As Marvel gears up for Avengers: Doomsday in 2026, another Disney powerhouse franchise has captured attention–and the record books.
Disney now officially has its longest theatrical release ever: Avatar: Fire and Ash, arriving December 19, 2025, with a confirmed runtime of 3 hours and 15 minutes (per AMC listings). That figure beats out 2022’s Avatar: The Way of Water by three minutes, inching director James Cameron further into dominance over the studio’s list of cinematic epics.
Long runtimes weren’t always embraced by mainstream audiences, especially when connected to comic book cinema. That changed after the release of Avengers: Endgame in 2019. Its 3-hour and 2-minute runtime raised eyebrows, but the gamble paid off.
The film successfully closed out a ten-year Marvel saga and proved that, when the story warranted it, the audience would stay seated and invested. The moment Endgame surpassed 170 minutes, it changed the studio playbook. From there, the door was open–and Avatar walked through it.
The new Avatar film reportedly delivers 195 minutes of expansive world-building, taking viewers into volcanic biomes and introducing the Ash People, a civilization of Na’vi unlike any previously seen. According to the film’s narrative approach, they are far more aggressive and defined by ideological conflict. Oona Chaplin steps into the role of Varang, their leader, representing a society that rejects Eywa–the spiritual foundation of Na’vi culture.
This shift signals an internal conflict within Pandora itself rather than a solely human-versus-Na’vi narrative. Cameron explained to Entertainment Weekly that the film’s title carries symbolic weight–fire representing “hatred, anger, violence” and ash representing “the aftermath.” The director has reportedly delivered all post-production work and promised the completed film is “more intense, more emotional, and bigger in scale,” per The Direct.
Major franchises are now leaning into runtimes that once seemed daunting, reshaping theatrical expectations. And with Avengers: Doomsday hitting theaters on December 18, 2026, many are wondering whether Marvel will follow in Avatar’s footsteps. Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige and directors Anthony and Joe Russo (AKA the Russo Brothers) have indicated this entry is more of a beginning than a conclusion–hinting that Avengers: Secret Wars (2027) may be the one to carry the larger runtime.
How do you feel about the length of James Cameron’s upcoming Avatar movie? Let us know in the comments down below!
