WASHINGTON : The third instalment in Cameron’s Avatar franchise has earned an estimated $1.1 billion worldwide so far, powered largely by strong international performance. While the film did not open as explosively as its predecessor Avatar: The Way of Water, it has shown steady growth at the global box office, particularly outside North America.

In its third weekend, Avatar: Fire and Ash collected $40 million in North America despite facing stiff competition from several high-profile releases, including Disney’s animated sequel Zootopia 2. The film’s total domestic earnings now stand at $306 million across North America and Canada.

International markets have played a decisive role in pushing the film into the billion-dollar club. Overseas collections have reached $777.1 million, with China emerging as the biggest contributor at $138 million, making it the country’s second-highest animation release of 2025 after Zootopia 2. Other major markets include France ($81 million), Germany ($64.1 million), South Korea ($44.1 million), the UK ($42.5 million), Mexico ($31.8 million), Australia ($25.8 million), Spain ($25.2 million), Italy ($24.2 million), India ($23.6 million), Indonesia ($16.6 million) and Brazil ($14.9 million).

With a global haul of approximately $1.087 billion, Avatar: Fire and Ash has overtaken Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight Rises to become the 39th highest-grossing film of all time worldwide.

The milestone cements Cameron’s status as the only filmmaker with four billion-dollar hits. His previous three include Avatar (2009), Avatar: The Way of Water (2022), and the 1997 epic romance Titanic. The two earlier Avatar films alone have earned over $2 billion each, taking the franchise’s cumulative worldwide collection to $6.35 billion and counting.

Titanic remains the fourth-highest-grossing film of all time at $2.25 billion, while the top three spots are held by Avatar ($2.9 billion), Avengers: Endgame ($2.79 billion), and Avatar: The Way of Water ($2.34 billion). The fifth position belongs to China’s animated blockbuster Ne Zha 2, which has amassed $2.24 billion globally and is the only non-American film in the top five.

In India, Avatar: Fire and Ash has emerged as the highest-grossing Hollywood release of 2025, outperforming major titles such as Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning, F1, and Jurassic World Rebirth at the box office.