Well over a decade ago movie maestro James Cameron birthed a film empire that would go down in cinema history forever. That was, of course, his groundbreaking 2009 film Avatar. Venturing into previously untapped territory, the sci-fi epic was hailed globally for its striking visuals, CGI and cinematography in an offering that seamlessly married the CGI with traditional motion picture. Then, last year, after years of longing audiences were finally gifted Avatar: The Way of Water, yet another elevated entry in Pandora’s glittering universe offering even more vibrant visuals courtesy of how far technology has come since the first installment. Sadly, audiences will have to wait longer than previously expected to sink their teeth into the next installment following a shake-up in Disney‘s theatrical release schedule.

Previously, Avatar 3 was tipped for release on 20 December 2024 but has now sadly been pushed back a year to 19 December 2025. Avatar 4 won’t be making a splash in theaters until 21 December 2029 – a hefty three years later than its original release date of 18 December 2026. Meanwhile, Avatar 5 will take audiences into the new decade with a new release date of 19 December 2031, a three-year pushback from its initial release of 22 December 2028.

Although the news is undoubtedly an unwelcome blow to eager viewers, the good news is that by 2031 technology will likely have advanced significantly enough that Pandora will only benefit from it. Given that Cameron chose to hold out on The Way of Water‘s release with technological advancement in mind, perhaps better will come of it.

Avatar 3 Has Some Big Boots to Fill

If The Way of Water is anything to go by, Avatar 3 likely won’t be any worse off for the delay with anticipation likely only mounting further. The Way of Water saw a massively successful run cementing itself as the highest-grossing movie of 2022 overtaking Cameron with his legendary blockbuster Titanic thanks to its $2.3 billion cume. However, it is still shy of the original Avatar‘s heavy legacy, which boasts a mind-blowing $2.9 billion total – retaining its place as the biggest hitter of all time.

via Collider