Avatar: The Way of Water is headed to home entertainment, with James Cameron’s film available to buy on digital on March 28.
As part of the release, Disney and 20th Century will debut three hours of bonus materials focusing on topics such as performance capture, creating the undersea world of Pandora, the introduction of the Metkayina reef clan, and the casting of the young actors joining the franchise in Way of Water. It also goes deep into the postproduction process at New Zealand visual effects house Weta, explores how the cast lived off the land in Hawaii in preparation for becoming Na’vi, and dedicates an entire segment to Spider, the character played by actor Jack Champion. The features also delve into the stunts, Cameron’s virtual production team at Lightstorm Entertainment, and the Troupe — the group of performers who play dozens of characters throughout the film.
The release dates for The Way of Water on Blu-ray, Disney+ and digital rental will be announced at a later time.
The Way of Water’s three-month theatrical window is rare in this day and age, and harkens back to the days before the coronavirus shattered windows and in many cases lowered them to 45 days or less. Like Paramount’s Top Gun: Maverick, the film has played and played in theaters, amassing $2.2 billion globally. It currently stands as the No. 3 movie of all time, behind Cameron’s Avatar (2009) and Marvel’s Avengers: Endgame (2019).
Cameron has three more Avatar films on the schedule, with Disney planning them for 2024, 2026 and 2028.