James Cameron’s Avatar: Fire and Ash is on the verge of crossing the $1 billion mark worldwide this weekend, cementing the Avatar saga as the first trilogy in cinematic history to see every instalment reach the 10-figure milestone, per deadline.com.
Current projections show the sci-fi epic sitting at roughly $935m globally as of Saturday morning. With a robust international hold and a domestic surge towards $302m, the film is expected to pass the billion-dollar threshold by Sunday evening.
The success of Fire and Ash has propelled the total Avatar franchise earnings past the $6 billion mark. While the third film is currently pacing slightly behind the record-breaking The Way of Water, its performance confirms that Pandora remains a primary draw for global audiences, particularly in IMAX and premium formats.
The “Avatar Effect” seems to be lifting the entire marketplace. The first weekend of 2026 has seen a 22% increase in takings compared to the same period in 2025.
Total Weekend Gross is $127.4m (The best New Year start post-Covid), while all top 10 films are showing stronger-than-expected holds as holiday crowds linger in theatres.
While Cameron dominates the headlines, other titles are finding their own “billion-dollar” momentum in 2026 including Zootopia 2: Disney’s animated juggernaut has already cleared $1.4bn globally, proving that 2025 was a vintage year for family sequels, and The Housemaid: Continuing its streak, the Sydney Sweeney thriller is the week’s “David” to Avatar’s “Goliath,” eyeing a $74.6m domestic cume and proving adult dramas still have teeth at the box office.
