A lot has changed since the first Avatar shook up the industry back in 2009. We’re now in the age of streaming – with many moviegoers expecting some of the biggest and newest releases to be available on streaming service mere months after their world premieres.
James Cameron, though, has always done things differently. And we expect that to be the case again with Avatar: The Way of Water eventually finding its home on Disney Plus. Join us below as we dive into all the possibilities surrounding the Avatar sequel’s streaming release date – and what other blockbusters can tell us about when it’s coming to Disney Plus.
When is Avatar: The Way of Water coming to Disney Plus?
As of right now, we simply don’t know. But we have a few ideas. Post-COVID, new releases have typically been placed on streaming services around 45-60 days after hitting theaters. There are, however, some outliers. Marvel Studios’ output have taken up to 70 days to hit streaming, while recent Disney release Strange World is being fast-tracked on to Disney Plus after just 30 days.
These aren’t likely to factor into Avatar: The Way of Water’s streaming plans (which, for the avoidance of doubt, haven’t been announced yet). Instead, we should focus on its closest comparison: Top Gun: Maverick.
Avatar 2 and Tom Cruise’s billion-dollar hit are alike in many ways: they both preach the importance of the cinematic experience, draw in large numbers across particularly busy seasons, and each will – and did – have long legs at the box office.
Top Gun: Maverick was released on May 27, 2022. It won’t hit streaming until December 22, 2022 on Paramount Plus. That’s nearly seven months later – an almost impossibly long wait in today’s day and age.
We can expect The Way of Water to follow a similar path. There may not be a streaming release date, but we shouldn’t expect the Avatar sequel to hit Disney Plus any time before July 2023.
Given the original Avatar’s absurdly long run in cinemas (almost eight months), it may be nearer to August or September before we see the Sullys on our screens. To speculate further, we wouldn’t be surprised to see a Disney Plus release drop simultaneously with Disney’s D23 event, starting September 8, 2023. Circle that in your calendars, just in case.
Want more on Avatar: The Way of Water? Check out our pieces on the Avatar: The Way of Water ending explained.
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