The legendary James Cameron is the first Director to have 3 films pass $1.5 Billion at the World Wide Box Office.
With “Avatar: The Way Of Water” now having passed $1.7 billion at the worldwide box office, making it the seventh highest-grossing film of all time, James Cameron is the first and only director to have 3 films in the top 10 highest grossing movies of all time, with all three films having been released in different decades. Titanic which was released in 1997 is at Number 3 with 2.2 Billion. Cameron won the best director Oscar in 1998 for Titanic. 2009’s “Avatar,” is the number 1 highest-grossing movie of all time at $2.9 billion. Keep in mind, none of that would be possible, without packed audiences in theatres, the way it was meant to be.
Courtesy of 20th Century Studios
When asked by a Variety reporter at the Golden Globes about Way of Water nearing the $2 Billion threshold, and the success of the film, James Cameron took the opportunity to point out how important it was for us to experience films like Avatar and films in general in a movie theater. At first when he was told about the stats he responded “I’m not thinking of it in those terms, I’m thinking of it in the terms of we’re going back to theaters around the world.” He then went on to some remarks about how society needs theatres. “We need to go to movie theaters and have that experience.” Even the Chinese market has been flooding in to see The Way of Water amidst a COVID surge, just to have that cinematic experience.
James Cameron on what #Avatar's success means for the film industry: “We're back to theaters…Enough with the streaming already! I’m tired of sitting on my a–!” #GoldenGlobes https://t.co/ywZXlvQL4G pic.twitter.com/RP0IQbrxpv
— Variety (@Variety) January 10, 2023
Cameron went on to address streaming “Enough with the streaming already! I’m tired of sitting on my ass,” and those people in the theatre who text during the film. “They’re missing the point, when we go to the movies we make a deal with ourselves to have undivided attention for a couple of hours. It’s about immersing yourself…choosing to commit to that ahead of time.” There are some things that streaming just cannot get you, and that is the magic and the complete immersive experience of cinema.
James Cameron has said there will be three more Avatar sequels set to arrive every two years, with release dates in 2024, 2026 and 2028 and thanks to the the momentum that The Way of Water has, they will definitely be able to make the sequels. “It looks like I can’t wiggle out of this and I’m gonna have to do these other sequels, I know what I’m going to be doing the next six or seven years.” says James Cameron.
Now with Titanic returning to cinemas for its 25th Anniversary in 4K 3D, could 3 of James Cameron’s films be battling it out for the number one spot?
Fangirl and Writer with a huge passion for entertainment.
