James Cameron sets another record as the first-ever director to have three movies cross the $1.5 billion mark. In the midst of blockbuster superhero movies and giant fantasy franchises, two of his notable films, Titanic (1997) and Avatar (2009), remain at the topmost rank.
The Canadian director has an impressive roster of diverse projects that explore different themes of sci-fi, fantasy, and romance altogether. In all of his movies, there will always be love at the center of it. And now, the much-awaited sequel Avatar: The Way of Water finally joined the director’s list of top-grossing movies of all time.
James Cameron Was A Truck Driver Before He Became A Renowned Filmmaker
Before Cameron made a name in the movie industry, he was a truck driver who studied film students’ papers to teach himself the ways of movie directing. Yes, he was just a regular person until his passion for the arts paid off and propelled him to success.
The director never went to film school or had any formal education in movie making, but he would drive to USC on weekends to study. He would print graduate student dissertations and peruse them in his free time. He told Howard Stern in a 1997 interview:
“I’d drive down to USC, I’d go in, and for the cost of the xeroxing, I would Xerox all these doctoral dissertations on optical printing and film stock, film emotions, and all that stuff. Build up these big binders of how everything was done. I was like a total gearhead. So I gave myself a full college education for about $120.”
He was passionate about becoming a director, but he was uncertain how he would get the chance or the break he needed to enter the industry. Cameron revealed it was a hobby, but he was serious about it. During this time, the director had already settled into life. He was married, and he had his own house.
Interestingly, James Cameron managed to get into the movie business with his self-initiated education. He was hired to direct a movie called Piranha 2, but it did not go well in the end.
“I got hired to do this film called Piranha 2, and they fired me after 10 days… Absolutely the best flying piranha film ever made.”
Like every upcoming director, Cameron had to start somewhere and face rejection to gain knowledge and experience. And now, Cameron has become one of the world’s leading directors, with three blockbuster movies reigning at the top of the box office.
Avatar 2 Joins Cameron’s Roster Of Billion-Dollar Box Office Movies
As of Wednesday’s tally as per Deadline, Avatar: The Way of Water has earned $1.5 billion globally, beating Tom Cruise’s Top Gun: Maverick as the top-grossing movie of 2022. It is also one of the most successful movies released during the pandemic era. For a franchise with a 13-year gap between installments, and not based on any existing comics, books, or toy brand, Avatar proved to be an impressive feat.
Now, the expectation is higher as the studio hopes the sequel to cross the $2 billion mark. Cameron revealed in the past that he needed the film to hit this target in order to break even.
Avatar: The Way of Water is now showing in theaters worldwide.
