"Avatar: Fire and Ash," the third installment in the sci-fi saga, premiered in China on Dec. 8 during the 7th Hainan Island International Film Festival (HIIFF) in Sanya, Hainan province, with director James Cameron and actor Zoe Salda?a attending and sharing insights with the audience.

James Cameron poses in front of a giant "Avatar: Fire and Ash" logo at the film's China premiere in Sanya, Hainan province, Dec. 8, 2025. [Photo courtesy of The Walt Disney Company]

Cameron entered the theater to applause and cheers for pre-screening exchanges, accompanied by Salda?a and four Chinese actors who provided voices for the film's Chinese dubbed version — the married couple Deng Chao and Sun Li, Huang Xuan and Zhang Ziyi. 

"I would like to hope that you are surprised by the depth of emotion that the wonderful cast were able to create, because it truly is, I think, farther than we've ever gone before," the director said.

"Avatar: Fire and Ash" continues the story a few weeks after "Avatar: The Way of Water." The Sully family, still living with the Metkayina clan, is grieving the death of Jake's eldest son, Neteyam. While Spider, a human child who grew up alongside the Sully children, has adapted to reef life, concerns for his safety lead the family to join his journey back to the Omatikaya stronghold with the nomadic Wind Traders. Their trip is interrupted by an attack from the volcanic Ash People, who blame Pandora's deity Eywa for their home's destruction. Meanwhile, the Resources Development Administration (RDA) military force is regrouping for a new offensive.

As with the previous two installments, the 198-minute "Avatar: Fire and Ash" is anything but small-scale. It instantly transports audiences back to Pandora, immersing them in grand wonders on an epic scale with upgraded action sequences, emotionally charged storylines, captivating character arcs, and heroic yet heart-wrenching struggles. The film is a true spectacle that needs to be seen and experienced on the big screen, serving as a human fable on an alien planet that embraces nature, harmony and purity while critiquing colonialism and human greed.

"I've been having crazy dreams my whole life," Cameron said. "I just feel so privileged to get to put them on a big screen, but I don't do it myself. I do it with wonderful artists that I work with."

The filmmaker noted that for this film, which began development eight years ago, over 3,000 artists contributed to creating the characters, creatures, wardrobe, world design and visual effects. "My dreams may be the seed, but what grows from that is a lot of human effort and human imagination brought to it."

Actor Deng Chao, who considers Cameron his idol, shared how the director's masterpieces — from "Terminator" and "True Lies" to "Titanic" and the "Avatar" series — have defined and shaped treasured moments throughout his life, creating an emotional highlight at the premiere that resonated with many fans.

The "Avatar" franchise revolutionized the film industry in 2009 with its first installment and became a global cultural phenomenon. The original "Avatar" film earned $2.92 billion worldwide and remains the highest-grossing movie in history, while its sequel, "Avatar: The Way of Water," grossed $2.32 billion to become the third-highest-grossing film worldwide. In China, the two preceding installments earned 1.72 billion yuan and 1.7 billion yuan respectively.

"The fans of Avatar in China have been phenomenally supportive and passionate," Cameron said. He noted the first film's role in expanding IMAX screens and popularizing premium 3D cinema experiences, mentioning he had just exchanged ideas with director Frant Gwo regarding "The Wandering Earth 3." "A lot of things, I think, changed in Chinese cinema at that time and opened the floodgates to all of the wonderful filmmakers that have been doing fantasy and science fiction since then."

(From left to right) Actors Huang Xuan, Zhang Ziyi, director James Cameron, actors Zoe Salda?a, Sun Li and Deng Chao pose for a group photo at the "Avatar: Fire and Ash" premiere in Sanya, Hainan province, Dec. 8, 2025. [Photo courtesy of The Walt Disney Company]

Cameron also acknowledged the crucial importance of actors. "Everybody thinks of me as a very technical guy, but to me, the most important technology in filmmaking is called acting," he said. "And on this film, we spend a lot of time and a lot of money actually perfecting the process to take what Zoe and the other cast members did and making sure that 100% of it comes through into the characters."

The director's words echoed his recent statements on generative AI in several interviews, where he said they did not use it on the "Avatar" films because they hoped to honor and celebrate actors rather than replace them.

The film, presented with China Film Group's proprietary CINITY LED cinema projection system at the premiere, rendered Pandora's magnificent landscapes and epic narrative, pushing the immersive experience to unprecedented heights.

When the film screening ended, loud applause broke out. When the name of late producer Jon Landau, Cameron's longtime partner who died in 2024, appeared in the ending credits, a second round of applause rang out.

Also in attendance were industry insiders and celebrities such as directors Frant Gwo and Lu Yang, model Ming Xi, and Oscar-winning actor Michelle Yeoh. Yeoh was previously photographed on the "Avatar" set, with Cameron telling Entertainment Weekly at Disney's D23 convention that her role is intended for "Avatar 4" and "Avatar 5" if the film series continues.

"Avatar: Fire and Ash" is set to open across the Chinese mainland on Dec. 19.