Prior to the pandemic, it was the norm for movies to be released on Digital platforms no sooner than 90 days after their release in theaters. That all changed in 2020, however, with Disney shortening that release window to 45 days.
As a result, this year has seen Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness hit Disney+ after 47 days, while Thor: Love and Thunder took a mere 62 days. In the case of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, we've heard that the studio extended the window in order to give the sequel a chance to make as much money in theaters as possible.
As a result, it won't hit Disney+ until 2023, but what's the deal with Avatar: The Way of Water?
James Cameron's 3D sequel splashed down into theaters on December 16, and the filmmaker has made no secret of the fact this movie needs to make at least $2 billion to be deemed profitable. It's managed to hit $1 billion after just 12 days, but whether it will have the same legs as its predecessor remains to be seen.
As a result, we don't anticipate the Avatar follow-up hitting Disney+ as soon as February 1. What we do know is that, in the U.S., it will likely premiere on both that streaming platform and HBO Max as a result of a pre-existing deal 20th Century Fox had with HBO (it expires at the end of this year, making Avatar: The Way of Water the final movie to fall under that agreement).
Overseas, things are a little simpler as the movie will be exclusive to Disney+. Unfortunately, no official release date has been announced as of yet. However, based on past experience and Avatar: The Way of Water's current box office performance, we don't anticipate it being made available until March 2023 at the very soonest.
"Avatar: The Way of Water’s epic visuals are impossible to find fault with," we said in our review earlier this month, "but with a paper-thin, painfully boring story and little in the way of character development, this three-hour snoozefest is all style, no substance."
Have you watched the movie on the big screen or are you waiting on its Disney+ debut?