Avatar is re-releasing in theaters three months before Avatar: The Way of Water, and the gap between the two makes sense for commercial purposes. Over a decade after Avatar's record-shattering predecessor box office performance, Avatar: The Way of Water is finally taking audiences around the world back to Pandora for 2022's holiday season on December 16. The film is also the first of James Cameron's four intended Avatar sequels, the four planned to release bi-annually between 2022 and 2028.
When it was released theatrically in December 2009, Avatar stunned the world with its breathtaking visual effects, going on to become the highest-grossing movie ever made, a title Avatar even reclaimed after briefly being surpassed by Avengers: Endgame in 2019. Avatar will have another theatrical re-release set to begin on September 23. While this is obviously intended to prime audiences for the long-incoming Avatar 2, the three-month gap between the two films might strike audiences as puzzling.
In truth though, Avatar's box office bolstering re-release preceding the debut of Avatar 2 by such a long period is actually a very wise approach for both of them, but much more so for the original Avatar. The build-up and level of anticipation for Avatar 2 has been tremendous, with a re-release of Avatar simply adding to the excitement with a touch of nostalgia for the world's introduction to Pandora and the Na'vi. At the same time, Avatar's re-release is also strategically being scheduled at a time when it faces less of a risk of getting overlooked.
Avatar 2's Marketing Will Be Huge (& Avatar Is Avoiding That)
Avatar 2 holds the designation of being the biggest and most anticipated tentpole movie of December 2022, and Avatar beginning its re-release shortly in advance of Avatar 2 could subject it to being overshadowed by what is sure to be a massive marketing campaign for Avatar 2. As the underestimated box office titan Avatar 2 nears, trailers, interviews, and other press materials and events for it are certain to continue to build the hype in the lead-up to Avatar 2. If Avatar were to have its re-release a mere two or three weeks ahead of Avatar 2, the attention Avatar 2 is bound to draw could lead to Avatar slipping through the cracks, thus defeating the entire purpose of its re-release.
James Cameron is well-known for taking his time with his pet projects, the Avatar sequels having spent years in development before production on Avatar 2 was even ready to get started. Cameron has also heavily pushed the aquatic side of Pandora that Avatar 2 will focus on, which the film's first trailer has already presented a very astonishing look at. After undergoing six delays, Avatar 2's marketing push is undoubtedly going to make sure that audiences know that the money is on the screen, making Avatar's three-month head-start on Avatar 2 in the former's return to theaters a case of its cards being played well.
It is a common marketing strategy for a sequel to a previous blockbuster for the original have another theatrical run to capitalize on the sequel's anticipation. Avatar arriving in theaters again on September 23 is the latest such example of that for Avatar 2. However, in enlivening anticipation for the sequel to the world's box office champ, Avatar is also giving itself enough space to serve that intended function with the three-month gap between itself and the highly hyped Avatar: The Way of Water.
