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Avatar (2009) backdrop
Franchise guide · by Priya Nair

Avatar Movies: The Complete James Cameron Franchise

The Avatar movies are James Cameron's science fiction series set on the moon Pandora: three films so far, Avatar (2009), Avatar: The Way of Water (2022) and Avatar: Fire and Ash (2025), which together have grossed more than $6.7 billion worldwide. A fourth film, Avatar 4, is dated for December 21, 2029, although the studio has not confirmed that it is going ahead.

Next: Avatar 4 · December 21, 2029
Image: TMDB

Every Avatar Movie

How many Avatar movies are there

What Are the Avatar Movies About?

The Avatar series is a science fiction saga directed by James Cameron, set on Pandora, a moon whose forests and oceans are home to the blue skinned Na'vi. It currently stands at three films and no spin-offs, and all three star Sam Worthington as Jake Sully and Zoe Saldaña as Neytiri, with Sigourney Weaver and Stephen Lang in major roles.

The story begins with Avatar (2009), directed by James Cameron. In 2154 Earth's resources are running out, and a company called the RDA mines a valuable mineral on Pandora. Jake Sully, a paralyzed former Marine, replaces his dead twin brother in a program that lets humans control Na'vi bodied avatars. He is saved by Neytiri, taken in by her clan, the Omaticaya, and asked by Colonel Quaritch to gather intelligence on the people who have adopted him. The film cost $237 million and went on to gross about $2.92 billion worldwide, according to Box Office Mojo.

Avatar: The Way of Water (2022), also directed by Cameron, jumps sixteen years ahead. Jake and Neytiri now have a family, the RDA has returned with recombinants (Na'vi bodies carrying the memories of dead soldiers, including a revived Quaritch), and the Sullys flee to the sea-dwelling Metkayina. It cost $460 million and took $2.33 billion worldwide, according to Box Office Mojo (The Numbers rounds the same film to $2.32 billion). Avatar: Fire and Ash (2025) follows the grieving Sully family into a clash with Varang and her ruthless Na'vi clan, on a reported $400 million budget and a worldwide total of $1.49 billion.

The structure is simple: each film is a December release in the US, each is directed by Cameron, and the story leaps sixteen years between the first and second films. For deeper background, see the guides to Pandora and the Na'vi clans, and for the money, the Avatar box office page.

Still from Avatar (2009)
Avatar (2009)

What Is the Best Order for Watching the Avatar Movies?

The best order to watch the Avatar movies is the order they were released, and the story agrees with it: Avatar (2009), then Avatar: The Way of Water (2022), then Avatar: Fire and Ash (2025). Release order and chronological order are identical, because there are no prequels, no spin-offs and no shorts that change the sequence.

  1. Avatar (2009), directed by James Cameron, 162 minutes.
  2. Avatar: The Way of Water (2022), directed by James Cameron, 192 minutes.
  3. Avatar: Fire and Ash (2025), directed by James Cameron, 198 minutes.

The second film is set sixteen years after the first, so a viewer who skips ahead loses the reason Jake leads the Omaticaya clan and why Quaritch is back at all. Fire and Ash then picks up with the Sully family still grieving, so the third chapter leans on the second more heavily than the second leans on the first. If you are new to the series, start at the beginning and plan for a long evening, since the three films add up to 552 minutes, about nine hours and twelve minutes.

For a full breakdown, including where each film picks up, read the guide to Avatar movies in order. If you want the events laid out by date rather than by film, the Avatar timeline covers that, and Avatar movies ranked is the place for an opinion on which entry is strongest.

Is Avatar 4 Confirmed? What We Know About the Next Film

Avatar 4 is dated for December 21, 2029 on Disney's release schedule, but the date is reported rather than confirmed, and the film has not formally been given the go ahead. Disney moved the film from 2026 to that date in June 2023, according to TheWrap, and a fifth film, Avatar 5, has been listed for December 19, 2031.

The caution is warranted by what Cameron himself has said. At the Saturn Awards on March 8, 2026, he described a fourth film as likely but not 100%, and said no decision to go forward had been made, TheWrap reported on April 8. Producer Rae Sanchini told the same outlet that the team is full speed ahead, and the scripts are reportedly complete, with James Cameron directing and Josh Friedman and Shane Salerno reported as writers. On the cast side, Michelle Yeoh was announced in 2019 as Dr. Karina Mogue in the Avatar sequels.

Several further claims are circulating, all reported by TheWrap and none officially announced. An insider says about 22% of the film has already been shot, during the production of Fire and Ash (reported). Disney is said to be discussing cheaper and shorter future films (reported). Cameron has floated passing the series to a younger filmmaker, as he did with Alita: Battle Angel (unconfirmed).

It could be argued that Avatar 4 is probable and the 2029 date is a placeholder, since the studio has not confirmed it and Cameron has so far declined to say the film is certain. The Avatar 4 page tracks the status, the date changes and every rumor with its source, and the Avatar 4 trailer page will list an official trailer when one exists.

Next movie

Avatar 4

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USDecember 21, 2029reported
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Avatar 4: status, cast and rumors

Who Stars in the Avatar Movies? The Main Characters

Avatar characters

The Avatar movies are led by Sam Worthington as Jake Sully and Zoe Saldaña as Neytiri, joined across the series by Sigourney Weaver, Stephen Lang, Kate Winslet, Cliff Curtis and Oona Chaplin. The full list of Avatar characters has a page for each major role, and the Avatar cast page covers the actors and crew in more detail.

