Avatar: Fire And Ash Is Among The Most Expensive Movies Ever Made

It probably shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone that "Avatar: Fire and Ash," the third entry in director James Cameron's epic sci-fi saga, is an expensive movie. The "Avatar" films are, of course, massive-scale sci-fi blockbusters full of groundbreaking visual effects. These movies have also made a ton of money, so if anyone has earned an enormous budget, it's Cameron. That said, the theatrical cut of "Fire and Ash" is not just an expensive movie but one of the most expensive movies ever made.

According to a report from Variety breaking down the Oscar prospects for "Avatar: Fire and Ash," the film carries a whopping production budget of $400 million or more. That means Cameron's sequel needs to make a fortune just to break even (to say nothing of turning a profit), as was also the case with this year's other $400 million tentpole, "Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning."

"Star Wars: Episode IX — The Rise of Skywalker" is currently the most expensive movie ever made with a $490 million production budget, though that didn't come to light until years after the film hit theaters. Other all-time costly films include "Jurassic World Dominion" ($465 million), "Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom" ($465 million), "Star Wars: Episode VII — The Force Awakens" ($447 million), and "Deadpool & Wolverine" ($429 million). And while most of these figures have never been confirmed directly by the studios behind these films, this gives us some idea of what the most bank-breaking movies ever actually look like.

Inflated budgets have been a huge problem in Hollywood for years, especially now that the box office is on shakier ground than it's ever been. Thus, giving any film a $400 million budget carries tremendous risk. Still, in this case, and perhaps only in this case, it's warranted.

Doing some rough box office math, theaters generally keep around half of the money from ticket sales. It's also important to note that the $400 million-plus figure doesn't account for marketing, which is tremendously expensive for a movie of this size. Disney would need to spend at least $100 million to effectively market "Avatar: Fire and Ash" worldwide, if not more. That means the studio's total investment is probably closer to $500 million. Hence, it will need to make around $1 billion at the box office just to break even.

That having been said, let's not forget that 2009's "Avatar" is the highest-grossing movie of all time with $2.9 billion to its name. Meanwhile, 2022's "Avatar: The Way of Water" is the third, with $2.34 billion. "Avengers: Endgame" ($2.79 billion) sits comfortably between them, while Cameron's "Titanic" ($2.26 billion), rather amazingly, is still holding the number four spot nearly 30 years later.

The point being, it's very likely that "Fire and Ash" will become profitable. These movies are globally beloved. The third installment would have to fall off a cliff to be in danger of becoming unprofitable, especially when we consider that these movies make a lot of money beyond the box office. Recall that Disney uses "Avatar" characters and settings in its theme parks, on top of selling "Avatar" merch, physical media, etc. So yes, it's a truly eye-melting amount of money but, if anyone has earned the right to spend so recklessly on the form of artistic expression we call cinema, it's Cameron. It still remains to be seen if "Fire and Ash" earns enough money to justify "Avatar 4," but that's a conversation for another day.

"Avatar: Fire and Ash" hits theaters on December 19, 2025.