Avatar: The Way of Water, the highly anticipated and long-awaited sequel to James Cameron's 2009 multibillion dollar box office hit, has finally arrived in theaters. It's been more than a decade since fans were last transported to Pandora, and Avatar: The Way of Water seems to promise another stunningly immersive experience, at least based on initial reviews.
2009's Avatar was a technical marvel and breakthrough for cinematic visual effects, making it a must-watch on the big screen. Avatar: The Way of Water is equally as impressive, if not more, with its visuals seemingly created for a theatrical experience.
But the world has changed quite a bit since 2009. Covid has upended the movie industry and the emergence of multiple streaming services have altered the way many consume media. While Avatar: The Way of Water is almost surely best experienced in theaters, a three-hour-plus runtime and an uptick in Covid cases may have convinced many to just wait to watch the movie from the comfort and saftey of their home. Unfortunately, you'll probably have to wait a while.
Avatar: The Way of Water is only available to watch in theaters. You can catch the sequel playing in IMAX, 3D, and on standard theater screens.
Eventually, it will find its home on the Disney+ streaming service, but Disney hasn't announced when exactly that'll be. The length of time in which it stays in theaters will likely depend on its box office performance.
Disney doesn't seem to have a rigid schedule when it comes taking its films out of theaters and sending them to Disney+. For Marvel films, it has taken anywhere from 47 days to 70 days to reach Disney+.
Marvel's most recent blockbuster, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, released in theaters on November 11 and Disney still hasn't announced when it will come to Disney+, although early 2023 is the current estimate. However, Walt Disney Animation Studios' sci-fi comedy Strange World arrived in theaters on November 23, but is already set to arrive on streaming on December 23. The difference is undoubtedly the box office performance of each film. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever has scored a whopping $771M at the global box office while Strange World floundered with just $54M worldwide.
So with Avatar: The Way of Water, it will almost certainly depend on its box office numbers. Early opening weekend estimates seem encouraging so far. But even if Avatar: The Way of Water can't capture the same box office success as its predecessor, I wouldn't expect Disney to rush it to streaming. Early reports inducate the production budget alone was in the $250 million range, but director James Cameron recently stated the sequel would need to be the third or fourth highest-grossing film in history just to break even. Given those costs, Disney will likely want it to stick around in theaters a little longer.
We're definitely looking at a 2023 release window for Avatar: The Way of Water on Disney+. The question is whether it will be earier or later in the year. When it does come to home release, you'll be able to watch it on Disney+ with a subscription or rent or buy it digitally on Prime Video at some point. In the meantime, your only way to watch Avatar: The Way of Water is in theaters.