James Cameron's Avatar: Fire and Ash reached a new box office milestone, officially surpassing Disney's biggest post-Endgame Marvel release worldwide. The film has been steadily earning in theaters since its December 19, 2025, debut, proving that the Avatar franchise remains a dominant force in global cinemas. While the third installment is not expected to match the record-breaking totals of the first two films, its latest achievement marks another major win for Cameron.
After over one month in theaters, Avatar: Fire and Ash surpassed Deadpool & Wolverine at the global box office. The threequel just hit $1.378 billion, surpassing Marvel Studios' $1.338 billion from Deadpool & Wolverine in 2024.
Not only is Ryan Reynolds' third Deadpool film the highest-grossing R-rated film of all time, but it's also Disney's most successful MCU film since Avengers: Endgame. Spider-Man: No Way Home earned more, 1.9 billion, but that was a joint production and distribution with Sony Pictures, so Disney can't fully own that win.
In the post-Endgame era, Deadpool & Wolverine stands out, especially over the past few years with films like Thunderbolts* ($382.4 million), Captain America: Brave New World ($415.1 million), and The Marvels ($206.1 million).
The irony of Fire & Ash's latest Marvel-beating milestone is that the film is being considered by some to be a billion-dollar disappointment (the first of its kind). It has earned barely half of what The Way of Water made ($2.3 billion) and far below the original Avatar's historic $2.9 billion haul.
While the box office is typically one of the few aspects of filmmaking that is purely objective, this is an example of it being just as subjective as whether an audience member likes a movie. $1.3 billion for Deadpool & Wolverine is being received much differently than for Avatar 3.
It all has to do with past expectations; if one looked at a Deadpool franchise box office chart, it would be on the rise, whereas an Avatar chart would be heading in the opposite direction.
This is a similar internal battle that Avengers: Doomsday is facing, as a clear-cut candidate to be the highest-earning film of 2026, it's near-impossible to live up to the Infinity War and Endgame-level expectations.
The reality for Avatar: Fire and Ash is that it will not be the highest-grossing film released in 2025, and it's putting the future of the franchise in jeopardy.
How High Can Avatar 3 Soar? (Box Office)
With its theatrical run still unfolding, Avatar: Fire and Ash is facing a much lower ceiling than its predecessors, solidifying that it will be the first film in the franchise to not earn $2 billion.
Domestically, the film is projected to finish between $420 million and $430 million, a solid total but a noticeable drop from The Way of Water's $684 million in the US.
Internationally, its long-term play through January and February remains uncertain, though current tracking suggests it could ultimately cross $1.5 billion worldwide. That figure would place it well below the first two Avatar films and far short of the $2 billion benchmark James Cameron once turned into a standard.
It will also fall behind Disney’s Zootopia 2, which now stands as the highest-grossing Hollywood animated film of all time with more than $1.7 billion globally. While those totals would be a triumph for most franchises, for Avatar, they signal a shift in its box office dominance.
