{"id":26631,"date":"2022-12-05T17:15:12","date_gmt":"2022-12-05T16:15:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.radiotimes.com\/?p=1750768"},"modified":"2022-12-05T20:21:19","modified_gmt":"2022-12-05T19:21:19","slug":"avatar-the-way-of-water-features-on-this-weeks-radio-times-cover","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/rss_feed\/avatar-the-way-of-water-features-on-this-weeks-radio-times-cover\/","title":{"rendered":"Avatar: The Way of Water features on this week\u2019s Radio Times cover"},"content":{"rendered":"

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By Laura Rutkowski\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Monday, 05 December 2022 at 12:00 am<\/p>

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Christmas films can mean many things to many people.<\/p>\n

For some, it\u2019s shorthand for a Christmas classic, of which there will be no shortage on television this year, with the guarantee of It\u2019s a Wonderful Life and Love Actually appearing somewhere in the schedules. For others, it means the opportunity to head to the cinema.<\/p>\n

The release, after a 13-year wait, of the sequel to Avatar falls into the latter category.<\/p>\n

Millions saw the original when it was first released in 2009 and it has made a barely believable $2.9 billion at the box office. But a lot has changed since then. As director James Cameron tells us in the latest Radio Times magazine<\/strong>, his sequel represents something of a gamble.<\/p>\n

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He could be right, not just because the first film is a distant memory, but also because our cinema-going habits are no longer the same. In 2009, Netflix<\/a> was still just sending out DVDs in the post; now it and other streaming services like Disney Plus<\/a> have changed for ever the way we watch film and television.<\/p>\n

In 2022, research showed that only 63% of all television viewed in the UK was shown on traditional TV. The rest came via streaming and video services, which routinely include films among their offerings.<\/p>\n

Indeed, of the eight new films released for Christmas that we feature in this issue of Radio Times magazine<\/strong>, six are available on Netflix, Disney Plus or Apple TV+<\/a>, or they will be soon. And the two that aren\u2019t \u2013 Avatar: The Way of Water<\/a> and the Whitney Houston biopic I Wanna Dance with Somebody \u2013 will surely make it to a streaming service at some point.<\/p>\n

What this means for television is that the line between film and TV is increasingly blurred. And as our habits continue to change, the difference between the two will disappear.<\/p>\n

So whatever your definition of a Christmas film, soon they will all end up being on television. Whether or not you think that is a good thing, the reality is that TV viewers will be the winners.<\/p>

Also in this week\u2019s Radio Times:<\/strong><\/h2>\n