Avatar Superfans Are Calling on Each Other to See Fire and Ash Multiple Times in the Theater to Help Boost Its Box Office — but Not Everyone Is on Board With the Idea

As Avatar: Fire and Ash rumbles connected astatine the container bureau and it becomes progressively wide that James Cameron’s sci-fi epic won’t travel adjacent to matching the tremendous magnitude of wealth Avatar 1 and 2 made, immoderate superfans of the franchise are calling connected each different to instrumentality to the theatre for a repetition viewing — though others aren't thrilled with the idea.

Avatar: Fire and Ash is present up to $1.319 cardinal worldwide aft 5 weekends ($363.5 cardinal home and $955.3 cardinal international). Writer and manager James Cameron is yet to awesome that Avatar 4 and 5 are decidedly going to happen, arsenic container bureau watchers wonderment whether Fire and Ash has done good capable to person the powers that beryllium astatine Disney to determination ahead.

The peculiar effects-heavy Avatar films outgo a immense magnitude of wealth to produce, but they person historically made billions of dollars astatine the container office. 2009's Avatar 1 remains the highest-grossing movie of each clip (not adjusted for inflation), earning a staggering $2.9 cardinal crossed respective theatrical runs. 2022's Avatar: The Way of Water has earned $2.3 billion, meanwhile, cementing its spot arsenic the third-highest grossing movie of each time. Fire and Ash looks similar it volition apical retired astatine astir $1.5 billion.

But the bigger question is whether it volition extremity up doing good capable to person Disney to greenlight Avatar 4 and 5. Disney has fixed some sequels merchandise dates already: Avatar 4 presently has a December 21, 2029 merchandise date, with Avatar 5 owed retired December 19, 2031. Cameron, present 71, would beryllium adjacent to 80 years aged by the clip it each wraps up.

Now, immoderate fans are mobilizing. One issued a telephone to arms connected reddit successful a thread titled ‘Pandora needs america (this is not a drill).’ The thread, upvoted 1,300 times, saw redditor Silver-Squirrell telephone connected their chap fans to ticker Fire and Ash aggregate times if possible.

“If you emotion the Avatar franchise — which I'm definite everyone successful this assemblage does — see seeing Fire and Ash much than erstwhile successful the theater,” they said. “Actually, delight spot it astatine slightest twice. Heck, bring a sibling oregon a friend.

“If I had to choose, I'd accidental Avatar: Fire and Ash is my favourite retired of each 3 movies. It's got everything I loved astir the archetypal and 2nd movie and more. So, I'm definite I talk for a batch of america erstwhile I accidental I privation to spot it bash truly good successful the container office. Especially with talks of Avatar 4 and 5 depending connected this movie's success.”

Then, successful a last plea to the 1 million-strong Avatar subreddit community, Silver-Squirrell said: “Maybe this station won't marque that overmuch of a quality to the last container bureau numbers, but past again, possibly it will. As they say, each dollar counts. Every small spot adds up to a lot.”

The effect from the assemblage is mixed, with immoderate saying they deliberation Avatar 4 and 5 volition hap regardless. Others are answering the call, saying they volition so spell spot the movie again. Some person said they simply can’t spend to spell adjacent once, tapping into the “depressed” theatrical business, arsenic James Cameron himself has enactment it. As 1 instrumentality enactment it:

“Honestly, this is astir apt partially wherefore the movie isn't doing arsenic good arsenic the different two. Like it's inactive dominated the container bureau and is sitting beauteous precocious connected the database of highest grossing movies arsenic is, but I deliberation radical are uncovering it harder to warrant seeing the movie erstwhile fto unsocial much than erstwhile with the outgo of everything other these days.”

In effect to that, immoderate Avatar fans are offering to wage for strangers’ tickets. One instrumentality who said they couldn’t spend to spot Fire and Ash astatine each successful theaters saw enactment from a fig of radical successful the assemblage who said they wanted to assistance out. “I’m superior I'll bargain you the ticket,” said 0nlythebest. “Everyone should beryllium capable to bask the movie!”

Another instrumentality successful the UK really posted an representation of a summons to spot Avatar 3 successful their section theater, offering it up to anyone who fancied it. "I conscionable bought a summons to assistance the movie get to apical 10 container office," they said.

Not everyone is reacting good to this assemblage drive. Some person called for fans to halt panicking implicit Avatar 3’s container office, pointing retired Disney is the past corp that needs “help” from fans. “Oh we person truthful mislaid the plot,” said one. “Sorry but a multi-billion dollar media franchise does not NEED assistance from us,” said another. “If a movie doesn’t get a sequel aft $1.5 cardinal past the full strategy is beyond broken.”

James Cameron precocious said Avatar 3 would request to marque a batch of money, and he’d request to fig retired a mode to marque Avatar 4 and 5 for little wealth successful bid to get the thumbs up from Disney.

“Here’s the thing: the movie manufacture is depressed close now. Avatar 3 outgo a batch of money. We person to bash good successful bid to continue. We person to bash good and we request to fig retired however to marque Avatar movies much inexpensively successful bid to continue,” helium said.

“If we proceed and we bash 4, we besides bash 4 and 5 together. So we made 2 and 3 together, 1 large story. And past 4 and 5 is different large story.”

Cameron’s comments present echo those helium made successful the tally up to Fire and Ash’s release, wherever helium admitted helium was feeling tense astir the film’s container bureau show and expressed interest astir the “forces” moving against theatrical releases successful 2025. Speaking connected The Town with Matthew Belloni podcast, Cameron said determination was imaginable for “sequelitis.”

"People thin to disregard sequels unless it’s the 3rd Lord of the Rings movie and you privation to spot what happens to everybody, which successful my caput this is — this is the culmination of a communicative arc, but that whitethorn not beryllium however the nationalist sees it,” helium said. And there’s the “one-two punch” of streaming and Covid, which means less radical are going to the movies — 75% of the fig successful 2019, Cameron suggested.

The destiny of Avatar 4 and 5 is inactive up successful the air. Photo by VCG/VCG via Getty Images.

When pressed connected however overmuch Avatar: Fire and Ash outgo to make, Cameron wouldn’t beryllium drawn into divulging a figure, lone suggesting it was a batch of money, and truthful the movie volition person to marque a batch of wealth to crook a profit.

“It is 1 metric f**k ton of money, which means we person to marque 2 metric f**k tons of wealth to marque a profit,” helium said. “I person nary uncertainty successful my caput that this movie volition marque money. The question is, does it marque capable wealth to warrant doing it again?”

And connected that point, Cameron admitted helium was “absolutely” acceptable to locomotion distant from Avatar if Fire and Ash flops. “I’ve been successful Avatar onshore for 20 years,” helium said. “Actually 30 years due to the fact that I wrote it successful ‘95, but I wasn’t moving continuously connected it for those archetypal 10 years. Yeah, absolutely, sure. If this is wherever it ends, cool.” But what astir unfastened communicative threads? “There’s 1 unfastened thread. I’ll constitute a book!” Cameron responded.

Disney has utilized Avengers: Doomsday teaser trailers (which, apparently, are neither teasers nor trailers) to promote repetition viewings of Avatar: Fire and Ash successful theaters. Four teasers person been released truthful far, with each going online aft a week of theatrical exclusivity up of Fire and Ash.

Wesley is Director, News astatine IGN. Find him connected Twitter astatine @wyp100. You tin scope Wesley astatine [email protected] oregon confidentially astatine [email protected].