Many fans were shocked about Avatar: Fire and Ash's Golden Globes 2026 nomination for Cinematic and Box Office Achievement despite not yet being released - including star Sam Worthington's wife, Lara Worthington. The nomination was announced on Monday, December 8, with the official Avatar and 20th Century Studios Instagram accounts writing, "Congratulations to the cast and crew of Avatar: Fire and Ash for their Golden Globe nomination for Best Cinematic and Box Office Achievement," in a joint post. Sam's wife reacted in the comments section underneath the post, writing, "Box office achievement?? The movie isn't even out yet !!!" The remark prompted several responses from other Instagram users, with one fan replying, "@laraworthington probably pre-sales tickets and tracking," while another said, "@laraworthington it's just like everything else, trends and investments, that's how the world works, you should know that by now at this adult age." A third person echoed, "@laraworthington pre-sales." Jonathan Bailey and More of the Biggest 2026 Golden Globes Snubs "How?" another person simply asked in a comment. X users were equally as perplexed by the nomination, with one person writing, "In what dimension is this already out? my calendar says I've got to wait another two weeks to see it." "How the f*** is a non-released movie nominated for that?" a second X user asked, as a third said, "Avatar getting a box office achievement nomination before getting any box office returns LMAOOOO this category is USELESS LMAO #GoldenGlobes." "I know the Golden Globes' Cinematic and Box Office Achievement award is nonsense pandering and we're just meant to acknowledge this and move on, but how can they nominate 'Avatar: Fire and Ash' when it hasn't made any money yet?" asked a fourth person. Avatar: Fire and Ash is slated to release on December 19, however, it still meets the requirements for the Cinematic and Box Office Achievement category because "films that are released after November 22 may qualify based on projected box office performance and/or streaming views from recognized industry sources," per the rules on the official Golden Globes website. VALERIE MACON / AFP The Cinematic and Box Office Achievement category was first introduced in late 2023, with Barbie bringing home the inaugural award at the 2024 Golden Globes. Wicked earned the honor at the 2025 ceremony. The race is tight for 2026, with F1, KPop Demon Hunters, Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning, Sinners, Weapons, Wicked: For Good and Zootopia 2 joining Avatar: Fire and Ash in the category. The Avatar franchise has had an impressive run at the box office with the 2009 film grossing over $2.9 billion worldwide, making it the highest-grossing movie of all time. The 2022 sequel, Avatar: The Way of Water, also had a remarkable box office run, earning over $2.3 million worldwide. The third film is expected to be just as victorious when it premieres later this month. "When we have all this stuff coming at us all day long, when we're scrolling and multitasking, we actually long for a moment of focus and that's what the theater can give us," director James Cameron said on Good Morning America on Monday about creating the film. As for what fans can expect to see from the third installment of the franchise, Stephen Lang, who portrays Colonel Miles Quaritch, teased, "For longtime fans, it gives you so much of what you expect to see because each of the characters is just deeper, richer."