Avatar: Fire And Ash's Rotten Tomatoes Score Sets A Disappointing Record

While hopes are still high among fans of James Cameron's "Avatar" films for the upcoming third film in the series, "Avatar: Fire and Ash," the critical reception hasn't been as warm as some might have wished. The third "Avatar" film has set a disappointing record by having the lowest Rotten Tomatoes score out of the series thus far, with only 70% of reviews counted as "fresh" (at the time of this publishing). That means that seven out of ten critics gave it a positive review, which isn't too terrible, but it's still lower than "Avatar: The Way of Water" at 76% or the first film at 80%. While that tiny drop doesn't feel like too big a deal, it can be massive in a blockbuster of this magnitude.

"Avatar: Fire and Ash" is among the most expensive movies ever made, which means it has a lot more riding on it than either of the previous entries. Our review was extremely positive, but not every critic has felt that way, with many claiming that the movie feels like a retread of "The Way of Water," recycling beats from the second film that ultimately make it feel weaker. The third movie in a franchise often notoriously has a difficult time out-performing their predecessors, because once you improve upon the original once, doing it again is a gargantuan task. But if anyone can do it, it has to be ole' Jimmy Cameron, right?

Here's the thing about third movies in a trilogy or series: They always have the toughest time with critics, because there are such high expectations. Everything from "Return of the Jedi" to "Back to the Future III" has been held to a higher standard simply because the films before were so groundbreaking, and it's entirely possible that's the case here as well. While negative reviews complain about the repetition of plot beats and ideas in the third film, others note that the repetition makes sense in the narrative and that there are plenty of new ideas to make "Fire and Ash" worthy of its predecessors. The movie will almost certainly be a box office success, but the mixed early buzz could dampen just how big of a success it is in the end. 

"Avatar: Fire and Ash" also has the challenge of not being a trilogy-ender, but the middle film in Cameron's proposed five "Avatar" movie series. That's not an easy place to be, narratively, and hopefully it means that the middling critical response to "Fire and Ash" will be the low point as things pick up in the more climactic fourth film. No matter how critics may feel, the die-hard "Avatar" fans are sure to love it (do they have a fandom name? Like Na'vi Nerds or something?). As long as there are gorgeous visuals and maybe a few space whales, "Avatar: Fire and Ash" should suit fans just fine.

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