Fans have been waiting in anticipation for the release of Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender. However, an X user leaked the movie in April after Paramount revealed it would no longer do a theatrical release in October. After the full movie circulated online, some fans watched the movie in its entirety, saying that it was in protest of Paramount. Others refuse to see it until it officially comes out. Filmmakers took to X in anger, saying it was “unceremonious.” It was a big mess.
Needless to say, the animated film has had a bumpy introduction to the public. Now, (New York and Los Angeles) disappointed fans need not fret any longer, because Paramount has (partially) changed its mind. An exclusive break from Variety says that the movie will screen in select theaters for one week from July 24 to 30.
Avatar Aang is a sequel to the three-season animated series, Avatar: The Last Airbender. It ran from 2005 to 2008 on Nickelodeon and garnered a fanbase of adults and kids alike. Now, the fans who were kids when it was coming out have been able to grow up with the “Gaang,” seeing them as young adults in the new installment.
“Avatar Aang, the world’s last Airbender, learns of an ancient power that could save his culture from extinction. With the help of his friends, he embarks on a global quest to find it before it falls into the wrong hands and threatens to upend the peace they sacrificed everything to achieve.”
Let me tell you, the series has held its value. Nickelodeon created a sequel show in 2012, The Legend of Korra. Both series are massively popular on Paramount since it acquired them in 2023. With such a massive group of Avatar-lovers, and anime movies doing very well in theaters, the fact that Paramount made the new movie streaming-only in the first place was surprising. Even now, the screenings will only be on a weeklong run in two U.S. cities.
This run is seemingly to qualify the movie for awards, in accordance with the strict guidelines set by the Academy. The movie will also screen on the 24th at San Diego Comic-Con.
For everybody else, the movie is still coming out on streaming three months ahead of its original release date. Tune in to Paramount+ on July 25 to see the newest Avatar installment.