Avatar 2 finally has a title and a teaser trailer — but there's a catch

(Image credit: Twentieth Century Studios/Avatar.com)

So, remember Avatar 2? How James Cameron is working on a total of four sequels to the box office-owning movie (which lost its title to Avengers: Endgame before taking it back in a re-release)? Well, Avatar 2 finally has a name — and we're actually going to see some of it soon.

How much of it we're going to see, though, is to be determined. Teaser trailers, as you know, are notoriously varied when it comes to how much of the teased film we're going to get.

Today, we learned all of the above when, as The Hollywood Reporter reported, producer Jon Landau told audiences at CinemaCon (a convention for theater owners) that Avatar 2 is Avatar: The Way of Water (one of the previously-reported title options). Audiences donned their 3D glasses and watched the trailer, which they appear to be sworn to secrecy about (i.e. no leaks yet).

When will we get to see the trailer? It will debut on May 4 (months ahead of its December 16, 2022 release), exclusively in front of Disney and Marvel Studios' Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. That means, you guessed it: this trailer won't be available for online audiences for a short while.

Analysis: Making Avatar big again

It's been 13 years since James Cameron's sci-fi epic Avatar hit theaters and crushed the box office and tried to create a revolution in 3D movie-making. It dropped in 2009, a year after Robert Downey Jr. became Iron Man, and started the ball rolling on the MCU.

Now, years later, Cameron's four Avatar sequels are finally happening, but arriving in a world that already has plenty of cinematic universes. Regardless of what you or I may think of Avatar as a film (its 82% Rotten Tomatoes score doesn't say a whole lot), its box office numbers are still a sign of the popularity and interest in sequels.

But for those of us who aren't keyed in? Putting Avatar 2's trailer behind a ticketed paywall with Doctor Strange 2 may be the kind of move that renews interest. This action makes the 20th Century Fox movie adjacent to the MCU, and makes it feel almost special.

That said, all those who aren't chomping at the bit for Avatar 2 will likely feel more than OK waiting for the clip to eventually hit YouTube.

Next: Avatar has disappeared from Disney Plus, and the timing is awfully suspicious

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Henry is a managing editor at Tom’s Guide covering streaming media, laptops and all things Apple, reviewing devices and services for the past seven years. Prior to joining Tom's Guide, he reviewed software and hardware for TechRadar Pro, and interviewed artists for Patek Philippe International Magazine. He's also covered the wild world of professional wrestling for Cageside Seats, interviewing athletes and other industry veterans.