Avatar: Fire and Ash is set to end its long run of exclusivity in theaters with a digital release at the end of March.
James Cameron’s sci-fi sequel arrives on digital March 31, and on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, 3D Blu-ray, and DVD on May 19. It does so with over three hours of never-before-seen extras.
Avatar: Fire and Ash has made $1.5 billion at the box office since its release in December. While that’s a huge amount for any movie in theaters, it’s significantly down versus the previous two Avatar films. The special effects-heavy Avatar films cost a huge amount of money to produce, but they have historically made billions of dollars at the box office. 2009’s Avatar 1 remains the highest-grossing movie of all time (not adjusted for inflation), earning a staggering $2.9 billion across several theatrical runs. 2022’s Avatar: The Way of Water has earned $2.3 billion, meanwhile, cementing its place as the third-highest grossing film of all time.
Cameron is yet to signal that Avatar 4 and 5 are definitely going to happen, as box office watchers wonder whether Fire and Ash has done well enough to convince the powers that be at Disney to move ahead. Disney has given both sequels release dates already: Avatar 4 currently has a December 21, 2029 release date, with Avatar 5 due out December 19, 2031. Cameron, now 71, would be close to 80 years old by the time it all wraps up. Such was the intense focus on Avatar’s box office that some fans issued a call to arms to see the film multiple times to help boost its box office.
James Cameron recently said Avatar 3 would need to make a lot of money, and he’d need to figure out a way to make Avatar 4 and 5 for less money in order to get the thumbs up from Disney.
“Here’s the thing: the movie industry is depressed right now. Avatar 3 cost a lot of money. We have to do well in order to continue. We have to do well and we need to figure out how to make Avatar movies more inexpensively in order to continue,” he said.
“If we continue and we do 4, we also do 4 and 5 together. So we made 2 and 3 together, one big story. And then 4 and 5 is another big story.”
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Cameron’s comments echoed those he made in the run up to Fire and Ash’s release, when he admitted he was feeling nervous about the film’s box office performance and expressed concern about the “forces” working against theatrical releases in 2025. Speaking on The Town with Matthew Belloni podcast, Cameron said there was potential for “sequelitis.”
“People tend to dismiss sequels unless it’s the third Lord of the Rings film and you want to see what happens to everybody, which in my mind this is — this is the culmination of a story arc, but that may not be how the public sees it,” he said. And there’s the “one-two punch” of streaming and Covid, which means fewer people are going to the movies — 75% of the number in 2019, Cameron suggested.
When pressed on how much Avatar: Fire and Ash cost to make, Cameron wouldn’t be drawn into divulging a figure, only suggesting it was a lot of money, and so the movie will have to make a lot of money to turn a profit.
“It is one metric f**k ton of money, which means we have to make two metric f**k tons of money to make a profit,” he said. “I have no doubt in my mind that this movie will make money. The question is, does it make enough money to justify doing it again?”
And on that point, Cameron admitted he was “absolutely” ready to walk away from Avatar if Fire and Ash flops. “I’ve been in Avatar land for 20 years,” he said. “Actually 30 years because I wrote it in ‘95, but I wasn’t working continuously on it for those first 10 years. Yeah, absolutely, sure. If this is where it ends, cool.” But what about open story threads? “There’s one open thread. I’ll write a book!” Cameron responded.
Disney had used Avengers: Doomsday teaser trailers (which, apparently, are neither teasers nor trailers) to encourage repeat viewings of Avatar: Fire and Ash in theaters.
Now, four months after its theatrical release, the digital launch is due. The extras dive into the development of Na’vi culture, including the language, design, costumes, and environments, while also taking viewers behind the scenes of the filmmaking process with in-depth looks at performance capture, visual effects, and the 3D technology that bring the immersive experience to life.
