Reruns in theaters, Disney+ quietly removes Avatar

Reruns in theaters, Disney+ quietly removes Avatar

Ahead of Avatar (2009) in theaters, Disney+ quietly removed the film from its platform.

Reruns in theaters, Disney+ quietly removes Avatar

Disney+ has quietly removed the Avatar movie from its platform, ahead of its re-release in theaters next month. First released in 2009, Avatar still stands as the highest-grossing film of all time, grossing a total of $2.8 billion at the worldwide box office.

The success of the first film prompted director James Cameron to turn Avatar into a franchise, and finally announced four sequels to be released through 2028.

After being impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic, the first sequel, Avatar: The Way of Water is slated to debut later this year on December 16. To help fans bring back memories of the first film, Disney announced it will re-release Avatar in theaters in September, with remastered audio and image versions.

Reporting from ScreenRant (18/8), ahead of its rerun in theaters, Disney+ quietly removed the film from its platforms worldwide. There's been no official announcement from Disney or 20th Century Studios, but the timing is right with the re-release. 

The move was likely made in an attempt to lure more people into theaters and increase Avatar's worldwide box office total for a second time. 

Besides, sooner or later the image and audio remastered version of Avatar means it will also be released on Disney+. However, there is no indication when that will happen. Likely not until the theater re-release is complete and before The Way of Water debuts in December. Until then, audiences can catch Avatar in theaters on September 23.