Avatar: Fire and Ash Leads Box Office Despite Lower Opening Figures

Avatar: Fire and Ash, the third instalment in the iconic science fiction series directed by James Cameron, has secured the top position at the North American box office during its opening weekend, grossing an estimated $88 million (£65.5 million). However, this figure is a notable decline compared to the $134 million (£100 million) earned by Avatar: The Way of Water upon its release in December 2022.

Despite the initial drop in earnings, the Avatar franchise is renowned for its strong performance over time, often achieving significant box office returns in subsequent weeks following their release. The original Avatar, released in 2009, and its sequel maintained the number one spot for seven consecutive weeks.

David A Gross, from Franchise Entertainment Research, commented on the situation, stating, "The openings are not what the Avatar movies are about. It's what they do after they open."

In addition to its domestic performance, Avatar: Fire and Ash garnered £9 million in the United Kingdom and Ireland, contributing to a global total of approximately $345 million (£257 million). In comparison, The Way of Water achieved a worldwide total of $441 million (£328 million) during its opening weekend.

The film features returning actors Zoe Saldaña as Neytiri, a warrior of the Na'vi, and Sam Worthington as Jake Sully, an ex-Marine. In this installment, the protagonists face new threats to their family on the alien moon of Pandora.

Critical reception for Avatar: Fire and Ash has been mixed. Ben Travis from Empire magazine awarded the film four out of five stars, praising its epic scale and technical excellence. He noted, "This is about the most spectacular spectacle you could ever ask for – utterly transportive, technically masterful."

Conversely, Time magazine's Stephanie Zacharek provided a less favourable review, stating, "Avatar: Fire and Ash never lets you forget you’re looking at a screen, especially as hour three starts ticking by. Cameron’s vision is no longer the future, but a nostalgia trip, a very expensive form of déjà vu."

Robbie Collin from the Daily Telegraph echoed these sentiments, describing the film as "the mind-numbing third film in James Cameron's mega-franchise."

The film was released in the UK on Friday, and its box office figures are expected to be announced early this week.

James Cameron has previously indicated plans for a total of five Avatar films but has recently tempered those ambitions, suggesting that he may reassess these plans in the future. Speaking to USA Today, he stated, "For me, it's been a 10-year cycle, and this is the culmination of a single story arc. So I feel done. I mean, I could stop now or I could continue in the Avatar world."

As the box office figures continue to emerge, the future of the franchise remains a topic of interest among fans and industry experts alike.