) keep pace with projections, that number will jump dramatically by Sunday night.

We can watch the week-by-week growth for months, but some early trends:

Day-by-day growth: Typically, Cameron’s epics don’t front-load as aggressively as Marvel movies; they build via word-of-mouth. If Avatar 3 follows that pattern, we’d expect a 50–100% jump on Saturday and a similar or slightly smaller jump on Sunday. (Koimoi’s trackers expect a big Sat-Sun bump – e.g. 50%+ jumps – to hit an estimated 5-day opening of ~$335–355M globally.)
Weekend vs. weekdays: Because Avatar 3 dropped on a Friday and we’re in holiday season, the “weekday” days around Christmas count almost like extra weekend days. That means Monday-Tuesday still look very strong (families are off school, etc.), so total through Monday could easily exceed $100M internationally alone.
IMAX/3D sales: Premium ticket revenue (IMAX/3D) is expected to be a healthy slice. In 2022, Avatar 2 earned about 10–15% of its total from IMAX screens. Early reports suggest similar numbers now. This means even if nominal attendance falls, the box office holds up (higher ticket prices).
China’s impact: If Avatar 2’s pattern repeats, China could ultimately account for 20–25% of global gross. Early numbers hint at a very strong Chinese opening (₹153 Cr Day 1goodreturns.in is huge – for context, that rivals past hits like Fast X). Expect Fire and Ash to be among China’s top-grossing blockbusters of recent years.

As of today, we’ll say: “Worldwide so far: roughly $55M (2 days).” But crucially, the real story will unfold over several weeks. The holidays can add tens or hundreds of millions. For perspective, Avatar 2 ended up with ~$2.34B global, but that was helped by a 3-week gap and less streaming competition. Fire and Ash might land in the low billions range if it holds on well, which is still hugely successful by any measure.

Comparison With Previous Avatar Films

It’s only fair to compare Fire and Ash to its legendary predecessors:

Avatar (2009): Original Avatar had a $77M opening weekend in the US and went on to make ~$2.92B worldwide.
Avatar: The Way of Water (2022): Avatar 2 debuted to $135M in the US (with $17M Thurs previews) and eventually grossed about ~$2.34B globally.

By those measures, Fire and Ash’s opening is smaller. Its early US/Canada previews ($12M) and likely opening weekend (~$90–100M) are behind Way of Water’s pace. In India too, Fire and Ash (₹20Cr Day1) is far below Avatar 2’s (₹48.75Cr gross on Day1).

But: Avatar sequels have always been less front-loaded. TheWrap points out that Fire and Ash’s tracking (~$90–105M) is above the original’s $77M debut but below Water’s $135M. Crucially, Cameron films leg out over weeks. Avatar 1 started at $77M but kept drawing crowds for many months (until Titanic-like records). Avatar 2 was similarly patient. So a smaller start does not doom Fire and Ash – its legs could be spectacular.

No one on Earth will call Fire and Ash a flop at this point (especially since it’s expected to be 2025’s biggest movie by a wide margin). But it’s clear it won’t break the all-time records of its predecessors on opening weekend. Even Scott Mendelson, ever the optimist, reminds readers: “Avatar: Fire and Ash is not expected to open as well as Avatar: The Way of Water”. In short: it’s holding up fine in an era of smaller box office totals, but we shouldn’t expect a $135M US launch or a $3B+ global final total this time.

Trade Expectations vs Reality

Before release, analysts had various forecasts. Disney/20th Century studios hoped for a holiday blockbuster, and some trackers were calling for a $335–355M global debut (5-day). Many forecasts hinged on strong China and healthy holiday legs.

Now that Fire and Ash is out, the reality is in:

The U.S. opening is tracking around the low-$100M range (a bit under original projections)thewrap.com.
Internationally, $43M in two days (plus whatever we get by Sunday) is solid, but short of the sky-high hopes for a $250M+ 5-day int’l opening.
India was weaker than expected – pre-release trade on Bollywood Hungama warned of a ₹75–80Cr opening weekend, but Day1 was only ~₹19Cr. That shortfall was chalked up to local competition and underwhelming advance sales.

TheWrap’s analysis hits the mark: “Avatar 3 will do far better than a regular summer movie, but will it be as big as The Way of Water?… tracking is above $77M (Avatar 1) but below $135M (Way of Water), at about $90–105M”. They also note an interesting tidbit: about 20% of pre-sale tickets are for shows after opening weekend, suggesting audiences are willing to wait a bit – evidence of strong legs or word-of-mouth.

So: expectations were sky-high, and so far Fire and Ash is very strong (it’s easily dominating the current box office race). But compared to Cameron’s own benchmarks, it’s playing it cool. Analysts are mostly saying: “It’s doing great, but don’t expect it to smash records like before.”

Will Avatar: Fire and Ash Cross Major Milestones?

