‘Avatar: The Way of Water’ Heading to Premium Video On-Demand in March; When Will It Be Available on Streaming?
‘Avatar: The Way of Water’ Heading to Premium Video On-Demand in March; When Will It Be Available on Streaming?
“Avatar: The Way of Water” is nominated for four Oscars at this weekend’s 95th Academy Awards, but that isn’t the only thing to get excited about for the film this week: James Cameron’s sequel to 2009’s “Avatar” will soon be available for digital purchase. So, if you’ve been waiting patiently for the blockbuster sci-fi epic to grace your screens, your prayers have been answered.
The film will be available to purchase on March 28 on Prime Video, Apple TV, Vudu, Movies Anywhere, and other digital outlets. The movie will include more than three hours of extra material that explores the world of Pandora and the unusual production method needed to make the movie. The film’s release on premium video-on-demand (PVOD) will come 102 days after it was released in theaters, but as of yet, there’s no word on when “Avatar: The Way of Water” will be available on Disney+.
Disney typically keeps movies in theaters for 45 to 70 days before making them available on its streaming program. Both Marvel’s “Eternals”(68 days) and “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” (70 days) came to Disney+ around six weeks after debuting in theaters in the fall of 2021. “Thor: Love and Thunder” spent 62 days in cinemas before debuting on Disney+ Day on Sept. 8, 2022.
However, there are exceptions to these rules for box office successes and flops. “Strange World” debuted on Disney+ a mere 30 days after its theatrical debut after bombing at the box office. Meanwhile, the blockbuster hit “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” arrived on both transactional video-on-demand (TVOD) and Disney+ on Feb. 1, 82 days after its theatrical release – though the simultaneous release is likely due to the fact that it was timed with the start of Black History Month. This makes sense as “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” grossed nearly eight times as much as “Strange World” did at the worldwide box office.
Meanwhile, “Avatar: The Way of Water” has grossed nearly $2.3 billion globally, around 2.5 times as much as “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” and is still playing in Therefore, it’s only natural that Disney would want to keep it in theaters for as long as possible before releasing it on streaming. After all, the film was expensive to make, with estimates of $250 million. Cameron previously told GQ for “Avatar: The Way of Water” to earn a profit, it would have to be the third or fourth highest-grossing film in history. Well, it’s now the third highest-grossing film of all time, which is why it’s being released on PVOD now.
As for when it will come to Disney+ is another question. The sequel is close to equaling the performance of the first “Avatar” movie — which grossed $2.9 billion — so it’s more likely that “Avatar: The Way of Water” will resemble a “Top Gun: Maverick”-style theatrical window. That film had a theatrical run of nearly seven months by the time it hit Paramount+ on Dec. 22 and has generated nearly $1.5 billion at the box office. “The Way of Water” is approaching $2.23 billion in worldwide grosses and is still playing on 2,300 screens in the United States alone.
Given all of this, executives most likely won’t think about releasing the film on Disney+ until its money-making prowess levels off, both at the box office and on PVOD. That will most likely happen in the next three months, meaning that we are going to stick with our December prediction that “Avatar: The Way of Water” will follow a similar theatrical window to “Top Gun: Maverick,” and come to streaming six months after arriving in cinemas. That would put its arrival date on Disney+ in mid-June.
Disney+
Disney+ is a video streaming service with over 13,000 series and films from Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, National Geographic, The Muppets, and more. It is available in 61 countries and 21 languages. It is notable for its popular original series like “The Mandalorian,” “Ms. Marvel,” “Loki,” “Obi-Wan Kenobi,” and “Andor.”