He's the king of the world.
James Cameron's Avatar: The Way of Water has officially grossed $2 billion at the global box office, becoming only the sixth film to ever achieve that milestone, not adjusted for inflation. This means Cameron is the only filmmaker in history to direct three movies that each grossed $2 billion or more globally.
Cameron's first film to do so, of course, was 1997's Titanic, which became the highest-grossing movie of all time during its original release and is still the third biggest with $2.1 billion. Cameron's follow-up to Titanic was 2009's Avatar, his second $2 billion film and the current highest-grossing movie of all time with $2.9 billion.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The other movies to gross $2 billion are Avengers: Endgame ($2.7 billion), Star Wars: The Force Awakens ($2.07 billion), and Avengers: Infinity War ($2.05 billion). Anthony and Joe Russo, directors of Infinity War and Endgame, are the only other directors to helm more than one $2 billion film. But Cameron's success with Avatar is arguably even more impressive given it's an original franchise that he created himself.
The $2 billion mark was yet another milestone for The Way of Water, which took more than a decade to come to fruition. The wait was so long, some pundits started to doubt the film would ever be finished, while others thought that even if it did come out, it was destined to be a box office disappointment.
But while The Way of Water's initial debut came in under expectations, Cameron ended up proving the doubters wrong just as he did with Titanic and Avatar, both of which faced similar skepticism prior to release. The next time you're thinking about betting against Cameron, you may want to reconsider.
-
The IDF's manpower problemThe Explainer Israeli military's shortage of up to 12,000 troops results in call-up for tens of thousands of reservists
-
Quiz of The Week: 16 – 22 AugustQuiz Have you been paying attention to The Week's news?
-
Can Soho House get its edge back?Talking Point The private members' club has lost its exclusive appeal – but a £2 billion buy-out could offer a fresh start
-
Trump says Smithsonian too focused on slavery's illsSpeed Read The president would prefer the museum to highlight 'success,' 'brightness' and 'the future'
-
Trump to host Kennedy Honors for Kiss, StalloneSpeed Read Actor Sylvester Stallone and the glam-rock band Kiss were among those named as this year's inductees
-
White House seeks to bend Smithsonian to Trump's viewSpeed Read The Smithsonian Institution's 21 museums are under review to ensure their content aligns with the president's interpretation of American history
-
Charlamagne Tha God irks Trump with Epstein talkSpeed Read The radio host said the Jeffrey Epstein scandal could help 'traditional conservatives' take back the Republican Party
-
CBS cancels Colbert's 'Late Show'Speed Read 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert' is ending next year
-
Shakespeare not an absent spouse, study proposesspeed read A letter fragment suggests that the Shakespeares lived together all along, says scholar Matthew Steggle
-
New Mexico to investigate death of Gene Hackman, wifespeed read The Oscar-winning actor and his wife Betsy Arakawa were found dead in their home with no signs of foul play
-
Giant schnauzer wins top prize at Westminster showSpeed Read Monty won best in show at the 149th Westminster Kennel Club dog show
