If there’s one thing you can expect from a James Cameron movie, it’s a lengthy runtime. While the earlier films in his directorial career, such as Terminator and Aliens, ran the usual length for blockbuster fare, the filmmaker’s runtime for his projects also grew with his ambitions. It’s easy to see the difference between the two Avatar films: The original 2009 film ran at two hours and 42 minutes, whereas the 2022 sequel, Avatar: The Way of Water, is 30 minutes longer, clocking in at three hours and 12 minutes long. Now, it seems that the runtime for Avatar: Fire and Ash has been revealed…and it is going to make cinema audiences want to avoid drinking anything before the screening.
According to AMC Theater’s listing for the movie on its website, Avatar: Fire and Ash is set to be three hours and 15 minutes long. While that is only three minutes longer than the previous film, it still ties the record as being James Cameron’s longest film, joining Titanic’s gargantuan runtime. Fire and Ash is set to be the explosive third entry in Cameron’s Avatar franchise, showcasing Jake Sully and his family as they go up against the Mangkwan Clan, also known as the Ash people.
This is the first time that a Na’vi clan serves as the primary antagonistic force in an Avatar film, as the past two entries in the series have more or less characterized them as the protagonists of the trilogy. Now, Cameron aims to explore the darker side of Pandora and the embittered Na’vi, who end up allying themselves with humans. Given how large the scope is for Avatar: Fire and Ash, this listed runtime is unsurprising, since Cameron has a lot of ground to cover and likes to take his time to both revel in the spectacle of the groundbreaking visual effects and develop his characters.
James Cameron’s ‘Avatar’ Films Revel in Spectacle and Character Development
Avatar: Fire and Ash also looks like it will be the most intense of the three films released thus far, with Cameron being incredibly vocal about how the movie will be going to “darker places than the previous ones did.” At the end of the day, the Avatar films are still about adventure and action, while still grounding said spectacle in real emotion and heart. The Sully family at the center of the Avatar films plays a big part in that, and the lengthy runtime for Fire and Ash will no doubt help to make the familial dynamics become that much easier to invest in.
With the release date of Avatar: Fire and Ash a little over a month away, it’s only a matter of time before tickets go on sale for the movie, making the listed runtime feel more believable. It is unlikely that this runtime will discourage audiences from seeking out the movie in theaters, as the previous movies have both become unparalleled successes despite there being more than a decade between the first two films. With Avatar: Fire and Ash arriving just two years after the last movie, the momentum is there for this to be the biggest Avatar so far. With two more movies still planned down the road, there’s always a chance a future Avatar film could end up being Cameron’s longest of his career. For now, though, it seems Fire and Ash is tied with Titanic, so you may want to start those pelvic floor exercises now.
- Release Date
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December 19, 2025
- Runtime
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195 Minutes
