Since December 14, 2022, “Avatar 2: The Way Of Water” has been breaking cinema records – internationally, but especially in Germany. Because, as expected, what cinematographers already knew in advance becomes known: The sequel to “Avatar” is the ultimate textbook example of a must-see movie. The visually revolutionary blockbuster epic is finally a cinematic experience that lives up to this title across the board. And as such, it can only be viewed in home theater with restrictions.
Even more than with other films, it is therefore the clear goal that a large number of people in particular will eventually see “Avatar 2” in the way that the makers always envisioned for their film: on the screen. Sooner or later “The Way Of Water” will of course also be available for home use. But when? And will there be one or even two extended versions, such as “Avatar – Aufbruch nach Pandora”?
However, before we look at the movie’s potential home theater and streaming release, there’s one thing we can’t stress enough: Keeping the movie ticket and immediately waiting for the evaluation of the home theater would be a mistake. Because even if you save yourself the money for the movie ticket, you also miss the chance to dive deeper than ever into the fascinating world of Pandora.
Avatar: The Way Of Water Coming Soon To Disney+?
In recent weeks, the announcements of theatrical films coming to Disney+ after a short time have increased – where “Avatar 2” will end sooner or later. Not only did box office flops like “Strange World” or “Amsterdam” sink into streaming after just a few weeks, the acclaimed critics favorite “The Menu” only got a window of two months. Yes, even successful Marvel hits like “Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness” could be watched at home in a very short time. The difference: Avatar 2 is not like those other movies.
“The Way Of Water” cost a lot more money to produce than the movies just mentioned, which are anything but ready-made productions. A lot of money also flowed into the development of brand new 3D technology, which was necessary in the first place for James Cameron to realize his vision. And one thing is clear: “Avatar 2” is designed for 3D – a format that hardly exists in the home theater anymore. Modern 4K TVs are not 3D capable and 3D movies cannot be streamed via Disney+ and Co.
Sure, sooner or later the second Pandora adventure will also be available on Disney+ – and it will certainly look great in 2D (and in 4K). Finally we think it’s unlikely the movie will come to Disney+ while it’s still in theaters. Certainly not as long as it attracts far more people to the cinemas every week than any other film. And that’s a good thing. Although there is no home theater start date yet, so for potential waiters and cinema rejects it is not yet within reach, one or the other can still give themselves a push in the direction of the cinema.
While there’s already a buzz on the internet about a possible home theater launch date…
Home theater launch in April 2023?
The portal is a reliable and usually well-informed source when it comes to Blu-ray bargains or novelties – on an international scale. And so it’s not surprising that the site has the first information about a possible home theater release of “The Way Of Water” first:
According to “Avatar 2” will be released for home theater on April 26, 2023 – at least in Australia. Now, of course, we don’t have to worry about what’s happening on the other side of the world. Especially with blockbusters of this size, which have the same distribution worldwide, there is usually an international release at the same time or a little later. Incidentally, the distance between cinema and home theater launches would also roughly match the timing Disney had with “Avengers: Endgame”. And if there is a movie whose dimension is comparable to that of “The Way Of Water”, it is probably the ultimate Marvel spectacle, which also lasts well over three hours.
We cannot understand exactly where from that information, however, classifies the site as highly reliable, and so can well imagine that there could actually be a home theater review of “Avatar 2” in just over three months. However, nothing has been officially confirmed on this yet.
“Avatar 2” longer in home theater than in cinema?
“Avatar – Leave for Pandora“ appeared in cinemas in 2009 in a 162-minute version, but in home cinema there was a double look-up: The film was released on Blu-ray in a set with two additional alternate editions: in addition to the theatrical version, there was also a version that was almost eight minutes longer made, but there was also one more which ultimately lasted no less than 178 minutes.
It is therefore not surprising that even part 2 goes a step further in the home cinema. We met producer Jon Landau for an interview a few months ago, and at the time we heard a relatively clear “no” when asked if there was still some kind of would follow. James Cameron is now at a point in his career where he can release “his movie” exactly the way he wants. It is by no means certain that it will ultimately remain with the well-known theatrical version.
Yes, Cameron has a status as a director like few others. But the creators of “Terminator” and “Titanic” had that before the first trip to Pandora. In addition, the filmmaker has already announced that he has cut almost ten minutes of gun violence from the final film. In any case, there is much more material that did not make it to the cinema. In any case, inserting at least parts of it into the movie could be a strong selling point for home theater exploitation. And such an argument probably does not hurt. After all, the big 3D cinema bonus is no longer available in the home cinema…
We asked Disney directly how far the home video release of what could soon become the highest-grossing film of all time has progressed and what we can expect in that regard. As soon as there is the first concrete, confirmed information, you can read more about it on FILMSTARTS.