'Avatar: Fire and Ash': Everything to know about the 3rd installment of 'Avatar'
"Avatar: Fire and Ash" is in theaters now.
The film, which serves as the follow-up to 2009's "Avatar" and 2022's "Avatar: The Way of Water," opened on Dec. 19 with the second-best global debut of the year, with $345 million in worldwide sales, according to The Numbers, a film industry data site that tracks box office revenue.
The first two installments of the film series were also record-breaking box office hits, placing first and third, respectively, on the all-time worldwide box office chart.
"No matter where an Avatar film goes in the world, it seems to have worked that people connect emotionally and in terms of their life experience in some way," James Cameron, director of all three "Avatar" movies, said of the movies' success in an interview with ABC News' Linsey Davis earlier in December.
"The last one, ["Avatar: The Way of Water,"] and this one, ["Avatar: Fire and Ash,"] are very much about family, and the bonds of family, and how they work for you and against you," Cameron added.
Read on below for everything to know about "Avatar: Fire and Ash."
What is 'Avatar: Fire and Ash' about?
Like the two prior "Avatar" movies, "Avatar: Fire and Ash" will take place on the far-away celestial body of Pandora and follows Jake Sully (Sam Worthington), Neytiri (Zoe Saldaña) and their Na'vi family as they continue to fight for survival while Pandora faces colonization by humans.
How do I watch 'Avatar: Fire and Ash'?
"Avatar: Fire and Ash" hit theaters nationwide on Friday, Dec. 19.
What installment is this in the Avatar franchise?
"Avatar: Fire and Ash" is the third installment in the "Avatar" film franchise.
The original "Avatar" was released in 2009, smashing box office records and doing $2.92 billion in worldwide box office, according to The Numbers.
Over a decade later, in 2022, "Avatar: The Way of Water" opened and ultimately has scored $2.32 billion in worldwide box office, according to The Numbers.
How long is 'Avatar: Fire and Ash'?
According to AMC Theaters, the latest "Avatar" film will run 3 hours and 15 minutes.
Cameron spoke about the length of the film in his interview with Davis.
"When we're scrolling and multitasking and doing all these things, we actually long for a moment of focus," he said. "And that's what the theater can give us."
Who stars in the movie?
The cast of "Avatar: Fire and Ash" features franchise lead Sam Worthington as Jake Sully alongside Zoe Saldaña as Neytiri. Stephen Lang returns as villain, Col. Miles Quaritch; Sigourney Weaver is back playing Kiri; and Oona Chaplin is new to the franchise as Varang, the antagonist Na'vi leader of the Mangkwan clan.
Kate Winslet, who was also in "Avatar: The Way of Water," as Ronal, returns in "Fire and Ash."
Cameron directs the picture from the screenplay by Cameron, Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver.
What have the stars of 'Avatar' said about the film?
Saldaña spoke on "Good Morning America" about the experience watching audiences react to the new "Avatar" after several years creating the project.
"You're so nervous because after you've been with something for so long and you care a great deal, you really want it to land and resonate with people," she said in a Dec. 11 interview. "When they are reacting in the most positive way and they're in Pandora with you, its the most exhilarating sensation."
Sigourney Weaver also spoke to "GMA" about the opportunity to play Kiri in the latest films in the series, who is a teenager.
"It helped me kind of get back inside that body and that head and heart and get to play this wonderful character Kiri who is in touch with every creature and all the different worlds," she said.
Worthington talked about the rising intensity found in the upcoming film.
"In this one, Jim [Cameron], look, he's raised the stakes, so not only is he raising the action but he pushed the emotions of all of us, and I think that intensity is what separates this from the other two films," he said. "Jim really put us through the wringer on this one."
Chaplin added that joining the cast for this film "felt like family," while Lang called playing Quaritch a "spectacularly fun" role.
What does it take to transform into an Avatar?
Ginger Zee took "GMA" viewers behind the scenes on set of "Avatar: Fire and Ash" to get an inside look at how Cameron transforms human beings into Avatars on the big screen.
Zee put on a full body suit to prepare to be motion-captured by Cameron, while the cast walked her through the details.
The production team placed 54 markers on key areas of Zee's body in order to track her movement, before the production team scanned her range of motion in every movement.
Next, Cameron actually directed Zee through a scene, while Zee was captured as her very own Avatar.
Watch here:
The Walt Disney Co. is the parent company of ABC News.
Editor's note: This article was originally published on Dec. 18, 2025.
