In a surprising development, James Cameron’s Avatar: Fire and Ash has debuted with a 70% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, making it the lowest-rated film in the Avatar trilogy so far. These early reviews have disappointed many fans, who were expecting a stronger critical reception.
The film is set to release in theaters on December 19, with a runtime of 3 hours and 12 minutes. Despite the buzz, bookings in India are not as strong as they were for Avatar: The Way of Water.
The original Avatar (2009) became the highest-grossing film of all time, earning $2.9 billion globally. Its sequel, The Way of Water, received mixed reviews but still managed to collect over $2.3 billion. However, the poor word-of-mouth (WOM) from part two seems to have affected the momentum for Fire and Ash.
Early bookings for the third installment are below expectations, and these early reviews of considering the weakest film as the Avatar trilogy hint that the film’s performance will now depend heavily on positive audience feedback. For the franchise to continue thriving, Fire and Ash will need to reach or surpass the $2 billion mark worldwide.