Avatar: Fire & Ash arrived in theaters on December 19, 2025, continuing James Cameron’s epic saga on Pandora. The film introduced the fire-dwelling Ash People and volcanic landscapes while following Jake Sully and his family, as they faced new threats from human colonizers.
Disney's outgoing CEO Bob Iger confirmed during the company’s fiscal first quarter 2026 earnings call that Avatar: Fire & Ash will stream on Disney+ before the end of fiscal 2026. This puts the latest possible release date before September 26, 2026, the last Saturday of the month, which marks the end of Disney’s fiscal year-end.
Iger addressed Disney+ content strategy during the February 2, 2026, earnings call, which was his last call as he handed over the CEO mantle to Josh D'Amaro. When discussing the streaming service’s value proposition, he confirmed two major theatrical releases would arrive on Disney+ within fiscal 2026.
"Hugh, let me just add that both Zootopia 2 and Avatar: Fire and Ash will also be on the streaming service at some point between now and the end of the year," Iger said. He elaborated on why these releases matter for Disney+:
"I referenced this earlier, but first streams on Disney+ for the prior Zootopia and Avatar movies approached 1 million first streams. Second, the number of hours consumed of the first Zootopia movie and first and second Avatar movies is in the hundreds of—I think it’s almost a couple of hundred million—hours consumed."
Iger further noted that two two films will "have significant value" for Disney+:
"So when you look at putting those two films on Disney+ between now and the end of the fiscal year, obviously, that’s going to have significant value for the streaming service."
This marks the first official confirmation of Avatar: Fire & Ash’s streaming window. While Disney typically keeps theatrical windows flexible based on box office performance, Iger's statement establishes a firm endpoint.
How Soon Will Avatar: Fire & Ash's Streaming Debut Be?
Disney’s fiscal 2026 ends on September 26, 2026. However, Avatar: Fire & Ash will likely arrive on Disney+ months before that deadline.
Avatar: The Way of Water provides the clearest precedent. The sequel premiered in theaters on December 16, 2022, and arrived on Disney+ on June 7, 2023, exactly 173 days later.
Applying that same window to Fire & Ash’s December 19, 2025, theatrical release points to June as the potential streaming debut for the film.
However, Iger's statement allows for flexibility. If Fire & Ash underperforms at the box office compared to The Way of Water (which it has), Disney might accelerate the streaming release to April or May 2026.
Conversely, exceptional box office performance could extend the theatrical window closer to the September 26 deadline. However, that isn’t happening given the film's trajectory. Disney often maximizes theatrical revenue before transitioning to streaming, making box office performance the primary determining factor.
Also, James Cameron advocates strongly for theatrical exclusivity. His Avatar films target the largest screens possible, utilizing 3D, IMAX, and high-frame-rate technology that home viewing cannot replicate.
Avatar: The Way of Water maintained theatrical exclusivity for 102 days before digital release, then remained exclusive to digital for another 71 days before streaming. The total 173-day window far exceeded Disney’s typical 90-120-day pattern for other films.
The original Avatar (2009) stayed in theaters for 200-plus days, demonstrating Cameron’s commitment to theatrical longevity. The film earned $2.9 billion worldwide through sustained theatrical runs rather than a quick transition to digital.
Fire & Ash, however, hasn’t performed as well as its predecessors, placing the film in a unique position. There's a high chance it arrives on streaming earlier than Avatar and Way of Water did.
Geraldo Amartey is a writer at The Direct. He joined the team in 2025, bringing with him four years of experience covering entertainment news, pop culture, and fan-favorite franchises for sites like YEN, Briefly and Tuko.
