Thursday, May 21, 2026

“Avatar: Fire and Ash” Opens to Just 68% with Critics on Rotten Tomatoes, Even Less on Metacritic: Does it Matter?

Share

“Avatar” is one of the great curiosities of the film world.

James Cameron’s original installment was breathtaking and new, and captured the imagination of millions of fans.

Now the third chapter, “Fire and Ash,” is upon us, and it seems, frankly, like old news.

On Rotten Tomatoes, critics are rating it at 68% and it may drop lower. On Metacritic it’s 62%.

But do critics matter? There’s a solid loyal brand base that will rush to theaters on Thursday to see “Fire and Ash” even if it’s just like the first two movies.

Will Disney-Fox be blue? Unlikely. “Fire and Ash” will have a huge first weekend. It will also a blockbuster around the world.

Right now, sales are strong if not stupendous. But Cameron is smart. “Avatar” is a spectacle to behold, in 3D, 1D, or just sitting there and enjoying it. “Avatar” is a theatrical experience, and well worth 20 bucks during the holiday season.

PS The trailer has 31 million views on YouTube.

Donate to Showbiz411.com

Showbiz411 is now in its 13th year of providing breaking and exclusive entertainment news. This is an independent site, unlike the many Hollywood trades that are owned by one company. To continue providing news that takes a fresh look at what's going on in movies, music, theater, etc, advertising is our basis. Reader donations would be greatly appreciated, too. They are just another facet of keeping fact based journalism alive.
Thank you


Roger Friedman
Roger Friedmanhttps://www.showbiz411.com
Roger Friedman is the founder and editor-in-chief of Showbiz411. He wrote the FOX411 column on FoxNews.com from 1999 to 2009 and previously edited Fame magazine and wrote the "Intelligencer" column at New York magazine. His bylines have appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, the New York Daily News, the New York Post, Vogue, Details, and the Miami Herald. He is a voting member of the Critics Choice Awards (Film and Television branches), and his movie reviews are tracked by Rotten Tomatoes. is articles have appeared in dozens of publications over the years including New York Magazine, where he wrote the Intelligencer column in the mid 90s and covered the OJ Simpson trial, and Fox News (when it wasn't so crazy) where he covered Michael Jackson. With D.A. Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus, he co-produced the 2002 documentary "Only the Strong Survive," which screened at Directors' Fortnight at the Cannes Film Festival.

Read more

In Other News