Avatar (franchise)

***Avatar*** is an American epic science fiction media franchise created by James Cameron. The first movie of the franchise, _Avatar_, was released in 2009. It is produced by Lightstorm Entertainment and distributed by 20th Century Studios.

## Plot

The series is set mainly in the mid-22nd century on Pandora, a lush habitable moon orbiting a gas giant in the Alpha Centauri star system. The main plot is about the struggle between the indigenous Na'vi, led by Jake Sully and Neytiri, and human forces led by Colonel Miles Quaritch of the Resources Development Administration (RDA), a megacorporation that wants to colonize Pandora and take its natural resources.

## Movies

- _Avatar_ (2009)
- _Avatar: The Way of Water_ (2022)
- _Avatar: Fire and Ash_ (2025)
- _Avatar 4_ (2029)
- _Avatar 5_ (2031)

## Cast and characters

|rowspan="4"|Character|||
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
|colspan="5"|Sam Worthington|||
|colspan="5"|Zoe Saldaña|||
|colspan="5"|Stephen Lang|||
|colspan="5"|Giovanni Ribisi|||
|colspan="5"|Joel David Moore|||
|colspan="5"|Dileep Rao|||
|colspan="5"|Matt Gerald|||
|colspan="5"|CCH Pounder|||
|colspan="3"|Sigourney Weaver|colspan="2"||
|Michelle Rodriguez|colspan="4"|||
|Wes Studi||Wes Studi|colspan="2"|
|Laz Alonso||Laz Alonso|colspan="2"|
||colspan="4"|Sigourney Weaver||
||colspan="2"|Kate Winslet|colspan="2"|
||colspan="4"|Cliff Curtis||
||colspan="2"|Edie Falco|colspan="2" rowspan="2'|
||colspan="2"|Brendan Cowell||
||colspan="4"|Jemaine Clement||
||Britain Dalton<hr>|colspan="3"|Britain Dalton|
||colspan="4"|Jack Champion||
||Jamie Flatters|Jamie Flatters|colspan="2"|
||colspan="4"|Trinity Jo-Li Bliss||
||colspan="4"|Bailey Bass||
||colspan="4"|Filip Geljo||
||colspan="2"|Duane Evans Jr.|colspan="2"|
||CJ Jones|colspan="3"||
|colspan="2"|colspan="3"|Oona Chaplin||
|colspan="2"|colspan="3"|David Thewlis||
|colspan="3"|colspan="2"|Michelle Yeoh||

## Original songs

- "I See You (Theme from _Avatar_)" for _Avatar_ by Leona Lewis
- "Nothing Is Lost (You Give Me Strength)" for _Avatar: The Way of Water_ by the Weeknd
- "Dream as One" for _Avatar: Fire and Ash_ by Miley Cyrus

## Box office

The first movie made $2.92 billion worldwide and is the highest-grossing movie in history. The second movie, _The Way of Water_, has made $2.34 billion worldwide and is the third highest-grossing movie. The fourth, and fifth movies in the series are expected to have a budget of $250 million.

The franchise has made more than $5.2 billion worldwide, making it the 14th-highest-grossing movie series of all time.

## Critic responses

|scope="col" rowspan="2"|Film|scope="col" colspan="2"|Critical|colspan="2" scope="col"|Public|
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
|81% (335 reviews)|83 (38 reviews)|A||||
|76% (454 reviews)|67 (68 reviews)|A|91%|||
|69% (281 reviews)|61 (56 reviews)|A|89%|||

## Academy Award nominations

|colspan="2" rowspan="2" scope="col"|Category|scope="col"|2010|scope="col"|2023|
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
||rowspan="2"|||||

## Impact

A phenomenon known as "post-Avatar depression syndrome" (PADS) or "Avatar blues" has been reported in some viewers of the movies. These viewers feel sadness since they want to be part of the fictional world of Pandora. It is not a recognized medical condition. Symptoms reportedly include depression, meaninglessness, and dissatisfaction. One report mentioned that people thought about suicide so they can be reincarnated on Pandora.

## Infobox (media franchise)

- **title**: _Avatar_
- **image**: Avatar-Logo-avatar.svg
- **creator**: James Cameron
- **owner**: 20th Century Studios
Lightstorm Entertainment
- **origin**: _Avatar (2009 movie), Avatar_ (2009)
- **years**: –present
- **graphic novels**: _Avatar: The High Ground_ (2022–2023)
- **music**: Dream as One
- **toys**: _Lego Avatar_
- **website**: [http://www.avatar.com avatar.com]