If you were one of the few moviegoers who hasn’t seen Avatar: The Way Of Water in theaters and are hoping to catch it on Disney+, you’ll have to wait a while longer.

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The controversial sci-fi may have a digital release date of March 28, with up to three hours of bonus footage, but there are still no signs of when the 20th Century Studios film will be available to stream on Disney+.
It’s been a long time since audiences could only watch the biggest blockbuster films exclusively in theaters before being able to watch them at home. Since streaming came along, the movie theater experience has changed. It only takes a few weeks before a film moves from the big screen to the one in your living room. That was until the sequel to 2009’s Avatar, by movie master James Cameron, made a powerful statement at the box office.
Avatar: The Way Of Water broke past the 2 billion dollar mark just a few weeks ago, with numbers that haven’t been seen since Marvel’s Avengers: End Game (2019). Cameron credits this success to the studio allowing the film to stay in theaters for so long.

Cameron has been very vocal about wanting the audience to see it in theaters. Cameron told NPR he doesn’t want people at home distracted by their phones while watching the film, something that we have all been guilty of when we play movies on our Smart TVs.
In a red carpet interview during the Golden Globes this year, Cameron exclaimed, “enough with the streaming already!”. The director makes it very clear that he is not a fan of streaming services.
James Cameron on what #Avatar's success means for the film industry: “We're back to theaters…Enough with the streaming already! I’m tired of sitting on my a–!” #GoldenGlobes https://t.co/ywZXlvQL4G pic.twitter.com/RP0IQbrxpv
— Variety (@Variety) January 10, 2023
This could be why the sequel isn’t going straight to Disney+ first but instead taking time to do a digital (and eventually physical copy) release. It’s the way things were meant to be. Unlike Encanto (2021) and Strange World (2022), which arrived on the streaming platform only weeks after being in theaters, Avatar: The Way Of Water returns to a more nostalgic time when you had to wait a while before watching a blockbuster movie from the comfort of your couch.

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You can still enjoy the film from home on March 28 if you plan on buying a digital copy. And surprisingly, if you currently check your local movie theater, you can still catch it on the big screen. The way James Cameron intended you to watch it.