Avatar 3 to Be the Longest Film in the Franchise to Date

Prepare for a cinematic marathon: Avatar: Fire and Ash is listed on theater sites as running 3 hours and 15 minutes, and it arrives in theaters on Dec. 19. See the listing on AMC Theatres for one example of the posted runtime.

That duration tops Avatar: The Way of Water by a few minutes and is considerably longer than the first Avatar, which ran about 2 hours and 42 minutes. James Cameron has a history of delivering long, lavish productions that draw big audiences — The Way of Water was among the highest-grossing films worldwide, and Cameron’s own Titanic shares a similar 3 hour, 15 minute runtime with Fire and Ash.

The film promises the intimate family drama and monumental spectacle that have defined the franchise. After Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) and his family integrated with the Metkayina clan to defend Pandora from the Resources Development Administration in The Way of Water, Jake continues the struggle in Fire and Ash. The embittered Colonel Miles Quaritch (Stephen Lang) has forged an alliance with a militant, volcano-dwelling Na’vi clan led by Varang (Oona Chaplin).

Expect sprawling battles across land, sea, and sky, including the return of the toruk — the enormous flying predator Jake once bonded with to rally the Na’vi. A major storyline centers on Spider (Jack Champion), the human Jake adopted and raised as one of the Na’vi; the latest footage suggests Spider may no longer need an oxygen mask to survive on Pandora, a shift that could have profound consequences for the planet’s inhabitants.

Avatar: Fire and Ash premieres on Dec. 19.

Source: Polygon