Evil Na’vi. Giant volcanoes. Airborne boats. The first-ever footage from “Avatar: Fire and Ash” debuted at the CinemaCon event Thursday. The film is the sequel to two of the highest grossing movies of all time.
The film comes out this December. Star Zoe Saldana spoke from the stage of the Las Vegas convention of movie theater owners. She explained that it “expands the beautiful world of Pandora and introduces two new clans.”
Director James Cameron appeared in a pre-recorded clip from New Zealand, where he is finishing the film. He said the movie’s heroes must “face not only the human invaders, but new adversaries, the Ash People.”
High Stakes for the Movie Industry
For the movie industry, the stakes for “Avatar: Fire and Ash” could hardly be higher.
Critics respected the previous two “Avatar” films more than they loved them. Still, both were unprecedented commercial hits. They rank as the top and the third-highest grossing films of all time, earning well over $5 billion globally combined.
Across the industry, however, box office takings have never recovered to pre-pandemic levels. Moreover, 2025 is off to an unexpectedly weak start due to flops like “Disney’s Snow White.”
Cameron said he hoped “this film can provide a shot in the arm for theater owners, as we’re still struggling after the one-two punch of the pandemic and streaming.”
A First Look at the Ash People
The footage shows heroes Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) and Neytiri (Saldana) aboard giant wooden ships held up by balloons. Huge blue stingray-like creatures tow the ships through the air.
Then the Ash People attack the convoy. They look like Na’vi but wear bright-red head-dresses and shoot flaming arrows.
“The Wind Traders are a peaceful, nomadic, air traveling clan. And the Ash People are former Na’vi who have forsaken Eywa,” explained Saldana. Eywa is the goddess of the blue-skinned humanoid tribe.
Cameron has previously said the new film will run longer than “Avatar: The Way of Water,” which lasted three hours and 12 minutes. In addition, two more “Avatar” films will follow in 2029 and 2031.
