James Cameron's Cyberpunk Action Epic Is About To Lose Major Streaming Home
A James Cameron cyberpunk epic is departing its current streamer.
Cameron is best known for directing some of the most seminal sci-fi movies ever made. Films like The Terminator (1984), Aliens (1986), Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991), and Avatar (2009) were all major hits, with the final title still standing as the highest-grossing movie ever made. Most recently, Cameron released Avatar: Fire and Ash (2025), the third of a planned five movies in his Avatar saga. In addition to writing and directing his own films, Cameron is also a prolific producer, and he was key to shepherding one cyberpunk adventure over the line.
Following its theatrical release in 2019, Alita: Battle Angel, which Cameron produced, is now set to depart Peacock on July 31. The film remains available to stream on YouTube TV and can be rented or purchased from major VOD platforms, but Peacock was its primary streaming home. It's possible that Alita will arrive on another streaming service on August 1, but it's not yet clear where the streaming rights have landed.
Directed by Robert Rodriguez, Alita: Battle Angel adapts Battle Angel Alita, a manga series by Yukito Kishiro. Starring Rosa Salazar as the titular character, the film tells the story of a revived android who embraces a new family and embarks on a quest to discover her origins in a dangerous cyberpunk cityscape.
Also starring Christoph Waltz, Mahershala Ali, Jennifer Connelly, and Ed Skrein, the movie earned only lukewarm reviews at the time. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a 61% critics' score. Alita also wasn't a major box office performer, grossing a disappointing $404 million worldwide on a $170 million budget.
This soft reception is why a planned Alita 2 has taken so long to get off the ground. Both Cameron and Rodriguez have repeatedly voiced their hopes for a second installment, with Cameron telling Empire last November that he and Rodriguez are "making progress" on the sequel and that they've "sworn a blood oath" to bring it to fruition. Cameron has hinted that a third film might also be on the cards.
Working in favor of Alita 2 eventually happening is the cult following the first film has amassed in the years since its release. Though not a major box office performer, Alita: Battle Angel has a 91% Popcornmeter score on Rotten Tomatoes. The film is also regularly a hit on streaming, most recently making the top 10 on HBO Max last December.
It remains to be seen whether the sequel will happen, but the continued success of the first movie on streaming can only help. It's not clear where Alita: Battle Angel will end up next, but it seems likely to be a popular choice when it eventually touches down on another streamer after leaving Peacock at the end of this month.