  • Jake Sully, played by Sam Worthington in all three films, the paralyzed Marine who becomes a leader of the Omaticaya.
  • Neytiri, played by Zoe Saldaña, the Omaticaya woman who saves Jake in the forest and brings him to her clan.
  • Quaritch, played by Stephen Lang, the RDA colonel (Colonel Miles Quaritch in the credits) who returns as a recombinant in Avatar: The Way of Water.
  • Grace Augustine, played by Sigourney Weaver in Avatar (2009) and credited as Dr. Grace Augustine.
  • Kiri, the Sully family's adopted daughter, played by Sigourney Weaver in Avatar: The Way of Water and Avatar: Fire and Ash.
  • Spider, played by Jack Champion, a human boy who grew up on Pandora and is close to the Sully children.
  • Lo'ak, played by Britain Dalton, one of the Sully sons.
  • Tonowari, played by Cliff Curtis, a character among the sea-dwelling Metkayina (Kate Winslet plays Ronal).
  • Varang, played by Oona Chaplin, who leads the ruthless Na'vi clan in Avatar: Fire and Ash.

It could be argued that Weaver is the most unusual casting of the series: she plays Dr. Grace Augustine in the first film and then Kiri in the next two, a different character entirely. Stephen Lang, for his part, plays Quaritch in all three films, including the recombinant version introduced in the second.

Avatar Music: Composers and Songs

Avatar soundtrack

  1. I See You (Theme from Avatar)

    Written for the film

    Leona Lewis · Avatar

    It plays over the closing credits, after the story has ended.

  2. Nothing Is Lost (You Give Me Strength)

    Written for the film

    The Weeknd · Avatar: The Way of Water

    It plays over the end credits.

  3. Dream as One

    Written for the film

    Miley Cyrus · Avatar: Fire and Ash

    It plays over the end credits.

More songs

Facts

  • Still from Avatar (2009)
    Avatar (2009)
  • Still from Avatar: The Way of Water (2022)
    Avatar: The Way of Water (2022)
  • Still from Avatar: Fire and Ash (2025)
    Avatar: Fire and Ash (2025)

Where to Watch the Avatar Movies

All three Avatar movies stream on Disney+ in the US, UK and Australia, according to JustWatch data via TMDB checked on November 3, 2026. Each film can also be rented or bought from the usual digital stores, though the options vary by country.

In the US, Avatar (2009) and Avatar: The Way of Water can both be rented from Amazon Video, Apple TV, Google Play Movies and YouTube, and The Way of Water can also be rented from Fandango At Home. Both can be bought from Amazon Video, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, YouTube and Fandango At Home. Avatar: Fire and Ash is on Disney+ and can be rented from Amazon Video, Apple TV and Fandango At Home, or bought from Amazon Video, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, YouTube and Fandango At Home. In the UK, rental and purchase options include Apple TV, Rakuten TV, Amazon Video and Sky Store, with YouTube added for the first two films. In Australia, the three films stream on Disney+ and are sold through Apple TV and Amazon Video, with YouTube also carrying the first two.

Availability changes often, so check the service before you plan a viewing. The where to watch Avatar page lists every service by film and country, and the Avatar soundtrack page is a good next stop if the scores stay with you. For opinion and collectibles, there are Avatar reviews and Avatar merchandise.

Still from Avatar: Fire and Ash (2025)
Avatar: Fire and Ash (2025)

Streaming availability data from JustWatch. Where to watch Avatar by country.

Explore Avatar

FAQs

How many Avatar films are there?

There are three Avatar films so far, all directed by James Cameron: Avatar (2009), Avatar: The Way of Water (2022) and Avatar: Fire and Ash (2025). There are no spin-offs. The guide to how many Avatar movies there are keeps the count as new films are released.

Are there 3 or 4 Avatar movies?

There are 3 released Avatar movies. A fourth, Avatar 4, is dated for December 21, 2029 on Disney's schedule, but it has not been confirmed as going ahead, so it does not count yet.

Are Avatar 4 and 5 confirmed yet?

Not officially. Avatar 4 is dated for December 21, 2029 and Avatar 5 for December 19, 2031, but Cameron said in March 2026 that a fourth film is likely and not 100%, and that no decision to go forward had been made, according to TheWrap. Producer Rae Sanchini said the team is full speed ahead.

How many Avatar movies are we going to get?

Three Avatar films exist so far. Avatar 4 is currently dated for December 21, 2029 and Avatar 5 for December 19, 2031, but the later films depend on decisions that have not been announced.

Is Avatar 3 a hit or a flop?

Avatar: Fire and Ash, the third film, grossed about $1.49 billion worldwide on a reported $400 million budget. That is below the more than $2.3 billion of Avatar: The Way of Water and the $2.92 billion of Avatar (2009), and it is the lowest earner of the three. Whether it counts as a hit depends on the standard used.

Who stars in the Avatar movies?

Sam Worthington plays Jake Sully and Zoe Saldaña plays Neytiri in all three films. Sigourney Weaver, Stephen Lang, CCH Pounder, Joel David Moore and Giovanni Ribisi also appear across the series, while Kate Winslet and Cliff Curtis join from Avatar: The Way of Water, and Oona Chaplin joins in Avatar: Fire and Ash.

What order should I watch the Avatar movies in?

Watch them in release order, which is also chronological order: Avatar (2009), Avatar: The Way of Water, then Avatar: Fire and Ash. The guide to Avatar movies in order shows where each film picks up.