Disney+'s New $1.5 Billion Sci-Fi Movie Becomes A Streaming Hit As It Marks The End Of An Era

After claiming $1.5 billion at the global box office, Disney+'s new #1 movie serves as a neat bookend to the first era in this sci-fi franchise. As far as movies go, the House of Mouse's streaming platform has had a whole lot going on. Currently ranking in the top 10 (via FlixPatrol) are all four previously released Toy Story movies, suggesting that viewers are getting their fill before Toy Story 5. Spiderman: No Way Home and Spiderman: Homecoming are also ranking high, while Pixar's Hoppers sits right around the middle.

Soldly at the top of this list, however, is Avatar: Fire and Ash. This is the third movie in James Cameron's multi-billion-dollar space odyssey franchise, which got its start in 2009 with Avatar. It may now be 17 years later, but this film series has by no means lost the public's interest. Fire and Ash's continued profitability after its $1.5 billion box-office run is virtually unheard of for threequels.

Naturally, given these figures and stats, Cameron is moving forward with his five-film plan. The currently unnamed Avatar 4 will hit theaters in 2029, while Avatar 5 will release two years later, in 2031. This ultimately means that Fire and Ash marks the exact midpoint of the overall film franchise, which is fitting, since it's been confirmed that this story ends Jake Sully's time as the central protagonist. In Avatar 4, Sigourney Weaver's Kiri will become the narrator instead of her father. As this new era begins, it's great to see that the previous one is ending on a high note.

Fire & Ash Solidifies All Three Jake Sully-Led Avatar Movies As Undeniable Successes

Because Avatar 4 will pick up after an eight-year time jump and with Kiri as the narrator and central character, Jake Sully's adventure is officially defined as a three-part arc. It will be bittersweet to see this story head in a new direction, especially since the generational themes of sacrifice in Avatar suggest that Jake is all set up to give up his life. However, with Fire and Ash now trending so high on Disney+, it's rather exciting to officially confirm that each stage in the Jake Sully era has been an undeniable success.

Fire and Ash's triumph in theaters and on streaming is spectacular, but it's actually the lowest-performing entry in the franchise so far. The first Avatar movie made $2.92 billion at the global box office, while The Way of Water brought in $2.32 billion. Fire and Ash is therefore the first to come in below the two-billion-dollar mark, but, as an easy blockbuster, this is very far from any failure. The decline is a further sign that it is time for Avatar to enter into its next era, but the across-the-board success of Jake's full arc is a victory that can never be taken away.

Will This New Era Of Avatar Movies Be Able To Keep Up?

As previously mentioned, each Avatar movie has made less at the box office than the one that came before it. This kind of decline is rather typical of long-running franchises, and since all three films are firmly in the billion-dollar club, it's not something to be overly concerned about. Still, it's a sign that the time is right for this new era in the franchise. Kiri will be eight years older in Avatar 4—an adult with a truly amazing destiny ahead of her. The franchise suggests that she herself is the reason for all that has happened so far in Avatar, and the idea of exploring that is absolutely thrilling.

Still, any big change is frightening. Jake Sully has obviously been a very effective protagonist. Each of his movies serves as proof. Kiri is far less established, and given her young age in The Way of Water and Fire and Ash, she wasn't able to truly define herself in the same way Jake had from day one. A new era with Kiri as the protagonist could result in lower box-office turnout for Avatar 4. Then, if the film's reception isn't spectacular, it could be the first not to dominate streaming.

Only time will tell, and all we can do at this point is put our trust in Cameron. The brilliant filmmaker has had this full idea in his head for decades, so we have to believe that he has the perfect payoff in mind. We can't know for certain what the future holds as Avatar 4 kicks off a new era in the franchise, but rest assured, its legacy is set.

Release Date December 19, 2025

Runtime 197 Minutes

Writers Amanda Silver, Rick Jaffa, James Cameron, Josh Friedman, Shane Salerno