It seems like the term ‘Blockbuster’ was a word created with director James Cameron in mind when it was first coined by cine-goers and box office officials to commemorate a film that was so commercially successful it was hard for anybody to think that it would stop anytime soon. Having a track record of delivering nothing but blockbusters during his entire career, it is safe to call him the personification of that word.
Some of the highest-grossing films in history have come from the vision of the visionary filmmaker, so naturally, everyone assumes that Cameron would have been rolling in that sweet dough that he had earned from his projects. But what most people don’t know about him is that he is a man of his word, and when it was time to uphold his promise after the creation of the mega-blockbuster Titanic, he was ready to not be paid for his hard work for the next 3 years to come.
James Cameron Made No Money From Titanic!
It is hard to imagine an accomplished individual as successful and revered as James Cameron not being compensated for all the hard work and dedication that he puts into his projects. He does get rightfully remunerated for all that he does for the studios that fund his multi-million-dollar ambitious endeavors, but what is bigger than that paycheck is the sense of responsibility that Cameron possesses.
During an interview on The Howard Stern Show, the filmmaker revealed that the initial projection of how much Titanic was going to cost was way below what it did end up costing in the end. At first, Paramount Pictures and 20th Century Fox were given an estimate of about $120 Million by Cameron and his team, which was an astronomical budget for any film at the time. But soon, with the shoot wrapped up, it came out that the film had ended up taking $100 Million more from the studios’ pocket.
The studios didn’t think much of it as the film was performing exceptionally well at the box office, but Cameron’s sense of responsibility would not let it slide. So, he ended up signing yet another contract with the production houses which let all of his rights to the movie be transferred to the studio, except for the authorship rights. This in turn meant that now, the Terminator series director was practically making no money from the massive commercial success of one of his masterpieces.
What To Expect From Avatar: The Way Of Water?
After more than a decade of waiting, the audiences are finally able to breathe a sigh of relief as Avatar: The Way Of Water is all set to release in cinemas. The prequel still stands strong as the highest-grossing film of all time, which is a testament to the great work that Cameron has done with this franchise. If the upcoming movie is anything like the previous one, if not better, then fans can rest assured that this is going to be yet another masterpiece from one of the legends of the industry.
Avatar: The Way Of Water, in cinemas on 16th Dec 2022
Source: The Howard Stern Show
