20th Century Fox

James Cameron says next "Avatar" movie will be longest yet

By Chris Morgan | Last updated Mar 10, 2025 12:36 PM ET

James Cameron hasn't just frequently garnered skepticism about his ambitious projects, but been outright dismissed as Hollywood hubris personified. Every single time, though, Big Jim has been able to say "Scoreboard!" to all the naysayers.

"Titanic" was going to be a fiasco? Turned into the highest-grossing movie in history and won Best Director and Best Picture. What's the deal with these blue aliens in "Avatar?" Does Cameron really think he's going to score with an original idea nobody has any footing in durin the era of I.P.? "Avatar" became the highest-grossing movie in history, a title it holds again. Literally, there were those who expressed disbelief a single "Avatar" sequel was going to come out, so Cameron's talk of multiple sequels was just ego-driven nonsense. "Avatar: Way of Water" dropped in 2022 and made $2.32 billion.

Given all that, when Big Jim is letting us know that the third "Avatar" movie is going to have a lengthy runtime, you can wonder aloud if he's finally flown too close to the sun...but don't do it too loud, because you're the one likely to get burned.

"Avatar: Fire and Ash" will be released December 19, 2025, because this is a Christmas holiday franchise. While Cameron isn't saying much about the plot (side note: any "trailer" you see online is a fake), he's beginning to get the press machine into gear for "Fire and Ash." One thing Cameron was willing to say is that the third movie "will actually be a little bit longer" than the second movie.

This is noteworthy, because "The Way of Water" isn't exactly a 1980s horror movie in terms of runtime. That movie clocked in at three hours, 12 minutes. "Fire and Ash" could be primed to cross the 200-minute mark, and possible even push past three-and-a-half hours. That is a lot of movie.

Ambitious runtime aside, surely Cameron will strike it big again. Already those who prognosticate this sort of thing are predicting "Fire and Ash" will be the highest-grossing movie of 2025. It will pocket billions of dollars and have the run of all the IMAX (and offbrand IMAX) screens for weeks.

And yet, surely there will still be some skepticism. Cameron's asking too much of audiences by making the third movie in this series so long. Plus, if you are on the record the first time Cameron actually slips up, you can do the "told ya" thing. Well, good luck to you, because Cameron has earned our trust.

(h/t The Hollywood Reporter)

Chris Morgan

Chris Morgan is a Detroit-based culture writer who has somehow managed to justify getting his BA in Film Studies. He has written about sports and entertainment across various internet platforms for years and is also the author of three books about '90s television.

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