Disney has been slammed for removing the world’s highest-grossing film Avatar from its streaming service.
Many wanted to watch the acclaimed 2009 original ahead of its eagerly-anticipated sequel Avatar: The Way of Water, which is out at the end of the year.
It’s believed the popular movie was dumped as the first Avatar is being re-released in cinemas, ahead of the sequel, on September 23.
Social media erupted in fury at the decision, with many on Twitter branding the move both ‘stupid’ and ‘concerning’.
Several said it was a cynical ploy designed to get more people to buy tickets to see the film on the big screen.
“So @disneyplus removed #Avatar. I’m sure it has absolutely nothing to do with its impending cinema re-release,” one person wrote, with another adding: “They want to force you to watch it in a THEATRE.”
Many users were quick to say they still love seeing films on the big screen, but pointed out that if users were shelling out a monthly fee for Disney Plus, then it should be up to the customer if they want to watch it.
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'Still important to own films on DVD or Blu-ray'
Others dismissed the notion of streaming platforms, and said the whole incident just highlighted how important it was to still own films on DVD or Blu-ray.
“Disney Plus has taken off Avatar, I guess as they’re gonna re-release in cinemas and it just shows up the importance of owning physical media,” one person noted.
The re-release of Avatar – which caused a sensation back in the noughties with its ambitious, game-changing 3D visuals - will see the global juggernaut further cement its title as the world’s highest-grossing film.
This enviable accolade had previously belonged to Avengers: Endgame, which grossed a colossal £2.35bn.
But Avatar’s recent re-release in China has plumped up its takings to a world-beating £2.4bn.
Avatar
James Cameron’s Avatar has a healthy 7.8 rating on IMDB, with user ClaytonDavis saying it was ‘one of the best cinematic experiences ever’, while NonSequiturl said it offered ‘incredible scope and spectacle’.
The story involves the lush alien world of Pandora, home to the highly-evolved Na’vi.
A high concentration of carbon dioxide in the Pandoran atmosphere makes it extremely poisonous to humans, who can only navigate it with the help of a human/Na’vi hybrid called an Avatar.
The film stars Sam Worthingon as a paralysed ex-Marine Jake Sully who uses the technology to become mobile again, and later falling for a Na’vi woman.
Our hero ultimately gets drawn into a battle to save her world.
Avatar: The Way of Water:
Set more than a decade after the events of the first film, Avatar: The Way of Water fleshes out the story of the Sully family and the extraordinary lengths they go to in an effort to keep each other safe. Rumours are the special effects for this sequel will be among the best the world has yet seen. Avatar 2 , like its predecessor, will be presented in 3D.
*Avatar will be re-released in cinemas on September 23, with sequel Avatar: The Way of Water , arriving on December 16.
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