Both Avatar Movies in Order: How Many Sequels Will There Be?
James Cameron is one of the greatest living directors, especially considering that three of his movies — Titanic, Avatar, and Avatar: The Way of Water — grossed more than $2 billion worldwide. We still remember when the original Avatar movie was released in 2009. It was Cameron’s first movie since Titanic and thanks to its ground-breaking effects and proper introduction of 3D technology in movie-making it became a global phenomenon and the highest-grossing movie of all time.
After the release of the original movie, James Cameron started developing a sequel, which later turned into the development of multiple sequels, and after 13 years of waiting, Avatar: The Way of Water was finally released in December 2022, and the third movie is closing in every day. So, in this article, we’ll give you a proper breakdown of how many Avatar movies are there and how many will there be in the future.
How Many Avatar Movies Are There?
At the time of writing this article, there are two Avatar movies, both written, directed, produced, and edited by James Cameron. The first movie was released in 2009 by 20th Century Fox, while the sequel was released by 20th Century Studios, now under the ownership of Disney since 2019.
Avatar Movies in Order (At a Glance)
It’s pretty interesting how we got only two movies for a franchise that began 13 years ago. Down here you can check every Avatar movie released so far.
- Avatar (2009)
- Avatar: The Way of Water (2022)
Will there be more Avatar movies, you can find that out at the bottom of the article.
Are Avatar Movies Connected? Do You Need to Watch Them in a Specific Order?
The Way of Water is a direct sequel to the original movie, although it takes place 15 years after the events of the original. Well, no one can forbid you to watch The Way of Water first (if, by some thin chance, you haven’t seen the original yet), but it’s definitely not recommended. Considering the ending of the third movie, it’s most likely you’ll need to watch these movies in order because, unlike the original movie, the sequel finished with some cliffhangers.
What Is the Best Way to Watch Avatar Movies?
Besides the fact that Avatar movies should be experienced in order of their release date, another thing for which Avatar is known is that these movies should be experienced on the biggest possible screen and in the best possible format. We can easily recommend watching them on Blu-Ray, particularly because of the extended cut of the original movie, but if that isn’t an option, the theatrical cut of the original movie is now available on Disney+, and the sequel will join in eventually. The main rule is to avoid watching Avatar on a laptop, or, even worse, something even smaller.
Avatar Movies in Order
1. Avatar (2009)
Avatar was the first film directed by James Cameron after his legendary Titanic. The film follows former Marine Jake Sully who is given the opportunity to continue the work of his deceased brother. After being sent to the planet Pandora, Jake enters a genetically modified Avatar body to infiltrate a native clan called the Omaticaya. There he meets a beautiful but fearsome Na’vi warrior named Neytiri. Falling in love with Neytiri and the way of life on Pandora, Jake is faced with a difficult choice; continue his mission or help the natives get rid of the uninvited guests.
2. Avatar: The Way of Water (2022)
After the original film became a worldwide phenomenon, James Cameron announced a sequel that was 13 long years in the making. In December 2022, audiences finally returned to Pandora. After the events of the original film, Jake and Neytiri started a family and things seemed to finally be as they should be. Until the colonizers from Earth returned and Jake’s mortal enemy Miles Quaritch also returned in the form of an Avatar body. With another war raging, Jake leads his family to the mermen of Metkayine. But he will soon realize that even if he can escape the war, the war cannot escape him.
Where to Watch Avatar Movies?
The original Avatar movie is currently available on Disney+, but only the original cut of the movie. The extended cut is only available on Blu-Ray. At this moment (January 2023), Avatar: The Way of Water still plays in theaters, and it’s unknown when will it release on the streaming service. Considering that The Way of Water is still doing a good job with its theatrical release, it’s presumed that Disney will wait a while until they achieve the maximum profit from the box office before they release the movie on the streaming service.
Will There Be More Avatar Movies?
Yes. Although it started as the development of only one sequel, James Cameron expanded the development to even four sequels, out of which only one is released so far. There are three more announced movies. Each of these movies has a working title that is yet to be confirmed.
- Avatar: The Seed Bearer (2024)
- Avatar: The Tulkun Rider (2026)
- Avatar: The Quest for Eywa (2028)
Each of these films is slated to release in December of the respective release year. James Cameron previously stated that he might teach someone to direct more films after he finishes his five films, but that is still in the distant future.
