‘Avatar: The Way of Water’s streaming release avoids the big problem that doomed ‘Black Panther 2’ on Disney Plus

[Correction 5:30am CT: A previous version of this article incorrectly stated that Avatar: The Way of Water is available to stream on Disney Plus]

James Cameron’s Avatar: The Way of Water was a monumental success when it hit the theaters in December 2022 and emerged as one of the biggest box-office earners in the history of Hollywood proving that all the skepticism against it couldn’t dismantle its decided success. But it is now available on VOD and many of the criticisms against it are back in full force — whether it is its rather long runtime or how its plot is just a rehash of the first film. Thankfully, one thing that is working in Avatar 2’s favor is that its streaming release managed to neatly side-step a big problem that bogged down the hype around Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’s Disney Plus debut.

Back in February, when Black Panther 2 was released on the streamer — fresh from its stellar success in the theaters — every MCU fan was understandably looking forward to binging it again and marvel at the way it dealt with Chadwick Boseman’s tragic passing. But it soon became apparent that the film was a dark watch in more ways than one as it was beyond difficult to see what was happening in some scenes because of poor lighting, and more so in scenes that were taking place at night, which didn’t register during its theatrical release.

Soon, the film became the stuff of jokes and memes on social media as many wondered how the studio could greenlight a film with such downcast lighting. 

But thankfully, Avatar 2 — despite bringing its own set of issues to the table — managed to bypass this particular landmine as explicitly highlighted in this tweet. 

Many scenes in the Avatar sequel take place at night to depict the ethereal beauty of Pandora, which is one of the biggest reasons the franchise is such a hit. And seeing the long thread of issues that have once again made it to the surface, the streaming release getting that one thing right which made people brave Avatar 2’s three-hour 12-minute runtime definitely deserves all the kudos in the world.