James Cameron’s Avatar: Fire and Ash is off to a hot start at the box office, grossing more than $100 million worldwide so far domestically.
Avatar: Fire and Ash hit theaters on Dec. 19 and brought in $36.5 million on opening day alone. On the 10th, the film brought in more than $11 million in previews. All in all, the latest Avatar film looks to have a domestic debut between the $84 million and $95 million range in the United States.
Because of the film’s overseas showings, which began opening in select markets midweek, Avatar: Fire and Ash crossed the $100 million mark — largely due to strong showings in countries like China, where it grossed $17 million on its opening day.
A recent update from Deadline now puts its global opening projection in the $340 to $350 million range.
Though it’s off to a solid start, Avatar: Fire and Ash is having a slower start than its predecessor, Avatar: The Way of Water. In 2022, that film opened to $134 million — but that was most likely due to the fact that the first Avatar movie came out in 2009, meaning the hype for the film was at a high point due to a 13 year wait. Considering there’s only been a break of about three years since then, it’s possible the excitement may have cooled off a bit.
In 2009, Avatar opened to $77 million before picking up some serious momentum to become the highest-grossing film of all time at the worldwide box office with $2.97 billion.
Avatar: Fire and Ash is the third film in Cameron’s ongoing series. There are two more sequels planned.