If you’re confused as to why Avatar: Fire and Ash received a Golden Globes 2026 nomination before its official theatrical release, you’re not alone.
The James Cameron-directed film scored a nod for Cinematic and Box Office Achievement when the nominations were announced in December 2025. At the time of the announcement, the sci-fi movie had yet to be released in theaters.
The Golden Globe Award for Cinematic and Box Office Achievement category was added to the awards show in 2023, with Barbie
earning the inaugural honor at the 2024 ceremony. The Greta Gerwig film grossed $1.4 billion at the worldwide box office and became the highest-grossing movie of 2023.Wicked took home the award at the Golden Globes 2025 after dominating the box office, grossing over $758 million worldwide following its release. The sequel, Wicked: For Good, also scored a nomination for Cinematic and Box Office Achievement after grossing $440 million at the global box office nearly one month after its November 2025 release.
The Popcorn Academy! Films That Have Won Oscars and MTV Movie Awards
So how was Avatar: Fire and Ash nominated despite not yet debuting in theaters? Scroll below to find out.
What Is the Cinematic and Box Office Achievement at the Golden Globes?
“The Cinematic and Box Office Achievement includes nominees from the year’s most acclaimed, highest-earning and/or most viewed films that have garnered extensive global audience support and attained cinematic excellence,” a statement from the Golden Globes read in November 2023.
What Makes Movies Eligible for the Cinematic and Box Office Achievement Award?
There are specific criteria that qualify a film for consideration for the Cinematic and Box Office Achievement at the Golden Globes.
“Motion pictures are eligible for the Cinematic and Box Office Achievement award if they achieve a box office receipt total/gross of $150 million, of which $100 million must come from the U.S. domestic box office, and/or obtain commensurate digital streaming viewership recognized by trusted industry sources,” per the Golden Globes website.
The website further states that films released after November 22 “may qualify based on projected box office performance and/or streaming views from recognized industry sources.”
In addition, films nominated in this category “can also be considered for Best Motion Picture in their respective categories, i.e., Drama, Comedy or Musical, Animated or Non-English Language if they meet the eligibility requirements for each of those awards.”
Eligibility is determined by box office and streaming views.
“Once a film meets the box office-related qualifying criteria or streaming criteria, Golden Globes voters will determine the nominees and winner based on excellence,” the website states, adding that eight nominees will be named in the category each year.
Why Was Avatar: Fire and Ash Nominated for the Cinematic and Box Office Achievement at the Golden Globes 2026?
The short answer is that the first two Avatar films were smashing successes, making the third installment a shoe-in for the same result at the box office. The first Avatar film was released in 2009 and remains the highest-grossing movie of all time, making more than $2.9 billion in worldwide box office revenue. The 2022 sequel, Avatar: The Way of Water, earned over $2.3 billion worldwide.
Because the rules for the category state a movie can qualify “based on projected box office performance” prior to its release, that’s likely why Avatar: Fire and Ash earned the nod. Additionally, critics and fans who attended early screenings quickly began raving about the movie, calling it “the ultimate cinematic spectacle,” per Nerdtropolis.
F1, KPop Demon Hunters, Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning, Sinners, Weapons, Wicked: For Good and Zootopia 2 were also nominated in the category ahead of the 2026 ceremony.
Fans React With Confusion After Golden Globes Nomination
After the official 20th Century Studios and Avatar accounts shared posts via Instagram to celebrate the honor, many expressed confusion about the film’s release date and eligibility.
“How? The movie isn’t even out yet,” one person commented, while another said, “Box Office achievement? The Movie isn’t out yet. How do we know what the Box Office will be?”
“Box office achievement?? The movie isn’t event out yet !!!” lead actor Sam Worthington’s wife, Lara Worthington, commented on the post.
Others explained that the early critics’ reviews and box office projections likely played a role in the nomination, with one person suggesting, “The film is viewed in advance by critics.”
Why Was the Cinematic and Box Office Achievement Award Created?
The Golden Globes added the category to acknowledge the dedicated audiences who love going to the theater.
“The idea behind it was to give popular films a place in this award season because those are the films that people have actually gone to see,” Helen Hoehne, president of the Golden Globes, told Vanity Fair in December 2023. “This is how movie theaters are kept alive — by the fans who go to see films on the big screen — and we felt there was a need to recognize those movies as well.”
Avatar: Fire and Ash is due out in theaters on December 19.