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Both Avatar Movies Are Getting Slick New 4K Collector's Editions
We've also got a new 3D release for the original film
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The Avatar franchise has delivered us two of the top three movies ever at the box office, and they're also extremely expensive technical masterpieces, and so it kinda makes sense that Disney would continue to deliver newer and (hopefully) better home video releases for these two films after the sequel dominated theaters last holiday season. The original Avatar came out more than a decade ago, after all — Blu-ray discs have come a long way since Avatar first hit that format in 2010.
On December 19, Disney will unleash a whole slate of new collector's editions for the two Avatar movies, including a new 4K release of the original film that includes a 4K version of the extended cut — which included scenes set on Earth! — that isn't available on streaming at all.
If you want to watch these two films in your home at the highest available quality, physical media is the only way to go. Watching them on Disney+ might be a little more convenient, but streaming will never be able to match the quality of the disc versions — at least not in the foreseeable future. Let's take a look at what we've got.
Avatar: The Way of Water 4K Collector's edition preorders
The highlight of this new 4K edition of Avatar: The Way of Water is no doubt an all-new selection of deleted scenes that weren't on the previous release, along with hours of other new behind-the-scenes material. It also includes 4K and standard Blu-ray versions of the film, and a digital copy code. This premium release comes with a premium price at the moment, going for $42 at Walmart and Amazon, and $45 at Best Buy, but it wouldn't be too surprising if those prices came down before they release on the 19th.
Avatar 4K Collector's Edition preorders
This new 4K edition of the original Avatar is a momentous one, because it includes a 4K upgrade for the extended cut, which is a pretty rare version of the movie that isn't available to stream anywhere — you needed to buy the original Collector's Edition of the movie from 2010, which has been out of print for years. For the purists, that alone makes this new Avatar release worth caring about. On top of that, this edition includes some new bonus features as well — this isn't a repackaged version of an old release.
Avatar 4K Collector's Edition Best Buy-exclusive steelbook preorders
While Best Buy will stop selling physical media in the future, right now it's still doing its thing with an exclusive steelbook edition of Avatar in 4K. This version does not include the extended cuts, however, so if that's what you're looking for you should grab the version above.
Avatar 3D Blu-ray preorders
The best way to watch the original Avatar is still in 3D — the movie was shot for 3D to such degree that it looks a bit strange in 2D, a problem the sequel didn't have. But 3D televisions are increasingly rare in the 4K era, and so are new 3D Blu-ray releases. But nobody's gonna tell James Cameron to stop releasing his movies in 3D on home video — it just ain't happening. And those cinephiles still clinging to their 3DTVs thank him for it.
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