Overview
- Press-only premiere screenings in Los Angeles prompted largely enthusiastic reactions praising the film’s visuals, premium-format immersion and emotional scale.
- Critics frequently cited drawbacks including a reported 3-hour-15-minute runtime, uneven pacing and some repetitive story beats compared with prior entries.
- The film introduces the Ash People led by Varang, with Oona Chaplin’s performance singled out in many early impressions.
- Industry tracking points to a roughly $100–130 million domestic opening weekend as tickets go on sale ahead of the December 19 theatrical release.
- James Cameron reiterated that future sequels depend on commercial returns and teased intense emotion, describing the film as evoking Titanic-level heartbreak.