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The biggest movie of the year is now hitting theaters around the globe but will the movie eventually head to Netflix? Well, the chances are you know the answer will be no. While that may seem an obvious answer to most, here’s why.
James Cameron is taking us back to Pandora after 13 years after the original, and a lot has changed. Firstly, the movie’s distributor, 20th Century Fox, is no longer independent after Disney’s acquisition in 2016.
The movie is looking to be a smash hit at the box office, and while the first movie’s box office looks difficult to match, Disney is throwing its total weight behind it.
Why Netflix nowhere in the world will carry Avatar or Avatar: The Way of Water
While Netflix has existing deals and relationships with many of the biggest movie distributors in the world, that’s not the case with Disney anymore.
As a result, the movie will avoid a Netflix release in any form in the months, years, and likely decades to come.
While Netflix has carried the Disney theatrical slate before in many regions (including most notably the United States between 2016 and 2019), those taps have been since turned off.
Instead, Disney and all of its subsidiaries have self-dealt, so to speak, to their platforms, whether that’s Disney+ and Star internationally or Disney+ and Hulu in the United States.
Avatar: The Way of Water will head to Netflix DVD
The one exception that the title alludes to is the fact that Avatar: The Way of Water will eventually be available to rent in the United States through Netflix’s DVD.com service.
It takes around 110 days for physical releases for Disney releases in which case you’re looking for the Bluray/DVD to be able to rent from April 2023.
When will Avatar: The Way of Water be on Disney+/Hulu?
Friends of What’s on Netflix, What’s on Disney Plus has provided a comprehensive rundown on the movie’s streaming plans thus far.
In the United States, the streaming rights for all 20th Century Fox movies are still split between HBO Max and Disney+/Hulu (they note it’s more likely Disney+ in this instance).
Internationally, they state the movie may be available on Disney+ as soon as March 2023. It’s unclear whether Disney will extend the theatrical window for the movie.
When it hits theaters, will you be checking out Avatar: The Way of Water? Let us know in the comments.