Fans Rally to Give Avatar 3 a Real Shot at the $2 Billion Box Office Milestone

If you thought the saga of blue cat people was slowing down, think again. Avatar 3: Fire and Ash is the latest attempt to keep Pandora at the top of the box office, but there's a twist: it’s the fans, not just the filmmakers, who are out in force trying to keep the dream (and that $2 billion box office target) alive.

So, How's Fire and Ash Actually Doing?

Here’s where we stand: Fire and Ash has made about $1.32 billion worldwide—which, yes, is about a billion more dollars than most movies will ever see, but still a bit shy of the downright insane $2.92 billion haul of the original Avatar, and also behind The Way of Water’s $2.3 billion. The breakdown looks like this:

• $368 million domestic (US)
• $955 million international
• Sits in the Top 25 all-time, but third among its own siblings

In short, it’s a big hit by normal-people standards, but James Cameron’s standards are another thing entirely.

James Cameron: Never Satisfied

Put bluntly, Cameron sums it up as: 'It is one metric f--- ton of money, which means we have to make two metric f--- tons of money to make a profit.' (Yes, that’s a real quote. The language is all his, not mine.) Translation: these movies are so expensive—think $350 million plus just to get out the door—that breaking even is a whole new level of pain.

Pandora Needs You (Again and Again...)

The sluggish climb toward that $2 billion mark has triggered something you don’t see every day: fans basically organizing a grassroots get-out-the-vote campaign—except it’s all about ticket sales.

Probably the most earnest rallying cry comes from a now-viral post: 'Dear Avatar fans… Pandora needs us (this is not a drill),' begging everyone to see it twice, or more. 'Every dollar counts. Every little bit adds up to a lot.' The message: if you want more Avatar, show up with your wallet—repeatedly.

Some are even offering to buy tickets for fellow fans who haven’t caught it yet. The word on Reddit is: 'I’ve seen it 4 times already and I’m planning on going for a 5th time.'

But Not Everyone's on Board

Not surprisingly, the pushback came pretty quick. Comments along the lines of 'Sorry but a multi-billion dollar media franchise does not NEED help from us' and 'Oh we have so lost the plot' show that not everyone wants to be a foot soldier in Cameron’s campaign for the next billion.

The Real Stakes: The Future of Avatar 4 & 5

Here’s the kicker: Cameron has implied that whether we see Avatar 4 and 5 (both “hidden in the mists of unconfirmed production,” for now) might just depend on how Fire and Ash finishes at the box office. The (current) plan is for those sequels to hit December 2029 and December 2031. Plenty of time to rewatch Fire and Ash, if you’re so inclined.

So, bottom line: the movie is already a massive financial haul by normal standards, but if Pandora’s going to keep coming back, the number apparently needs to get a lot closer to $2 billion. If you’re a hardcore fan—or you just want to see how much money one franchise can possibly make—this might be your moment.