‘Avatar: Fire and Ash’ global box office: $1 billion milestone in just 15 days, racing against ‘Zootopia 2’

James Cameron’s ‘Avatar: Fire and Ash’ is proving once again that the director knows how to pull audiences into his otherworldly universe. Despite rumours swirling about the future of chapters 4 and 5, the third installment of the ‘Avatar’ franchise has smashed through the $1 billion mark worldwide halfway through its third weekend. And there’s no sign of it slowing down.

Billion-dollar milestone in just 15 days

The numbers tell a story of unstoppable momentum. In just 15 days, ‘Fire and Ash’ earned $300 million in North America and $700 million internationally.

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To put that in perspective, it was only one day slower than ‘Avatar: The Way of Water’ in 2023.

This pace makes ‘Fire and Ash’ the eighth-fastest film ever to hit the $1 billion global milestone. It even overtook Disney’s ‘Zootopia 2’, which had a massive opening weekend earlier in the year, by two days.

By Sunday evening, the global box office tally was already close to $1.1 billion, with Asian-Pacific markets, including China, contributing heavily to the total.

Also Read: ‘Avatar: Fire and Ash’ reviews: James Cameron returns with a visual explosion, but fans clash over shaky story

Dominating the weekly box office

When comparing weekly earnings, ‘Fire and Ash’ has been doing more than double what ‘Zootopia 2’ earned in the same timeframe.

While ‘Zootopia 2’ currently sits at $1.5 billion worldwide, giving it a lead of roughly $400 million, ‘Fire and Ash’ still has strong weeks ahead that could see its total climb closer to $1.4-1.5 billion.

Even in a “worst-case scenario,” where its weekly earnings begin to decline normally, Cameron’s latest film would still rank as the third-highest-grossing movie of the year.

Box office earnings are only part of the story. Merchandising, home video sales, and streaming rights add extra revenue with even higher profit margins.

That means that even if ‘Fire and Ash’ doesn’t overtake ‘Zootopia 2’ at the box office, the film’s financial success is already undeniable.

China remains a key Avatar market

China, one of the biggest contributors to global box office totals, has been supportive of ‘Fire and Ash’, though its take there is $100 million, modest compared with the blockbuster hits like ‘Ne Zha 2’, which earned $2.1 billion mostly from Chinese theaters.

Meanwhile, ‘Zootopia 2’ also drew heavily from the Chinese audience.