‘Avatar: Fire and Ash’ launches strong with $12m in previews

WEB DESK: Audiences are heading back to Pandora as Avatar: Fire and Ash, the third installment in James Cameron’s blockbuster sci-fi franchise, gets off to a robust start at the box office.

The film collected $12 million from Thursday-night preview screenings in North America, while early international play delivered $43.1 million across 43 overseas markets. Industry estimates suggest the film will dominate the pre-Christmas period, with domestic opening-weekend projections ranging between $90 million and $105 million.

Globally, expectations are even higher. Analysts forecast an international opening of $250 million to $275 million, putting the film’s worldwide debut in the range of $340 million to $365 million. If momentum holds through the holiday corridor, Fire and Ash could follow its predecessors into billion-dollar territory.

Both earlier films in the series built their success over time rather than relying solely on opening weekends. The original Avatar opened modestly by modern standards before becoming the highest-grossing movie in history with $2.92 billion worldwide. Its sequel, Avatar: The Way of Water, also showed exceptional staying power, finishing with more than $2.3 billion globally. Studio insiders say premium formats such as IMAX and 3D will again be key to sustaining long-term earnings for the new release.

Narratively, Fire and Ash reunites audiences with Jake Sully, Neytiri, and their family as they confront a new threat on Pandora. After exploring oceanic clans in the previous film, the story shifts to a volcanic region controlled by the aggressive Mangkwan tribe, expanding the franchise’s visual and cultural world-building.

Elsewhere at the box office, Lionsgate’s thriller The Housemaid, starring Sydney Sweeney and Amanda Seyfried, earned $2.2 million in previews and is projected to open between $20 million and $25 million. Animated titles are also in play, with Paramount’s The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants tracking a solid family turnout after $1.4 million in early showings.

For now, though, Pandora is once again the box-office destination to beat.