Want to Watch ‘Avatar’ Before the Sequel Comes Out? You’ll Need to Pay

On December 18, 2009, James Cameron brought fans into the world of the Na’vi with his visually stunning film, Avatar. Avatar told the story of a paraplegic Marine named Jake Sully, who traveled to a moon called Pandora, as he and fellow humans work to retrieve Unobtanium. While there, Jake inhabits a Na’vi/human hybrid, called an avatar. As Jake becomes closer to the Na’vi, he becomes torn between doing his job and protecting the Na’vi from the dangers that humans pose to their world. Avatar was an immediate hit and is one of the most successful movies of all time.

Credit: 20th Century

In 2019, The Walt Disney Company purchased 21st Century Fox, and with it, Fox’s entire entertainment library, including Avatar. The movie was immediately put on Disney+ and fans could now stream it whenever they wanted. Fans had been hoping for an Avatar sequel since the first film came out, but were only told that a slate of them was in the works. Release years would be given and then pushed back and canceled. However, earlier this year, fans were finally shown the light at the end of the tunnel when Disney announced that Avatar: The Way of Water will hit theaters on December 16, 2022.

Credit: 20th Century Studios

Now, if you were hoping to snuggle up with your favorite blanket and your favorite snack and watch Avatar once more before Way of the Water premieres in theaters, I’m afraid we have some bad news for you. Avatar is no longer on Disney+ and will most likely not be before the new movie comes out. Avatar is missing on both Disney+ in the US and Disney+ in the UK.

As the summer winds down and as studios prepare to release their big holiday tent-poles, Disney will be releasing Avatar in theaters on September 23. So, if you want to relive the magic before the sequel comes out, you’ll have to whip out your wallet. We don’t know how long the film will be in theaters, but it is expected to be available in both 2D and 3D formats.

Credit: 20th Century

There are not many details yet on Avatar: The Way of Water, but here is what we do know:

Set more than a decade after the events of the first film, “Avatar: The Way of Water” begins to tell the story of the Sully family — Jake, Neytiri and their kids — and the trouble that follows them, the lengths they go to keep each other safe, the battles they fight to stay alive and the tragedies they endure…

Guests who are visiting Walt Disney World and want to get their Avatar fix before the new film comes out in December can head to Animal Kingdom Park and visit Pandora: The World of Avatar. There, Guests can ride down a river through a bioluminescent rainforest and take a ride on the back of a banshee. They can dine at Satu’li Canteen and purchase their very own stuffed banshee.

Again, Avatar: The Way of Water will premiere in theaters on December 16. Avatar 3 will premiere on December 20, 2024, Avatar 4 on December 18, 2026, and Avatar 5 is scheduled to come out on December 22, 2028.