James Cameron has once again solidified his status as the ‘King of the Box Office.’ On Sunday, January 4, 2026, Walt Disney Studios and 20th Century Studios officially announced that Avatar: Fire and Ash has surpassed the $1 billion mark at the global box office. According to studio estimates reported by the Associated Press, the third installment of the Pandora epic reached this milestone in just 15 days, making it the eighth-fastest film in cinematic history to do so.
This achievement marks a historic milestone for Cameron, who has now become the first director in history to have four separate films cross the $1 billion threshold. Fire and Ash joins an elite club alongside the original Avatar (2009), Titanic (1997), and Avatar: The Way of Water (2022). Per data from Comscore, the Avatar franchise as a whole has now generated a whopping $6.35 billion in total global ticket sales.
A dominant theatrical run
The film’s rapid ascent has been fueled largely by its overwhelming performance in international markets. According to figures from Box Office Mojo, the movie has grossed approximately $1.083 billion to date, with $777.1 million coming from overseas territories and $306 million from North America.
China remains a powerhouse for the franchise, contributing $138 million so far, followed by strong showings in France ($81M), Germany ($64M), and South Korea ($44M). In India, the film is having a “dream run,” with The Telegraph India reporting a gross of Rs 212.25 crore within its first 17 days of release.
Looking ahead: The road to $2 billion
While the film is currently the No. 2 global release of 2025 (trailing only Disney’s Zootopia 2, which sits at $1.59 billion), industry analysts are optimistic about its long-term staying power. As per projections from Screen Daily, Fire and Ash is expected to maintain its momentum throughout January 2026, a month historically dry of major blockbuster competition.
Trade experts at The Numbers suggest that the film is “settling in for the long haul,” with a domestic hold that declined by only 37% in its third weekend. If the film follows the trajectory of its predecessors, it is well on its way to challenging the $2 billion mark. According to Paul Dergarabedian, Comscore’s head of marketplace trends, the film’s reliance on premium formats like IMAX and 3D – which accounted for $140 million of its total so far – provides a ‘high-floor’ for its final box office tally.