‘Avatar: Fire and Ash’ Is the Longest Film in the Series So Far

Get ready for a whole lot of fire and ash.

According to AMC Theatres’ website, the upcoming third Avatar movie, Avatar: Fire and Ash, runs a whopping three hours and 15 minutes. 195 minutes of those wacky Na’vi getting into trouble on Pandora.

If that number is accurate, that makes Avatar: Fire and Ash the longest film in the Avatar series to date. The original Avatar from 2009 was 162 minutes long — a lean two hours and 42 minutes. 2022’s Avatar: The Way of Water came close with a 192 minute runtime. Loo

Look on the bright side: If you were able to make it through that one without a bathroom break, you only need to hold it for three more minutes this time.

AMC

Every time any blockbuster clocks in at more than 150 minutes people tend to freak out about it. Obviously, it’s possible that Fire and Ash will feel too long at over three hours. But I am pro long movies in general, especially in the movie theater. You go to the trouble to get there, you pay for a babysitter, you drive or take the subway, you might as well hang around for a while. Let me enjoy my popcorn, let me sneak a free Icee refill when no one is looking. Let me see the Na’vi fire and ash each other for 190 minutes. I’m in no hurry. Why would I want to return to the real world when I can spend more time on Pandora?

Plus, this is James Cameron we’re talking about. The dude has earned the right to make a movie as long as he wants. Clearly the long runtime didn’t affect The Way of Water, commercially or creatively. That film grossed $688 million in the U.S. and $2.3 billion worldwide. And it had Payakan the Tulkun. You get never have too much of that guy.

Avatar: Fire and Ash is scheduled to open in theaters on December 19, 2025.