Skip to main content

Digital Trends may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site. Why trust us?

Where to watch Avatar: The Way of Water

After a 13-year wait, the highly anticipated film Avatar: The Way of Water finally hit theaters in December 2022. The Way of Water is the sequel to 2009’s Avatar and serves as the second film in the franchise. Taking place nearly 15 years after the original movie, The Way of Water follows Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) and Neytiri (Zoe Saldaña), who are raising a family of three biological children and two adopted kids. After the return of  Colonel Miles Quaritch, Jake and his family flee from the Omatikaya to live with the Metkayina, an ocean clan who teach the Sullys about the ways of the water.

Like Avatar, which became the highest-grossing film of all time, The Way of Water grossed well over $2 billion worldwide. James Cameron, who wrote and directed the sequel, has directed the first (Avatar), third (The Way of Water), and fourth (Titanic) highest-grossing films of all time. The sequel is now heading to streaming so fans can enjoy the beauty of Pandora in their homes.

Where to watch Avatar: The Way of Water

James Cameron sits on a desk discussing a shot with an actor during filming of Avatar: The Way of Water.

Avatar: The Way of Water will stream on Disney+ and Max.

After Disney’s acquisition of 20th Century Studios, the Avatar franchise is now available on Disney+. After streaming the Way of Water, Disney+ subscribers can relive and stream the first Avatar on the same service. Plus, stay up to date on the latest Marvel and Star Wars projects on Disney+, such as The Mandalorian, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.

Formerly known as HBO Max, the merger of WarnerMedia and Discovery led to the name change of Max, which became official on May 23, 2023. Popular Discovery programs are now available on Max, including Fixer Upper, Property Brothers, DinersDriveins and Dives, and 90 Day Fiancé. HBO programming is still streaming on Max, so Succession, The SopranosThe Wire, and The Last of Us aren’t going anywhere.

When is it streaming for subscribers?

A pair of Na'vi comfort each other in the water while flames spread around them in a scene from Avatar: The Way of Water.

Avatar: The Way of Water is now streaming for subscribers of Disney+ and Max.

How much does it cost?

Avatar: The Way of Water | Official Trailer

To subscribe to Disney+, there are two paid options: Disney+ with ads costs $8 a month, while Disney without ads costs $11 a month. However, the Disney+ bundle may be more advantageous to customers because it includes three services for one monthly price.

  • Hulu (with ads) and Disney+ (with ads) costs $10 a month
  • Hulu (with ads), Disney+ (with ads), and ESPN+ costs $13 a month
  • Hulu (ad-free), Disney+ (ad-free), and ESPN+ costs $20 a month

With Max, there are three paid tiers.

  • Max with ads: Costs $10 a month or $100 a year. Subscribers can stream on two devices at once at Full HD 1080p. There are about four minutes of ads per hour.
  • Max, Ad Free: Costs $16 a month or $150 a year. Stream on two devices at once with full HD 1080p. Subscribers can download up to 30 programs to watch on the go.
  • Max, Ultimate Ad Free: Costs $20 a month or $200 a year. Watch on four devices at once with the ability to stream in 4K UHD via Dolby Atmos on select titles. Subscribers can download up to 100 programs to watch on the go.

Is it worth watching?

A crowd of Na'vi stand in the water in a scene from Avatar: The Way of Water.

Absolutely! Avatar: The Way of Water is worth watching without question. Never bet against Cameron because he always delivers. The Avatar sequel is visually spectacular, which should not come as a surprise to anyone following Cameron’s movies. Despite the three-hour runtime, The Way of Water feels perfectly paced, and the ending leaves the audience wanting more.

Reprising their roles from the first film are CCH Pounder, Giovanni Ribisi, Dileep Rao, Joel David Moore, and Matt Gerald. New cast members include Kate Winslet, Cliff Curtis, Edie Falco, Brendan Cowell, Jermaine Clement, Jamie Flatters, Britain Dalton, Trinity Jo-Li Bliss, Jack Champion, and Bailey Bass. Sigourney Weaver returns to the cast, but she plays the role of Jake’s adopted daughter Kiri, instead of Dr. Grace Augustine, who died in the first film.

Avatar: The Way of Water is directed and produced by Cameron from a script written by Cameron, Rick Jaffa, and Amanda Silver from a story the three wrote with Josh Friedman and Shane Salerno. On Rotten Tomatoes, Avatar: The Way of Water registers 76% on the Tomatometer with a 92% audience score. On Metacritic, the film holds a 67 Metascore with a 7.2 user score.

Dan Girolamo
Dan is a passionate and multitalented content creator with experience in pop culture, entertainment, and sports. Throughout…
What’s new on HBO and Max
Sean Patrick Small as Larry Bird and Quincy Isaiah as Magic Johnson in Winning Time.

We hope that you like Discovery shows because there are a lot of them on Max. And we mean a lot. They definitely overpower the HBO content for the month of August, except for the first of the month when Max adds several movies from the Warner Bros. cinema catalog in addition to a few films from other studios. Additionally, one of HBO's signature series, Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty, is back for its second season as the rivalry between the Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers comes to the forefront during the '80s.

Whether Max is still worth your money remains a question of your personal preference. The HBO originals and the film library are second to none, but Discovery's "reality" shows are of dubious quality in our opinion. Regardless, we've included everything in our complete list of what's coming to HBO and Max in August. Titles without "HBO" in the listing will only be available on Max. Our film and TV show recommendations are in bold.

Read more
5 action movies on Max that are perfect to watch in the summer
Tom Cruise and Emily Blunt star in Edge of Tomorrow.

The summer is all about the blockbuster. These types of movies are the perfect form of escapism. There's nothing better than sitting in a cold theater on a hot summer day with a huge tub of popcorn as you prepare for a blockbuster to blow your mind. The action movie tends to be the best blockbuster because of the nonstop thrills and riveting entertainment.

It is important to get to your local theater and watch movies. However, there are ways to bring the blockbuster into your home. Here are five action movies available on Max that are perfect to watch over the summer.
Max Max 2 (1981)

Read more
Where to watch Sound of Freedom
Jim Caviezel in Sound of Freedom.

If you're unfamiliar with Angel Studios' Sound of Freedom, it's because this is a rare film to make noise at the summer box office that isn't getting released by one of the primary studios. As noted by Variety, the film has made over $40 million since it opened in theaters on July 4th.

Person of Interest and The Passion of the Christ star Jim Caviezel headlines the film as Tim Ballard, a former Homeland Security agent who founded Operation Underground Railroad, an organization dedicated to fighting child trafficking around the world. The film purports to be based on a true story based on Ballard's mission to save children from sex traffickers in Colombia.

Read more