Avatar Making Broadcast TV Premiere Ahead of The Way of Water
To make sure that everyone is up on their homework and ready for the arrival of Avatar: The Way of Water next week, The Walt Disney Company has announced they're going full court press on the original Avatar and will air it on multiple channels on multiple nights. The Oscar-winning movie from writer/director James Cameron is set to make its broadcast debut on ABC this weekend, airing Sunday, December 11th at 7 PM according to Deadline. The film will also air on FX, airing Thursday, December 15th at 8 PM ET and on Sunday, December 18th at 8 PM, and on Freeform on Monday, December 26th at 7:30 PM.
The upcoming Avatar: The Way of Water has been over 13 years in the making and will bring back several characters and continue the storyline that began in the 2009 movie. ABC and Disney airing the film on broadcast television for the first time is already a big deal, but positioning it days before the sequel's opening (and against a lackluster NFL game that night) puts it in a good spot to make a splash.
What if Avatar 2 bombs?
Considering the amount of time it has taken for the second Avatar movie to get made and released, there's been plenty of speculation and chatter on the interest that audiences will even have for a follow-up. Despite his enthusiasm for the films, even James Cameron had to admit that it was something that has crossed his mind as well. Speaking in a recent issue of Total Film Magazine, the Oscar-winning director confirmed they know what they'll do if Avatar: The Way of Water isn't a hut.
"The market could be telling us we're done in three months, or we might be semi-done, meaning: 'Okay, let's complete the story within movie three, and not go on endlessly,' if it's just not profitable," Cameron revealed. "We're in a different world now than we were when I wrote this stuff, even. It's the one-two punch – the pandemic and streaming. Or, conversely, maybe we'll remind people what going to the theater is all about. This film definitely does that. The question is: how many people give a s*** now?"
Avatar: The Way of Water is set to arrive on December 16, 2022, with Avatar 3 set to debut two years later on December 20, 2024.