Disney has countless high-profile sci-fi franchises under its umbrella, including Star Wars, Alien, and Predator. Yet, arguably, the biggest sci-fi films of the past nearly 20 years hardly get any recognition from the audience after the movie’s release. Avatar has made billions of dollars across two films, with many more on the way. But the franchise is almost entirely forgotten between movies despite being one of the greatest sci-fi franchises ever.
The first Avatar movie was released in 2009, and it took audiences by storm. The movie was a revelation in the sci-fi space, with mind-bending special effects, filming techniques, and a massive story in scope and scale. To date, the first Avatar film has made almost $3 billion worldwide, with the second movie, Avatar: The Way of Water, grossing almost $2.5 billion worldwide. Despite all of that, the franchise continues to be mocked and forgotten about when it should be praised for everything it has done for science fiction.
What is the Avatar Franchise About So Far?
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On the world of Pandora, there is a war raging between the humans who have come to harvest its natural resources and the Na’vi people, who have always lived on Pandora. In Avatar, Jake Sully arrives to take over in a Na’vi experiment after his brother was killed. The Resources Development Administration (RDA) is hoping that by sending in Na’vi “avatars,” they can help to convince them to give up their resources more easily.
Yet, as Jake Sully gets to know the Na’vi, specifically Neytiri, he falls in love with the people, the culture, and now refuses to help the humans ruin Pandora and strip it of what makes it special. This ends up in an all-out war between the RDA and the Na’vi, ending with a big conflict between Jake Sully, Neytiri, and the RDA officer Colonel Miles Quaritch.
Avatar: The Way of Water picks up with the Sully family, as it shows Jake, Neytiri, and their children: Kiri, Neteyam, Lo’ak, and Tuktirey. They have also raised Miles “Spider” Socorro, a human child who has become an adopted member of the Sully family. As they are driven from their home on land, Jake takes his family and flees to the aquatic clans of Pandora and lives in Awa’atlu village.
From there, the Sully family works hard to find a new home among the water and learn to live with the creatures of the sea. They form new bonds with Tulkuns and are determined to keep their new home safe from the empowered RDA. Quaritch is also back from the dead, now in a Na’vi body, and is ready to seek his vengeance.
Another massive battle takes place on the water as Quaritch leads an assault on the Sullys and the people of Awa’atlu. Neteyam is killed, and Spider discovers that his real father may have been Quaritch. Yet, once Sully once again defeats Quaritch, Spider saves him from drowning, only to turn his back on him once again.
Why is Avatar Always Forgotten About?
Despite its clear popularity, Avatar always seems to be forgotten in the conversation of the best sci-fi properties. One of the biggest reasons is the massive gap between the original film and the release of The Way of Water. The first movie was released in 2009, with The Way of Water coming out 13 years later in 2022.
This large gap led to countless jokes about how no one remembers any of the names, stories, or really anything about Avatar leading up to the release of the second. Yet, even when the second film was released, the jokes persisted, but clearly, the box office proved there was an affection for the franchise.
Many people forget, though, that James Cameron’s name is one of the most notable in all of cinema. Cameron’s name is synonymous with the highest quality of filmmaking, incredible stories, and just an overall love for movies. Cameron puts passion into his films, and audiences connect with that more than anything else.
So no matter what people say, Avatar remains popular and beloved. New films are coming, and audiences are clearly excited for them. Avatar: Fire and Ash’s first trailer has 27 million views on YouTube, and it’s one of Rotten Tomatoes’ most anticipated movies of 2025. There is also far more coming beyond Fire and Ash.
Avatar Continues to Grow and Dominate the Sci-Fi Genre
Including the first two movies, there are currently five Avatar movies planned. Fire and Ash is releasing in December 2025, Avatar 4 in 2029, and Avatar 5 in 2031. This shows that the franchise has staying power and is looking to continue to dominate the sci-fi genre. With each new movie, the characters and world-building become even more enriched, making it thrilling for fans to see.
The other big thing that the Avatar movies do is advance technology for the entire movie industry. For The Way of Water, Cameron and his team developed incredible filming techniques for having actors actually film underwater, along with doing countless hours of research and development on making it as realistic as possible. The same level of development went into the creation of the original film as well. Each Avatar movie not only advances the genre but also gives new tools to the entire industry.
Even with fewer films than Star Wars or other major franchises, Avatar has proven to be just as bankable at the box office. It is a huge money maker, and that helps to give it a lot of leeway to continue to evolve and develop. Despite being “forgotten,” there is a passionate fervor for great storytelling, and Avatar always delivers on that promise.
Avatar is one of the greatest sci-fi franchises of all time; there is no doubt about that. It has strong storytelling, breathtaking visuals, and an incredible ability to generate massive box office revenue. Avatar deserves to be in the conversation with the likes of all of sci-fi, and it’s amazing to see the franchise continue to grow with more movies for fans to love.
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Avatar
- Release Date
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December 15, 2009
- Runtime
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162 minutes
- Director
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James Cameron
- Writers
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James Cameron
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Sam Worthington
Jake Sully
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Avatar: The Way of Water
- Release Date
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December 16, 2022
- Runtime
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192 minutes
- Director
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James Cameron
- Writers
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Amanda Silver, James Cameron, Josh Friedman, Rick Jaffa, Shane Salerno
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Sam Worthington
Jake Sully
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Stephen Lang
Colonel Miles Quaritch
