2025 was a solid year for science fiction films, though not spectacular. We saw some good movies like Frankenstein, Companion, and Bugonia, alongside new installments in established franchises like two Predator films. However, some hyped releases, such as Mickey 17, didn’t quite deliver, and a few, like Ice Cube’s remake of War of the Worlds, were just surprising. Overall, sci-fi was arguably stronger on television, with standout shows like Andor, Season 2 of Severance, Alien: Earth, and the continuing series Pluribus. Despite some good releases, 2025 didn’t give us a truly unforgettable, year-defining sci-fi film like we’ve seen in much of the 2020s.
Recent years have seen standout science fiction films like Everything Everywhere All at Once in 2022 and Dune: Part Two in 2024 clearly rise above the competition. While 2025 hasn’t had that one dominant sci-fi release yet, the December release of Avatar: Fire & Ash could change everything.
The first two Avatar movies weren’t perfect, but that’s almost beside the point. Avatar remains a stunning cinematic experience – especially in IMAX – and truly makes you feel like you’ve entered another world, something few sci-fi films achieve. The third movie looks to continue that trend. It introduces a new Na’vi enemy, the Ash People, led by Varang, who is allied with the returning villain, Quaritch. Expect higher stakes, a stronger focus on family, and incredible visuals thanks to years of work from Weta Digital. This is shaping up to be another film best seen on the big screen.
Will Avatar: Fire & Ash Repeat The Franchise’s Box Office Success?
Not all of 2025’s science fiction films were huge hits – Bugonia earned just $33 million, and Mickey 17 barely broke even with $133 million against a $118 million budget. However, this isn’t necessarily a cause for alarm. The main concern comes from James Cameron, who has expressed worries about Avatar: Fire & Ash. He says that if the movie doesn’t perform well financially – it had a massive production budget of around $250 million – the planned sequels (a fourth and fifth film) might be cancelled.
It feels overly cautious to doubt James Cameron’s success. He’s a legendary blockbuster director, and his films consistently earn huge profits. His last three movies – Avatar: The Way of Water, Avatar, and Titanic – each grossed over $2 billion worldwide. Now, the big question is whether his next film, Fire & Ash, can achieve the same level of financial success.
The previous Avatar films benefited from special circumstances: the first was a groundbreaking cinematic experience, and the second built anticipation due to a long, 13-year wait. The upcoming sequel, however, is arriving much sooner – just three years later – which is typical for franchise installments. Early projections, reported by Deadline, suggest a domestic opening weekend of around $110 million. While this is lower than The Way of Water‘s $134 million, it’s still significantly higher than the original Avatar‘s $77 million and represents a strong start.
The key to the success of the Avatar films is how well they continue to earn money over time. The Way of Water made five times its opening weekend revenue domestically – much higher than the usual multiplier of 2.5 to 3 times. These movies consistently perform strongly during the holiday season, both in the U.S. and around the world, and the upcoming Fire & Ash is expected to follow that pattern.
The film could perform particularly well in China. While The Way of Water earned a significant $246 million there despite strict COVID restrictions, China is now more open, and Zootopia 2 recently did well. This suggests Fire & Ash has a good chance of success. Reaching the $2.3 billion earned by The Way of Water will be difficult – that film didn’t perform as strongly as the original – so a slightly lower total is likely. Earning over $2 billion is a high bar, and shouldn’t be automatically expected, but it’s possible Fire & Ash could achieve it, making it Hollywood’s biggest film of 2025 by a considerable margin.
Avatar: Fire & Ash will be released in theaters on December 19th, 2025.
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2025-11-29 18:11