Following the success of Avatar: The Way Of Water, James Cameron now has the honor of being the only director to have directed three films that have grossed more than $2 billion at the global box office, according to TMZ.
The long-awaited sequel to Avatar surpassed the massive money milestone on Sunday, which comes just six weeks after its release, and last earned $2.024 billion on a budget of $350-460 million.
Cameron’s other two films in the illustrious list include the original Avatar (2009), which is the all-time number one at $2.923 billion on a budget of $237 million, and Titanic (1997), after earning 2,195 Grossed in billions of dollars on a budget of $200 million.
Making history: James Cameron, 68, now has the honor of being the only director in history whose three films have surpassed $2 billion at the global box office
Aside from Cameron’s three epic films, only three others have surpassed the $2 billion mark, and all are from Disney.
Coming in second on the list of all-time moneymakers is Avengers: Endgame (2019) with $2.798 billion on a budget of $356 million to $400 million.
Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015) is now at number four, earning $2.071 billion on a budget of $306 million.
And then there’s Avengers: Infinity War (2018), which ranks fifth by grossing $2.052 billion on a budget of $325 million to $400 million.
Having surpassed $2 billion this past weekend, Avatar 2 is now the sixth highest-grossing film of all time.
Bonafide Hit: The long-awaited sequel to Avatar surpassed the $2 billion milestone on Sunday, which comes just six weeks after its release, on a budget of between $350 million and $460 million
Time to hit $2 billion at the box office: TV personality Jon Erlichman tweeted that Avengers: Endgame hit the milestone at the fastest pace in 11 days; The Avatar sequel hit the mark in 37 days, 10 days earlier than the original
While the original Avatar tops the list of all-time moneymakers, according to a tweet from TV personality Jon Erlichman, the film took 47 days from its release to surpass the $2 billion milestone.
In comparison, it took the Avatar sequel just 37 days to surpass that mark.
Avengers: Endgame showed off its superhero power and was the fastest to reach the exclusive list, in just 11 days.
Cameron’s Titanic took the longest, taking 5,233 days after it hit theaters, to hit $2 billion at the box office.
The success of Avatar: The Way Of Water assures fans that more sequels are to come.
Cameron had previously announced plans for three more episodes in 2024, 2026 and 2028 but stipulated that the latter two would depend on commercial reception of The Way Of Water.
The original Avatar still leads the box office of all time, earning $2.923 billion on a budget of $237 million, while the sequels are sixth at $2.024 billion
Following the success of Avatar 2, the Canadian filmmaker revealed on HBO Max’s Who’s Talking to Chris Wallace? that it looked like he was going to do three more planned sequels
Earlier this month, the Canadian filmmaker revealed on HBO Max’s Who’s Talking to Chris Wallace? that it looked like he was going to do the last two films after all.
“It looks like with the momentum the film has now, we’ll easily get through our hiatus even for the next few days, so it looks like I can’t squirm out and have to do these other sequels” , he said, adding, “I know what I’m going to do for the next six or seven years.”
Previously, the filmmaker has made no secret of the astronomical cost of making the film, calling it “very bloody expensive.”
Cameron even said before the third installment was released that he would end the entire franchise early if audiences didn’t seem like there was “so ***”.
He also addressed the misunderstanding surrounding his comments regarding the profits required by The Way Of Water.
His plan: Cameron had previously announced plans for three more Avatar parts in 2024, 2026 and 2028, but stipulated that the latter two would depend on commercial reception of The Way Of Water
Metro reported that the famous director had said the film had to be among the highest-grossing films in history to break even.
In response, the Canadian native of Kapuskasing, Ontario, Canada shared how he thought many would have taken his comments differently, thinking The Way Of Water hit $2 billion (£1.65 billion) and among the would have to be in the top 10 to break even.
‘[I] never actually gave him a number. I said it had to be one of the highest grossing films in history and someone else applied for that number and it was accepted. The number is actually lower,” he said.
Cameron added that he expects to have a discussion with Disney about what will happen with Avatar 3 soon.
“We’ve already shot and photographed the entire film, so we’re in advanced post-production to do all that CG magic,” he announced, adding, “And then Avatar 4 and 5 are written. We even have some of 4 in the can.’
Sequel Update: “We’ve already recorded and photographed the entire film, so we’re in advanced post-production to do all that CG magic,” Cameron announced, adding, “And then Avatar 4 and 5 are written . We even have some of 4 in the can