LOS ANGELES — Fire and Ash, the third installment in James Cameron’s blockbuster sci-fi fantasy series, debuted atop the North American box office with US$88 million (RM359 million) in ticket sales in the weekend before Christmas, industry estimates showed yesterday.

Fire and Ash grossed US$345 million worldwide in its opening weekend, and is expected to do very well abroad, according to David A. Gross of Franchise Entertainment Research.

The Avatar films “connect everywhere around the world,” Gross said, adding that the 20th Century movie—like its predecessors—would likely rev up on “outstanding word-of-mouth.”

“The openings are not what the Avatar movies are about. It’s what they do after they open,” Gross said.

The movie once again stars Zoe Saldana and Sam Worthington as Na’vi warrior Neytiri and ex-Marine Jake Sully, who must battle a new foe threatening their family’s life on Pandora.