Believe it or not, butAvatar: Fire and Ashis less than six months away from hitting theaters right now. It’s already been nearly three years sinceAvatar: The Way of Watercame out and dazzled audiences all over again thanks to James Cameron working his technical and visual magic once more. That’s made the sequel one of2025’s most anticipated movies.
Disney is well aware of the popularity theAvatarfranchise has, which is why its surprising thatthe film’s marketing campaign has so far been much quieter than expected. The studio has released a handful ofAvatar 3imagesand concept art over the last year teasing what exactly audiences can expect when the Na’vi come back.
Yet, we’re still waiting for the firstAvatar 3trailer to come out. It’s quite confounding that Walt Disney Studios and 20th Century Studios have not truly kicked off the hype train for what is sure to be one of the year’s biggest releases. That’s especially true considering they did shareAvatar 3footage at CinemaCon 2025that wowed the crowd.
With the summer movie season in full swing, it’s shocking thatDisney hasn’t capitalized on blockbusters likeJurassic World RebirthorSupermanreleasing and put the firstAvatar: Fire and Ashteaser in front of them, like Christopher Nolan did withThe Odyssey’s trailer, to maximize how many people see it.
To be clear,Disney has not confirmed when theAvatar: Fire and Ashtrailer is coming out, nor have there been any real reports on when it’s coming. Trailer release date reporting is often complicated due to how easily it is for studios to shift strategies. Yet, it would surprise me ifAvatar 3’s trailer doesn’t come out very soon.
Avatar: Fire And Ash’s Trailer Will Likely Be Attached To The Fantastic Four: First Steps
There Is A History Here
With about five months to go untilAvatar: Fire and Ash’s release, it’s time for Disney to finally share the first trailer for James Cameron’s film.The Fantastic Four: First Steps' release next week, on July 25, is the right opportunity to do so.
When it came time for Disney to sell audiences on a return to Pandora, they did it at the beginning of the summer blockbuster season with Marvel Studios' help.Avatar 2’s trailer debuted exclusively in front of Marvel’sDoctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, which was a $955 million box office hit, before releasing online a few days later.
The first trailer for Avatar (2009) came out only four months before its theatrical release
Considering the success Disney had withAvatar 2, replicating the marketing strategy withAvatar 3and attaching the first trailer to a new Marvel Studios release would be smart. A direct copy of theAvatar 2playbook is not being used, though, as the trailer would’ve come withThunderbolts*then.
Luckily, Marvel Studios still hasThe Fantastic Four: First Steps, which is a bigger title that should be a stronger box office performer. That’s partially whyit would make sense for Disney to hold off on the trailer a few months and putAvatar: Fire and Ash’s trailer in front ofThe Fantastic Four: First Steps.
There’s also a much smaller gap between the second and third films, as well as less fear that audiences won’t show up. A shorter marketing campaign can work here as long as it gets a grand launch, which the Marvel Cinematic Universe can help provide.
So, whether theAvatar: Fire and Ashtrailer comes out online before or afterThe Fantastic Four: First Stepshits theaters, it’d be a surprise if it doesn’t play before it on the big screen. If not here, there’s no clear choice for what movie Disney can attach the first teaser to and guarantee a large percentage of the population sees it.
