After more than a decade of waiting, Avatar 2, officially titled Avatar: The Way of Water is finally set to arrive at the end of 2022. Why does it look like this will be the release slot that finally sticks? Well, the first Avatar 2 trailer has finally been released online following a brief exclusivity period of being attached to Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Not only that, but given how the trailer’s views are comparable to what recent entries from franchises like Star Wars and Fast & Furious have raked in with their teaser trailers, clearly a lot of people are excited the upcoming movie.
Disney and 20th Century Studios have announced (via THR) that within its first 24 hours, the Avatar: The Way of Water trailer collected 148.6 million views across the world, including 23 million in China alone. That’s more than any of the recent Star Wars movies’ trailers received during that same period, including The Rise of Skywalker, the final Skywalker Saga installment, which netted 112.4 million views. The Way of Water also surpassed the teaser trailers for Black Widow and Incredibles 2 (116.8 million and 113.1 million, respectively), but it didn’t come close to surpassing F9’s teaser trailer, which stood tall with 202.7 million views.
Between all the people who’ve watched the Avatar: The Way of Water trailer online and caught it while seeing Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness in theaters, that’s a lot of eyeballs! On the off chance you haven’t seen the trailer yet, or are simply in the mood to rewatch it, check it out below.
The Avatar: The Way of Water trailer is light on plot details, instead choosing to emphasize ‘teaser’ but compiling various random scenes from around Pandora. Most of the preview is focused on the Navi, specifically Sam Worthington’s Jake Sully (who had his mind transferred to his Na’vi avatar at the end of the first movie), Zoe Saldaña and their children. However, we also catch some glimpses at humans still living on Pandora, including Jake and Neytiri’s adopted son Javier, nicknamed “Spider.” The only piece of dialogue heard in the trailer is when Jake tells Neytiri:
I know one thing. Wherever we go, this family is our fortress.
The first of four Avatar sequels on the way, Avatar: The Way of Water will see the Sully family traveling to other corners of Pandora, though James Cameron also said back in December that part of the movie will also be set on Earth. Among the other familiar faces returning for the sequel are Sigourney Weaver and Stephen Lang, although given what happened to their characters in the first movie, we’re still in the dark about how they’ll be present. Avatar 2’s lineup of newcomers (many of whom will be back for Avatar 3 and perhaps the other sequels) include Kate Winslet, Michelle Yeoh, Edie Falco Jermaine Clement and Vin Diesel.
Avatar: The Way of Water opens in theaters on December 16, and the other three Avatar sequels are dated for the same month in 2024, 2026 and 2028. If you need a refresher on what unfolded in Avatar, the 2009 movie can be streamed with a Disney+ subscription.