A new Netflix data report reveals the staggering popularity of the Avatar: The Last Airbender franchise nearly two decades after the original show’s debut. In total, the report estimates nearly 900 million viewing hours of Avatar: The Last Airbender properties, including the animated, live-action, and sequel series — all in only the first half of 2024.
Netflix’s official engagement report was released a few days ago, offering a comprehensive account of what Netflix members have watched from January to June in 2024. According to the report, Avatar: The Last Airbender — in both animated and live-action form — as well as its sequel, The Legend of Korra, received a total of 889.7 million hours watched. The bulk of the engagement was thanks to Avatar: The Last Airbender‘s recent live-action adaptation, which was released in February 2024, and subsequently earned a total of 515.3 million hours watched.
These numbers put Avatar: The Last Airbender as the fifth most-watched TV series on Netflix, trailing just behind global hits like the third season of Bridgerton and Baby Reindeer.
Live-Action Adaptation Boosts Popularity of Original Animated Series
Since its debut in 2005, Avatar: The Last Airbender has enjoyed a comfortable status as one of television’s most beloved animated shows, but the recent premiere of Netflix’s live-action adaptation has drawn thousands of new viewers back to the original series. Released in February of this year, the live-action adaptation faced shockingly low expectations due to M. Night Shyamalan’s love-to-hate attempt at an Avatar: The Last Airbender movie in 2010, but performed incredibly well among new and returning audiences alike — so well, in fact, that it was renewed for two more seasons.
With a bright future ahead for Netflix’s Avatar: The Last Airbender, it’s likely that the franchise will continue to dominate future engagement reports. After rounding out the original series plotline over the next two seasons, Netflix may even consider a live-action adaptation of Avatar: The Last Airbender‘s sequel, The Legend of Korra, given the sheer amount of views the franchise has racked up so far.
