The Most Controversial Star Wars Movie Ever Made Loses Box Office Rank to ‘Avatar: Fire and Ash’

1 week ago 13

The Last Jedi looks beyond her control board at something off-screen

Published Jan 26, 2026, 5:17 PM EST

Rahul Malhotra is a Weekend News Writer for Collider. From Francois Ozon to David Fincher, he'll watch anything once.

He has been writing for Collider for over two years, and has covered everything from Marvel to the Oscars, and Marvel at the Oscars. He also writes obsessively about the box office, charting the many hits and misses that are released weekly, and how their commercial performance shapes public perception. In his time at Collider, he has also helped drive diversity by writing stories about the multiple Indian film industries, with a goal to introduce audiences to a whole new world of cinema.

Swing and a miss > measured victory. Also, #JusticeForHan. (He/Him).

The walls seem to be closing in on James Cameron's Avatar: Fire and Ash, which surrendered its box office crown this past weekend to the sci-fi film Mercy after being snubbed at the Oscars. The movie is still trailing its predecessor, Avatar: The Way of Water, by a massive $1 billion globally. In its sixth weekend, Avatar 3 neared the $400 million mark domestically and the $1.4 billion mark worldwide. These are massive numbers, but not for an Avatar movie. The first film, released in 2009, remains the top-grossing hit in global box office history with a $2.9 billion haul. Avatar 2 is the third-biggest hit of all time, with $2.3 billion in the bank. Avatar 3, on the other hand, still hasn't broken into the all-time top 20 list. It has, however, overtaken the most controversial installment of the Star Wars franchise, Star Wars: Episode VIII — The Last Jedi.

Released in 2017, the film served as a follow-up to Star Wars: Episode VII — The Force Awakens, which rebooted the legendary franchise in grand fashion. The Force Awakens was critically acclaimed and ended its run with more than $2 billion globally. It was directed by J.J. Abrams, who was replaced by Rian Johnson for The Last Jedi. The sequel earned some of the best critical reviews of the long-running franchise, but a section of fans took offense to certain narrative choices and began an online hate campaign. Several members of the cast were trolled. The situation was exacerbated by Mark Hamill's initial comments about not being on board with certain story choices either. The Last Jedi holds a 91% critics' score on Rotten Tomatoes, but its audience score on the aggregator website is sitting at 41%.

The Status of the Avatar Sequels Remains Unclear

That said, the movie was a box office hit, grossing $1.33 billion against a reported budget of $300 million. Avatar 3's global haul now stands at $1.37 billion, against a reported budget of $400 million. Cameron's threequel earned the least enthusiastic reviews of the trilogy, and seems to have settled at a 66% score on Rotten Tomatoes. The future of the franchise remains unclear, with Cameron having previously revealed plans for two more installments. Avatar 3's performance has raised doubts about the commercial viability of any possible sequels, considering the hefty financial investment required.

You can watch the movie in theaters, and stay tuned to Collider for more updates.