How did 'Avatar: Fire and Ash' bag a Golden Globe 2026 nod before release?

Avatar: Fire and Ash landed a Golden Globes 2026 nomination before fans even had the chance to buy a ticket, sparking plenty of confusion online.

The James Cameron blockbuster scored a nod for Cinematic and Box Office Achievement on December 8, 2025, over a week before the film’s theatrical release. As unusual as it sounds, the nomination falls squarely within the rules of the revamped Golden Globes category.

Introduced in 2023, the Cinematic and Box Office Achievement award was created to recognise the year’s most viewed, highest-earning and most talked-about films. Barbie claimed the first trophy in 2024 after grossing $1.4 billion, followed by Wicked in 2025 with more than $758 million worldwide. Even Wicked: For Good earned a nomination based on its early $440 million haul.

According to 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.” Films released after November 22 can also qualify “based on projected box office performance and/or streaming views.”

That’s where Avatar: Fire and Ash comes in. With the first two films bringing in a combined $5.2 billion, the third installment is expected to repeat that runaway success. The category’s guidelines allow voters to consider projections, and with critics praising early screenings, the nomination was hardly a surprise.

Other nominees in the category include F1, KPop Demon Hunters, Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning, Sinners, Weapons, Wicked: For Good and Zootopia 2.