Avatar has been removed from Disney+ ahead of its re-release in cinemas next month.
The 2009 sci-fi epic was taken off the streaming platform without any warning to subscribers in advance, likely to encourage viewers to watch it in cinemas before its sequel, Avatar: The Way of Water, is released in December.
While titles are often removed from Disney+ in certain countries for a variety of reasons, including contractual obligations with other streaming services, What’s On Disney Plus reports that Avatar has been removed globally.
It seems more than possible that the film will be put back on Disney+ after the cinema re-release.
Avatar: The Way of Water takes place more than a decade after the events of the original film, with Jake (Sam Worthington) and Neytiri (Zoe Saldaña) living with their family on the planet of Pandora.
However, when a familiar threat returns, they must work together with the army of the Na’vi race to protect their home.
Last month, director James Cameron hit back at trolls who have suggested that nobody cares about his upcoming sequel.
“The trolls will have it that nobody gives a shit and they can’t remember the characters’ names or one damn thing that happened in the movie,” he said.
“Then they see the movie again and go, ‘Oh, okay, excuse me, let me just shut the f**k up right now’. So, I’m not worried about that.”
He added: “I don’t want anybody whining about length when they sit and binge-watch [television] for eight hours. I can almost write this part of the review. ‘The agonisingly long three-hour movie…’ It’s like, give me a f**king break.”
Avatar will be re-released in cinemas September 23. Avatar: The Way Of Water will be released in cinemas on December 16. (DigitalSpy)