Avatar: The Way of Water is finally headed to streaming services, though surprisingly Disney Plus isn’t yet one of them.
This follow-up to the original Avatar movie that was released in 2009 has been exclusively playing in cinemas for more than three months. Now Disney has announced that it’ll be available from March 28 in the US (or April 4 in the UK) as a digital purchase, and you'll be able to watch it at home via Apple TV, Amazon Prime Video, and other streamers.
When it does launch, those of you with one of the best 4K TVs and best soundbars will be able to enjoy the film in all its Ultra HD glory, with immersive Dolby Atmos audio. In addition, you’ll reportedly be able to enjoy “over three hours of never-before-seen bonus content featuring the filmmakers, cast, and crew” with your purchase.
Considering that Avatar 2 was produced by 20th Century Fox, which is now owned by Disney, many Disney Plus subscribers will likely have expected the film to release on that streaming platform first. However, it looks like they’ll have to wait a little longer before they can watch the film at home, unless they pay to watch it on another service.
That said, we expect Avatar 2 will come to Disney Plus eventually; it’ll likely just take a little longer, as Disney and Fox appear to be taking a more ‘traditional’ approach to film releases, with the movie only available via DVD or paid digital VOD before being launched on Disney's own streaming service at no extra charge to subscribers.
In our Avatar: The Way of Water review, we called the four-and-a-half-star flick a “phenomenal feat of filmmaking”. Director James Cameron’s return to Pandora wholly delivers on his promise of a film filled with unbelievably beautiful visual effects. The lengthy runtime can be a little frustrating, and the third act feels very familiar; however, the story is surprisingly moving, and you have fewer reasons to miss out on this flick now that it’s available to watch at home.
