Avatar 3 is coming in time for Christmas just not this holiday season or next for that matter

It’s going to be quite a wait for Avatar 3. As in at least two more years before the next installment of James Cameron’s sci-fi epic. Find out more here!

No one can accuse James Cameron of rushing into things. After his Oscar-winning epic Titanic dominated the box office, the filmmaker could’ve easily made any movie he wanted to. Instead, after some time on sea exploration, Cameron took 12 years to finally release Avatar.

The wait was worth it as the movie became the biggest box office hit ever and was hailed for its groundbreaking special effects work. A sequel was inevitable, but rather than push it, Cameron took his time working on the story and waiting for special effects to get even better.

So, after various delays, Avatar: The Way of Water was released in December 2022 and broke the billion-dollar mark at the box office. Cameron had already announced plans for not one but four sequels to the saga to build on it. However, it’s going to be a long wait before anyone can get even a glimpse of Avatar 3. 

When is Avatar 3 coming?

While Disney and Fox no doubt would love to start advertising Avatar 3, it all depends on the infamously meticulous Cameron’s schedule. The Way of Water needed so long to make the stunning underwater scenes look right.

The good news is filming was completed in December 2020, with Cameron filming it right alongside the second film. However, speaking at the 2023 Screen Production and Development Association conference in New Zealand, he confirmed that the movie’s production is going to take almost two years: “We’re into a very hectic two-year post-production right now. So, it’ll be Christmas ’25.”

The movie will have the main cast returning like Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldaña, Sigourney Weaver, Stephen Lang and Kate Winslet. It also adds Michelle Yeoh, David Thewlis and Oona Chaplin in undisclosed roles.

The movie has been subjected to nine delays for its release date for factors ranging from the pandemic to the Hollywood strikes and is currently set for Dec. 19, 2025. It’s no surprise that Cameron is throwing himself into the post-production work just as he’s prepping for the planned fourth and fifth movie.

So fans are going to have to wait until December 2025 for a return to Pandora, but Avatar 3 should be as worth the wait as the last sequel was to continue this amazing franchise.

Avatar 3 to premiere in theaters Dec. 19, 2025.