$1 billion? Quite possibly. Avatar films almost automatically clear $1B nowadays. Even with a slower start, Fire and Ash has holiday momentum on its side. If it continues to stay #1 into Christmas and New Year (likely, given the presale strength), it could well pass $1B global. Remember, Avatar 1 and 2 both eventually did well over $1B.

$2 billion? That’s a steeper climb. Currently, Cameron has two $2B films (Avatar1, Way of Water) plus Titanic. TheWrap notes he’s aiming for an “unprecedented fourth $2 billion” hit. If Fire and Ash actually managed $2B, Avatar would become the first franchise with three $2B installments. That’s a massive if. All the signs (tracking, drop in Day2 India, etc.) suggest Fire and Ash will fall short of the $2B club. Even Hollywood’s mightiest sequels have shown diminishing returns (as the article points out with Star Wars dropping from $2.07B to $1.07B over its trilogy).

In short: a billion is within reach; two billion would be historic and is very unlikely this time. Fans and analysts will be watching daily box office drops to see how fast Fire and Ash leggers (holds its audience). Given the glowing reviews of the visuals and people’s plans to rewatch it, a long run could propel it well beyond a normal hit – maybe into the $1.2–1.5B range globally. But surpassing Avatar 2’s $2.34B seems almost impossible in today’s market.

FAQs on Avatar Fire and Ash Box Office Collection

Q: Is Avatar 3 a hit or a flop?
Not even close to a flop – it’s a hit in every sensible way. The avatar, fire and ash, box office collection so far is very healthy: a $55M start in two days worldwide, and $12M in US previews. That’s far above most movies in 2025. It is below the record-smashing numbers of Avatar 2, but coming in half-way through winter, it’s basically the biggest movie of the season. Box office experts are calling Fire and Ash a success, just not a multi-billion behemoth out of the gate. Think “strong tentpole hit” rather than “cosmic game-changer.” 😉

Q: How much did Avatar 3 earn in India?
On Day 1, about ₹19–20 crore net (≈$2.5M), which is solid for a Hollywood release but far below Avatar 2’s performance. By Day 2, it added roughly ₹6.6 Cr (sat only, a big drop). So by Sunday night (Day 3), analysts estimated roughly ₹25–30 Cr net total. We’ll wait for exact final figures, but in short: starting well, then sliding down. This makes it one of the top Hollywood openers of 2025 in India (since competition was weak), but it didn’t break the usual Avatar records here.

Q: Is it performing better than Avatar 2?
Not yet. On Day 1, Avatar 2 (2022) made about ₹40 Cr net in Indiagoodreturns.in, whereas Fire and Ash made only ₹19 Cr netsacnilk.com goodreturns.in. In the U.S., Way of Water’s opening weekend was $135Mscottmendelson.substack.com, whereas Fire and Ash is tracking closer to $90–100Mthewrap.com. In other words, it’s performing under Avatar 2’s pace – which many analysts expected, given the shorter wait between films and mixed reviews. But it’s too early to despair. Avatar movies usually grow after opening, so long-term totals could still be strong.

Q: Will it cross $1 billion worldwide?
It’s very likely to hit at least $1B in the long run, given its huge international start and holiday tail. Box office trackers had it starting around $335–355M globally (first 5 days)koimoi.com; even if it lands closer to $300M, a typical Avatar multiplier could push it past $1B. Studios won’t count it finished until it finishes running, which could be months from now. Watch Chinese and European box offices especially – those will be the big drivers to the $1B mark.

Q: How long will Avatar 3 stay in theaters?
Think lots. This is a December blockbuster, releasing right before Christmas and school breaks. Movies like this often run 8–12 weeks. TheWrap notes that many fans are even waiting to see it on their preferred format (IMAX/3D) later, and 20% of tickets sold were for after opening weekend. In plain English: Pandora has staying power. Expect it to stay in theaters well into January (and maybe beyond, if it keeps drawing crowds). Cameron’s previous Avatars played for 3–4 months; Fire and Ash might not quite match that marathon, but it should dominate screens through the holidays.

Conclusion

Avatar: Fire and Ash is the big news at the box office this week. While it hasn’t exploded all records, it’s clearly still dominating the conversation. Pandora’s latest adventure has pulled in hundreds of millions already, reminding everyone why theaters exist (jaw-dropping 3D visuals!) and why Cameron remains king of the box office jungle. Even if the avatar, fire and ash, box office collection ends up a notch below its historic elders, it’s still an enormous success by today’s standards.

At the end of the day, James Cameron still proves that we will, indeed, see you – yes, Avatar, we see you. And we’ll keep seeing tickets sold as long as people crave that full-screen spectacle. Fire and Ash might not breach the $3B stratosphere like the original, but it will burn brightly on screens for weeks to come. In the world of boxing counters and crowd counts, Pandora once again shows why it’s worth talking about. Box office enthusiasts (and Na’vi fans) can relax: Avatar is alive and well, and Fire and Ash is keeping the flame hot (pun intended).