'Avatar: Fire and Ash' hit online after James Cameron weighed in on franchise future

Avatar: Fire and Ash, a third installment after earning over a billion dollars, is hitting digital platforms.

According to multiple reports, it is priced at $19.99 at Prime Video, Apple TV, and YouTube. However, there are tensions behind the scenes.

A report in IGN states that, despite earning $1.4 billion globally, the movie is the lowest-grossing in the smash-hit franchise.

It is a shock because raking in over a billion dollars is a feat that very few films have achieved. However, in the Avatar franchise, the benchmark is usually placed so high.

"Here's the thing: the movie industry is depressed right now. Avatar 3 cost a lot of money," he previously told TVBS News. 

"We have to do well in order to continue. We have to do well, and we need to figure out how to make Avatar movies more inexpensively in order to continue."

Yet, amid the fears over the film series' future, director James Cameron recently said the fourth installment is on the cards.

Deciding the direction of Avatar 4, Cameron said he was taking "audience feedback" into consideration.

His previous remarks about the industry's condition sparked concerns that his dream of finishing the Avatar universe would never be realized.

Avatar 4 and 5 will hit the theatres in 2029 and 2031, respectively.