Why Disney Wanted Avatar: Fire & Ash To Be Shorter

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James Cameron has shared that Disney preferred a shorter version of Avatar: Fire and Ash because it would have allowed for more showings and potentially increased ticket sales. The film, which continues the story of the Sully family and introduces the new Fire Na’vi (Mangkwan clan) as a challenge, runs for 3 hours and 17 minutes and is being released in theaters this week.

In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, James Cameron shared that Disney wanted to make Avatar: Fire and Ash shorter to allow for more showings each day. They proposed cuts, such as removing portions of the story focusing on the character Quaritch, but Cameron disagreed. He pointed to the success of Titanic, which has a similar length, as evidence that the movie’s runtime wouldn’t be a problem.

There’s always pressure — ‘Do we need all this stuff with Quaritch? He’s the bad guy.’

For years, the thinking has been that showing a movie more times each day equals more profit. However, if you truly connect with audiences, they’ll tell their friends. We saw this with Titanic, which ran for the same amount of time as Fire and Ash.

This doesn’t mean Fire and Ash will make as much money as Titanic.

James Cameron has said that whether or not the Avatar movies continue beyond the third film relies on how well the current movie does in theaters. He’s already filmed about a third of Avatar 4, planned for release in December 2029, but the success of the third film is key to deciding the franchise’s future.

Despite some concerns at Disney about the length of Avatar: Fire and Ash, James Cameron has planned the story so that, if the film isn’t successful, it can serve as the conclusion to the Avatar trilogy. He’s said that only one significant question will remain unanswered at the end, and the future of the series will be decided, probably around mid-January.

This could be the final test. There’s just one key question remaining about the film. When Avatar 3 is released, it will show us whether going to the movies is still a big deal, or if only certain films can draw large crowds. It’s completely uncertain at this point, and we’ll have to wait until mid-January to find out.

I’m at a point where I need to decide what I want for this project. Do I want it to be hugely successful, which would likely mean continuing with two more Avatar films? Or do I want it to be just good enough that I can move on to something different?

All of the Avatar movies released so far have been quite long. The first film, released in 2009, was 2 hours and 42 minutes long in theaters, but an extended version added another 16 minutes, bringing the total to 2 hours and 58 minutes. Avatar: The Way of Water was even longer, clocking in at 3 hours and 12 minutes. The upcoming third movie is expected to be five minutes longer than that.

Early reviews of Avatar: Fire and Ash are generally good, with most people impressed by the film’s stunning visuals, though some find the story itself to be somewhat predictable. Despite this, the movie is predicted to earn between $340 and $380 million worldwide during its opening weekend. While that’s less than the original Avatar’s opening of $444 million, it’s still a strong number and suggests the franchise has a promising future.

Although Disney considered shortening the length of Avatar: Fire and Ash, the movie is still expected to be a hit worldwide. It’s still uncertain if its success will be enough to warrant making the planned sequels, but despite potentially having fewer showtimes each day, the film appears to have all the ingredients for blockbuster status.

Avatar: Fire and Ash arrives in theaters on December 19, 2025.

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2025-12-17 19:09