The Fate Of Avatar 4 & 5 Will Be Determined Soon

The Fate Of Avatar 4 & 5 Will Be Determined Soon Neytiri in Avatar: Fire and Ash By  Cooper Hood Published 44 minutes ago Cooper Hood is the Associate Editor for all new movie releases, in theaters and on streaming. In addition to writing articles about these titles and upcoming releases, he also oversees content planning for each, ensuring that ScreenRant continues to cover major releases for months after their release. He has written various reviews for ScreenRant that appear on Rotten Tomatoes, coordinated Oscars and San Diego Comic-Con coverage, appeared on CNN to talk about Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning, and done select interviews with talent over the years. Sign in to your ScreenRant account Summary Generate a summary of this story follow Follow followed Followed Like Like Thread Log in Here is a fact-based summary of the story contents: Try something different: Show me the facts Explain it like I’m 5 Give me a lighthearted recap

After Avatar broke box office records, James Cameron mapped out an ambitious plan for his sci-fi franchise. One sequel wasn't enough. Neither was a proper trilogy. The master filmmaker developed four sequels as he was writing, and 20th Century was more than willing to go along for the ride, with Avatar 4 and Avatar 5 holding 2029 and 2031 release dates right now.

Originally set to come out in 2024 and 2025, respectively, Cameron's insistence to wait for technology to be good enough to bring what is in his head to life properly and not rush the immersive VFX work has meant audiences have only seen one of the four Avatar sequels so far. That'll change soon with Avatar: Fire and Ash coming out on December 19, the date Avatar 5 was initially set for.

Rather than see the culmination of Cameron's vision, we'll now get to see the middle chapter. Yet, in a fascinating twist of fate or Eywa, December 19 could still be the day the Avatar franchise ends, as the status of Avatar 4 and 5 is not as concrete.

Avatar 4 & 5 Depend On How Well Fire & Ash Does At The Box Office

Closeup of Kiri (Sigourney Weaver) in Avatar: Fire & Ash

Some filming on Avatar 4 has already been done, with Cameron getting ahead of potential issues by having the younger cast film parts that were necessary before a six-year time jump occurs. But, the majority of the production has not begun, with the director confirming that it won't begin in earnest until after Fire and Ash comes out.

Giving Cameron ample time to complete the third Avatar movie was certainly part of the equation with this move, but it's also a hedge by him and the studios. Rather than power through two more sequels to costly VFX blockbusters, they've decided to wait and see how Fire and Ash does first to determine if there's enough interest for additional films.

That might seem like a silly mindset to have after Avatar: The Way of Water made over $2.3 billion at the box office. Yet, doubt remains about Fire and Ash's financial performance. This isn't just from online naysayers either. Even Cameron has expressed concerns about whether the third film will do well enough. He told Variety:

The big swing in all of this is, do we make any money with Avatar 3? I mean, we’ll make some money. But the question is, what kind of a profit margin, if any, is there, and how much of an inducement is that to continue on in this universe?

This puts some additional pressure on Fire and Ash's box office. If the drop off in interest is high enough to diminish returns for Disney and 20th Century, then there is a chance that Avatar 4 and 5 do not happen. These are $200+ million productions after all. Cameron confirmed Way of Water needed to make over $2 billion to be profitable, with reports putting the budget anywhere from $250 million to $460 million.

Fire and Ash reportedly cost just $250 million, and with Cameron noting how much VFX costs have gone up, there's no reason to think Avatar 4 and 5 wouldn't cost the same, if not more. That's another half-billion-dollar investment for the studio to make to complete these two films.

That'll only be done if Fire and Ash proves the demand for the franchise and shows it wasn't just a two-hit wonder. Luckily, the opening weekend box office projections are very favorable. Having a strong opening weekend domestically and setting international markets ablaze once again will get the film off to a great start.

And while opening weekends do not determine everything, we'll know rather quickly just how big of a hit or disappointment Avatar: Fire and Ash will be. So long as its the former, Avatar 4 and Avatar 5 will happen.

Avatar: Fire and Ash

Like Follow Followed Science Fiction Adventure Fantasy Release Date December 19, 2025 Runtime 195 Minutes Director James Cameron 7 Images Quaritch looks on in the trailer for Avatar Fire and AshNeytiri looks up at Jake in the trailer for Avatar Fire and AshBrendan Cowell manning a turret on a boat as Mick Scoresby in Avatar Fire and AshZoe Saldana as Neytiri snarling with a bow in Avatar_ Fire and Ash trailerNeytiri and Jake walking forward in the Avatar Fire and Ash trailerHuman vehicles in Avatar: Fire and AshSpider falling in Avatar: Fire and AshClose

Cast

See All

• Sam Worthington Jake Sully
• Zoe Saldana Neytiri
• Sigourney Weaver Kiri
• Stephen Lang Colonel Miles Quaritch

Writers Amanda Silver, Rick Jaffa, James Cameron Producers Jon Landau, James Cameron Prequel(s) Avatar, Avatar: The Way of Water Franchise(s) Avatar Genres Science Fiction, Adventure, Fantasy Powered by Expand Collapse

• Avatar
• Avatar 4
• Avatar 5

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