The award-winning filmmaker has made quite the legacy for himself, and he’s still adding to his list of accomplishments.

Via: The Daily Beast

If you’ve taken a look at the list of highest grossing films of all time lately, you’ve probably noticed something fascinating: 3 out of the top 5 were directed by the award-winning director James Cameron. Cameron has been in the game for over 40 years, and he’s certainly creating quite the legacy for himself. Though he’s already reached some tremendous achievements so far, the history-making director isn’t done yet.

Here’s an inside look into his top films and more.

8James Cameron Is A Canadian Filmmaker

James Cameron is a 68-year-old Canadian director from Kapuskasing, Ontario, Canada. He began his career in the late 1970s with his first short film, titled Xenogenesis. His first major film, where made his directorial debut, was with Piranha II: The Spawning (1982). Following that, Cameron directed The Terminator (1984) starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, which ended up being Cameron’s breakthrough film.

Since then, the filmmaker has gone on to direct some of the biggest films in the industry, also working alongside some pretty big stars. People have said some interesting things about working with James Cameron, especially noting his out-of-the-box thinking and desire for perfectionism. All of this has led to Cameron’s immense success, most recently achieving the milestone of having 3 out of 5 of the top grossing films of all time.

7The Number 1 Spot Goes To Avatar

The No. 1 spot on the list of highest grossing movies of all time is held by Cameron’s 2009 film, Avatar. The first movie in the series brought in $2.923 billion after its release.

The film features Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldaña, Sigourney Weaver, and others in a world where humans are trying to colonize the Earth-like habitable moon, Pandora, in order to mine for the valuable mineral unobtanium. However, the colonization threatens the livelihood of the Na’vi tribe. In order to achieve colonization, humans enter into avatars, which are a genetically engineered Na’vi body operated from a remotely located human, in order to interact with Pandora natives.

6Titanic Comes In At Number 3

The next James Cameron-directed film to make the list is Titanic, holding the no. 3 spot with $2.195 billion. Its spot on the list highlights Cameron’s talent immensely given that it was released over 25 years ago in 1997. Funnily enough, even Cameron himself didn’t envision the film amounting the popularity that it did, let alone holding a top 5 spot in the highest grossing films of all time 26 years after its release. This presumption was held among fans as well, who thought that the now-iconic James Cameron film was going to be a total flop.

Among part of the film’s legacy is a long-debated controversy in the movie’s plot, which is that many fans believe both Jack and Rose could have fit on the door at the end to survive until the lifeboat arrived. Tired of speculation, James Cameron recently set out to release a documentary about the door, admitting himself that both characters could have fit.

5He Recently Directed Avatar: The Way Of Water, Which Rose To Number 4

Taking the no. 4 spot on the list is the recently released sequel to the Avatar series, titled Avatar: The Way of Water (2022). Dominating the box office from the day of its release, the film has cumulated $2.133 billion already, and it’s not presumptuous to assume it will continue to rise even higher on the list. The Avatar sequel knocked Avengers: Infinity War off the list, which brought in $2.052 billion, and overtook Star Wars: Episode VII — The Force Awakens (2015) to make its way to No. 4.

The movie first hit theaters on December 16, 2022, and it features many of the same stars from the 2009 film.

4The Avatar: The Way of Water Ranking Holds Weight For Zoe Saldaña Too

Of course, Avatar: The Way of Water making it to the top 5 on the list is a huge achievement for James Cameron, but he’s not the only one that reached a milestone with the movie’s success in the box office. With the film grossing over $2 billion since its release, Zoe Saldaña, who plays Na’vi warrioress Neytiri in the Avatar films, also hit a milestone: she became the first actress to appear in four films that have grossed over $2 billion. These include Avatar (2009), Avengers: Infinity War (2018), Avengers: Endgame (2019), and Avatar: The Way of Water (2022).

Saldaña posted about the accomplishment on Instagram, saying, “Gratitude for the acknowledgment, and absolute exhilaration that I get to wake up every morning and go do what I love. Never in a million years did I ever aim to make history by being in these movies. I’ve always been lucky to have been chosen and asked to join these amazing, groundbreaking projects.”

3The Other Spots Go To Avengers: Endgame And A Star Wars Film

The No. 2 spot on the list is held by Avengers: Endgame, which grossed $2.799 billion. The film was directed by Anthony and Joe Russo.

The No. 5 spot goes to Star Wars: Episode VII — The Force Awakens (2015), which brought in $2.071 billion. The film was recently overtaken by Avatar: The Way of Water. The Star Wars film was directed by J. J. Abrams.

2Cameron Has Directed Other Notable Films

Though they haven’t made the list of highest grossing films of all time, Cameron has directed some other notable movies as well. Among these are Aliens (1986), The Abyss (1989), and The Terminator series, which James Cameron has hinted at bringing back to life.

1He’s Not Finished With His Legacy Either

Though Cameron has been in the business for over 40 years and has achieved massive success, he’s not done yet. As of right now, there are three more Avatar movies in the works, with the 3rd of the series having already completed filming. Avatar 3 is set to release in 2024, and the following two are scheduled for 2026 and 2028. Given the success of the first two Avatar movies, we think we can expect to see more of Cameron’s movies become among the highest grossing films of all time in the coming years.

Source: thethings.com