'Avatar: Fire and Ash' rides IMAX wave again in China's premium cinema market

James Cameron has called IMAX and "Avatar" films a perfect match and we see it to be true in China where around 800 IMAX theaters are showing "Avatar: Fire and Ash."

Director James Cameron speaks to his fans via video link at an IMAX preview showing in Dongguan, Guangdong province, Dec. 18, 2025. [Photo courtesy of IMAX China]

"'Avatar' is the right story and IMAX is the right canvas. So they are made for each other. IMAX has always been an important part of 'Avatar.' I think the other way around too, I think 'Avatar' has been an important part of IMAX," Cameron said.

The original "Avatar" was released in 2009, earning $2.92 billion which made it the highest-grossing film worldwide. It earned $202.6 million in China in 2010, including 168 million yuan ($25 million) from only 14 IMAX theaters in the country at the time. IMAX tickets became the hottest commodity, drawing long queues  outside theaters.

IMAX has since expanded significantly in China. The total number of IMAX theaters in the country now stands at nearly 800, the highest in the world. The presale figures for "Avatar: Fire and Ash," nationwide released on Dec. 19, indicate that sales for the IMAX version account for over 50% of the total. This reaffirms IMAX's dominant position in China's premium cinema market.

"That's a reflection of the Chinese audience wanting that premium experience, wanting that sense of transport, going on the journey," Cameron said. "Anybody that's trying to elevate the theatrical experience technically, with brightness levels and big screens, and especially 3D, IMAX is obviously leading the pack. The scale of IMAX and the beauty of Pandora go together."

"In these days with streaming and with all the distractions of life, when we give ourselves permission to go and just engage on an unbroken, three-hour-long experience, we lose track of time, we lose track of the fact that these people don't really exist," he said. "That's the spell I want to cast."

Today, the surge in the number of IMAX theaters in China has not diluted its brand value. Instead, through standardized construction and localized operations, it has firmly entrenched its positioning as a "premium cinema experience" in the minds of consumers. As of Dec. 15, IMAX box office in China has reached 2.52 billion yuan this year, surpassing the 2019 peak and setting a new historical record. The annual admissions have reached 42 million, also hitting a new high.

There is a noticeable shift  in audience motivation from merely "watching content" to "gaining an experience." For blockbusters like "Avatar: Fire and Ash" in IMAX 3D, the difference between a standard and a premium theater is immense. As home entertainment improves, theaters must offer an irreplicable experience. IMAX's success proves the market will pay a premium for it.

An IMAX poster for "Avatar: Fire and Ash." [Photo courtesy of IMAX China]

On Thursday night, as audiences settled into 201 IMAX theatres, the director said via a video link to more than 120,000 fans "When we think of IMAX and 3D, we think of big landscapes and amazing spectacle and big action… but I also think it's important to remember the part that's very close on the characters, that's very intimate. I think that 3D puts you there with the characters; You actually feel there, their pain, their joy, their emotion more, and also I think that's what the theatrical experience does." This collected viewing turned into the biggest fan celebration of the Avatar franchise ever.

In recent years, the construction of cinemas in China has clearly shifted towards high quality and differentiation. In the first half of this year alone, the number of premium-format screens reached 9,978, with their share expanding from 10.8% in 2019 to 13.6%, generating over 7 billion yuan in box office revenue, a new historical high. In this increasingly competitive landscape, IMAX has maintained its leading position with experiences like "Avatar: Fire and Ash."