The big picture: The trailer for Avatar: Fire and Ash (Avatar 3) has emerged from the summer blockbuster smoke to assert its position for year-end box office supremacy.
By the numbers:
Massive release stretch between original Avatar and Avatar: The Way of Water (released December 2022)
Despite long wait times and similar plot beats, the franchise draws some of the biggest box office revenue in history. Avatar drew over $2.9 billion, while Avatar: The Way of Water (also known as Avatar 2) pulled in over $2.3 billion.
The paradox: Avatar’s commercial success still doesn’t seem to translate into cultural staying power.
Few Avatar costumes appear during Halloween
Avatar 2 generated only a few sticky memes on social media
The franchise’s big tech vs. indigenous narrative sparks little real conversation
What’s next: Anticipation for Avatar 3 is building, but we’ll have to wait for its December 19 release results to know for sure if the pattern continues.
The bottom line: James Cameron’s franchise remains a box office juggernaut that somehow leaves barely a trace in the pop culture discourse.
