Disney's Most Ambitious $2.3B Sci-Fi Smash Just Levelled Up

6 days ago 12

Image via Disney

Published Feb 21, 2026, 9:20 AM EST

In over three years at Collider, senior author Jake has now penned over 2500 articles covering a wide range of TV and film for the resources, lists, utilities, news, and interview teams. Alongside interviewing stars such as Selin Hizli, Rose Ayling-Ellis, Harlan Coben, and Chelsea Peretti, Jake was lucky enough to visit the set of Aardman and Netflix's Wallace and Gromit: A Vengeance Most Fowl in 2024, getting the chance to chat with four-time Academy Award winner Nick Park and Merlin Crossingham. Jake has also worked for other publications, including Agents of Fandom.

Director James Cameron's Avatar: Fire and Ash has just completed its ninth weekend in theaters, and its $1.46 billion box office haul is certainly to be admired. Against an eye-watering production budget of $400 million, the film has once again proved immensely popular in overseas markets, earning over $1 billion in international revenue and just $396 million from the U.S. Alas, despite this box office total being more than most projects could ever dream of, it is still considerably less than both previous installments.

The first Avatar, which stands as an important milestone in movie-making and a turning point in the trajectory of the industry, finished its theatrical run just shy of the $3 billion mark, and is still the highest-grossing movie of all time. Many were skeptical heading into the release of the 2022 sequel, Avatar: The Way of Water, but another $2 billion-plus performance cemented this ambitious sci-fi franchise as the stuff of cinematic legend. With that in mind, Fire and Ash failing to even hit the $1.5 billion mark at this point could be considered disappointing, although the pockets of 20th Century Studios' higher-ups would likely disagree.

With Fire and Ash's box office run slowing down, fans are turning to its most recent predecessor to continue their exploration of Pandora. At the time of writing, The Way of Water has returned to the Disney+ top ten in the U.S., currently placing in eighth, ahead of Aladdin and the swashbuckling Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl. A synopsis of The Way of Water reads:

"Set more than a decade after the events of the first film, Avatar: The Way of Water begins to tell the story of the Sully family (Jake, Neytiri, and their kids), the trouble that follows them, the lengths they go to keep each other safe, the battles they fight to stay alive, and the tragedies they endure."

'Avatar: The Way of Water' Is an Academy Award-Winner

Image via 20th Century Studios / courtesy Everett Collection

For the first time in the franchise, the most recent Avatar installment has missed out on a Best Picture nomination from the Academy. The Way of Water wasn't predicted by some to replicate the success of the first entry, but demanded such an accolade with its sheer spectacle and impressive narrative detail. The second movie was also nominated for three other Oscars, eventually winning in the Best Visual Effects category.

Avatar: The Way of Water is available to stream on Disney+. Stay tuned to Collider for more updates.