In a new interview with James Cameron, the director revealed that Avatar 3 (Avatar: Fire and Ash) will set a new franchise runtime record when it releases on December 19, 2025.
In late 2024, fans finally learned more about Cameron's third Avatar movie, Fire and Ash, teased to show new biomes and creatures of Pandora that have never been seen before. This will also mark the midway point in Cameron's Avatar saga, which started in 2009 and is not set to end until the early 2030s.
While Cameron is known for movies with lengthy runtimes, the Avatar franchise takes that concept to new levels, keeping fans in their seats for well over two hours at a time. Now, with the franchise still showing no signs of slowing down storywise, the same can be said about the next movie's length as well.
How Long Will James Cameron's Avatar 3 Runtime Be?
Speaking with Empire, Avatar director James Cameron teased what fans can expect from the runtime for his upcoming threequel, Avatar: Fire and Ash.
Looking back at how much was jammed into the second movie (which became one of the top three highest-grossing films in history), Cameron reflected on how fast the story was pushed forward:
"In a nutshell, we had too many great ideas packed into act one of movie 2. The [film] was moving like a bullet train, and we weren’t drilling down enough on character. So I said, 'Guys, we’ve got to split it.'"
He then looked ahead to Avatar: Fire and Ash, telling the outlet it will "actually be a little bit longer" than its predecessor.
Of the eight movies James Cameron has directed, his longest to date is 1997's Titanic at a whopping 195 minutes (3 hours, 15 minutes). Most recently, Avatar: The Way of Water became the longest of the franchise to date at 192 minutes long (3 hours, 12 minutes), meaning the expectation is that Fire and Ash will be longer.
Looking ahead, many expect Avatar 3 to land somewhere between 200 minutes and 210 minutes long, if not longer, although Cameron did not offer any specifics on that front.
Clearly, he has no shortage of material to use in that extended runtime, as it will include moments he hoped to already deliver in Avatar 2.
What To Expect From James Cameron's Avatar 3?
While story details are still largely being kept hidden, Avatar 3's cast and crew seem highly impressed by what they've seen from the sequel thus far.
Seemingly the biggest new aspect to look forward to is the red-skinned tribe of Fire Na'vi who will serve as the antagonists for the upcoming threequel against Jake Sully and the Omatikaya tribe. Seeing the differences in their ways of life is sure to be thrilling as viewers get a new look into life on Pandora.
This will also be the first Avatar movie to not use humans as the antagonists, leading some to wonder how much of the story will focus on that side of the narrative at all.
Combine that with the expectedly exciting action and top-level CGI these movies are known for, and there is plenty to be excited about as the marketing tour for the threequel gets going. This includes multiple new animal species that will be introduced over the course of Avatar 3's extensive runtime.
All in all, Avatar 3 is expected to be one of 2025's biggest hit movies when it closes out the year as fans eagerly wait to see everything Cameron has in store for his third Pandoran epic.
