While the $1.48 billion global haul of Avatar: Fire and Ash would be a triumph for any other franchise, it has left the future of Pandora in a state of "profitable uncertainty." Despite James Cameron's recent admissions that he needs to find a "cheaper way" to film, producer Rae Sanchini tells Inverse that the team is officially moving "full speed ahead" on Avatar 4 and 5.
That should be good news for fans who were worried when Cameron expressed some hesitancy about moving forward with Avatar 4, which has already been partially filmed.
"To perfectly be clear, we haven't even made a decision to move forward. But should I do that - which I will say is likely, but not 100% - we will definitely learn from the lessons of all three films," Cameron said last month, signaling the $1.4 billion box office haul of Avatar: Fire and Ash may not have been enough money to convince Disney to bankroll additional sequels.
Despite the uncertainty, Cameron's Lightstorm Entertainment, the creative powerhouse behind the Avatar movies is moving forward with the sequels.
Both Avatar 4 and Avatar 5 have tentative release slots for December 2029 ad December 2031, respectively, but Disney still hasn't publicly issued a formal green-light press release confirming both films.
"Right now we’re figuring out the schedule. We’re working hard on it right now, budgeting, scheduling, planning, building out our new pipeline for them," Sanchini told Inverse. "As far as we’re concerned, we’re full speed ahead.”
“We have the scripts, they’re brilliant,” Sanchini added. “As far as I’m concerned, we’re heading forward.”
Avatar: Fire and Ash finished its theatrical run with approximately $1.48 billion worldwide at the box office, $404 million of which was earned domestically. Falling well short of 2009’s Avatar and 2022’s Avatar: The Way of Water, both of which eclipsed $2 billion globally, there have been reports that Fire and Ash may have only been "barely profitable" for Disney once theater splits, production budgets, and marketing costs are factored in.
Should Disney opt not to move forward with any additional Avatar movies -- a movie that would seem silly given how much the company has invested in the franchise with its theme parks and merchandise -- then Cameron has already said he would write a book that would resolve some loose ends. But again, it sounds like everyone involved in the film franchise is confident they'll get the greenlight and acting as if they already have.
In the meantime, fans can experience Avatar: Fire and Ash at home as it was just recently released on digital platforms such as Prime Video, Apple TV, and Fandango at Home. The film will be available on physical media, including 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, and DVD on May 19, 2026.