Avatar: Fire and Ash Bonus FeaturesEnglish Family Audio Track: All objectionable language removedIgniting the Flame: The Making of Avatar: Fire and Ash — A series of featurettes that explores the filmmakers’ journey making Avatar: Fire and Ash with exclusive behind-the-scenes footage and insights about the process from the creative talents who shaped the film.Writing the Sequels: In 2013, James Cameron gathered a team of top screenwriters to craft a vision for the Avatar sequels. Together they created an ambitious saga that weaves new stories, clans, biomes, creatures and, most importantly, a family for Jake and Neytiri.Pandoran Design: Production Designer Dylan Cole and his team tackle their biggest design challenge: creating a vivid world and culture for the new clans, the Wind Traders and the Ash People, and the creatures that share their world. RDA Design: Production Designer Ben Procter and his team of concept artists and art directors showcase the sets of Bridgehead and the RDA. From concept art to over 70 sets, Procter’s designs set the stage for many of the film’s action scenes.The Women of Pandora: Dive deeper into James Cameron’s fiercest Na’vi warriors with the powerhouse actors that define these epic roles.Varang and the Mangkwan: Like every aspect of the Avatar films, Varang and the Mangkwan are a melding of talents, from character and scenic design to costumes and body art, but most distinctive is the performance by Oona Chaplin. Discover how she approached her role.Capturing Performance: Cameron and his cast take the “freedom to imagine” on Avatar’s capture stage. The characters come to life instinctively as actors rely on their connection to each other, rather than the physical trappings of lighting, costumes, and sets. Stunts: Second unit director Garrett Warren takes us inside the action of Fire and Ash. If you see it in the film, his stunt team did it for real: climbing, falling, fighting, shooting, swimming, and even dogfighting on ikrans.Editing and Virtual Camera: On the Avatar films, Editorial is the quiet hero of production. Discover the editors’ complex process of transforming filmed “scenes” from the capture stage into performance edits, camera loads, shots, templates and finally, a finished film.WĒTĀ FX: Wētā FX tackles the monumental task of rendering every shot in photoreal detail. Fire and Ash is bigger and more complex than any film before it, with giant set pieces, virtual characters, dynamic creatures and vivid effects.ILM: ILM undertakes a pair of key scenes: Jake’s imprisonment in a thanator cage, and his thrilling escape on the gritty tarmac of Bridgehead.Score: Composer Simon Franglen takes us behind the scenes of his thrilling score for FIRE AND ASH, capturing the majestic beauty of the Wind Traders and the unsettling world of the Mangkwan. Also hear from Miley Cyrus on her hit single, “Dream As One.”The Art and Impact of 3D: James Cameron takes us inside 3D, a critical component of the Avatar films. Audiences feel the immense scope of Pandora, not just through the breadth of the movie screen, but in the endless depth enabled by stereoscopic filming. Home in New Zealand: Though Fire and Ash’s live action filming was centralized in one cozy corner of Wellington, vendors from all parts of New Zealand banded together to build the sets, costumes, props, and even working maritime vesselsJon Landau Tribute: If James Cameron is the guiding vision for the Avatar sequels, producer Jon Landau was their nurturing heart. In this warm tribute, the filmmakers celebrate a beloved friend and colleague with remembrances from cast and crew. RDA Orientation: Do you have what it takes to survive the wild frontier of Pandora? In these tutorial videos, the RDA provides essential training in Na’vi language and an intelligence briefing on the clans of Pandora and the biomes they inhabit.Na’vi 101: The RDA’s Official Language Orientation: Before you set foot on Pandora, the RDA requires personnel to complete Na’vi language training. This video covers the basics of Na’vi – greetings, key phrases, proper pronunciation, and cultural mores. Trust us: say it right or pay the price.Pandora Intelligence Brief: Prepare for deployment with this essential RDA orientation video designed to give new recruits a tactical edge when navigating the uncharted territories of Pandora. This isn’t just a new world. It’s a new frontierMarketing Materials & Music Video – Marketing materials used to build audience awareness of the film.“Dream as One” Music Video: Multi Grammy-winning superstar Miley Cyrus performs her emotional end-title ballad, “Dream as One,” in the official music video.Theatrical Trailer 1: New clans, new villains. The Sully family fights to survive. Watch trailer 1 now.Theatrical Trailer 2: The Pandoran world goes deeper than you can imagine. Watch trailer 2 now
Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.