Avatar 3 Will Make A Mind-Blowing James Cameron Record Even More Impressive After The Way Of Water's $2.3 Billion Success

Avatar: Fire and Ash will ensure that a James Cameron box office record becomes even more impressive. From Titanic to Avatar, James Cameron's movies are known for dominating at the box office. As the first movie to make more than $1 billion worldwide, Titanic became the highest-grossing movie of all time, and held onto this impressive record for 12 years. It was not dethroned until Cameron's first Avatar movie was released, and the visually stunning science-fiction epic still holds the top spot 16 years later.

Given the 13-year wait for Avatar: The Way of Water, it was unclear if the sequel would perform as well. The franchise proved that it was still lucrative as The Way of Water made more than $2 billion worldwide and surpassed Titanic to become the third highest-grossing movie of all time, with Avengers: Endgame and the first Avatar being the only titles ahead of it. As Avatar: Fire and Ash's release date draws closer, it is expected to be another massive box office hit, and will continue to give Cameron a record-breaking distinction.

James Cameron Has The Highest Average Gross For A Director By A Large Margin

His Average Is Close To $1 Billion Per Movie

Original analysis shared on Reddit shows that Cameron has the highest average box office gross of any director. Based on the nine movies he has directed and his total earnings of $8.76 billion, Cameron's average gross per movie is $970 million. Titanic, Avatar, and Avatar: The Way of Water are the movies most responsible for this unparalleled average, although the earnings of The Terminator, Terminator 2: Judgment Day, Aliens, and True Lies help as well.

Director	Total Box Office (As Of November 2024)	Number Of Movies (As Of November 2024)	Average Box Office Gross
Steven Spielberg	$10.8 billion	35	$308 million
James Cameron	$8.76 billion	9	$970 million
The Russo Brothers	$6.79 billion	9	$754 million
Peter Jackson	$6.62 billion	14	$472 million
Michael Bay	$6.5 billion	15	$433 million
David Yates	$6.33 billion	10	$633 million
Christopher Nolan	$6.14 billion	12	$512 million
Tim Burton	$4.87 billion	20	$243 million
Ridley Scott	$4.67 billion	29	$161 million
J.J. Abrams	$4.66 million	6	$776 million

Steven Spielberg has the all-time highest total box office gross at $10.8 billion, but his $308 million average is significantly lower since he has directed 35 movies throughout his legendary career. Of those included in the analysis, J.J. Abrams has the highest average gross after Cameron, with $776 million across six movies. Joe and Anthony Russo are not far behind Abrams with a $754 average across the nine movies they have directed as of November 2024, which is helped by Avengers: Endgame and Avengers: Infinity War being among the top 10 highest-grossing movies of all time.

James Cameron’s Box Office Numbers Will Get Even More Impressive After Avatar 3

Fire And Ash Will Put Cameron In A Class Of His Own

While it remains to be seen if theAvatar franchise's $2 billion streak can continue with Fire and Ash, the third installment is poised to do incredibly well, and to make Cameron's box office numbers even more impressive. Fire and Ash will definitely allow Cameron's all-time box office total to cross the $9 billion threshold. If the sequel makes more than $1 billion, which seems likely given that its predecessors both made more than $2 billion, Cameron's total will exceed the $10 billion mark as well.

The Avatar Franchise Holds 3 Seemingly Unbreakable Box Office Milestone Records & It's Guaranteed To Make More

Avatar: The Way of Water helped the Avatar franchise cement some big box office records, and it is unlikely that another series will ever pass it.

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Unless Fire and Ash becomes a box office flop, which would be shocking given the precedent set by the previous movies, Cameron's average gross should benefit greatly from the sequel. With it only being the tenth movie he has directed, he will still have a lower number of total movies compared to the other top-earning directors, which helps his average. The gap in the average gross between Cameron and his competition will continue to widen, with Fire and Ash potentially even pushing his average to $1 billion and beyond.

Avatar 3 Could Make James Cameron The Highest-Grossing Director Of All Time

Steven Spielberg May Lose The Top Spot

If Avatar: Fire and Ash continues the franchise's $2 billion streak, this will get Cameron close to reaching Spielberg's all-time total of $10.8 billion, and he may even surpass it to become the highest-grossing director. Spielberg is currently working on an untitled science-fiction movie reportedly starring Josh O’Connor, Emily Blunt, Wyatt Russell, Colman Domingo, Colin Firth, and Eve Hewson, but it is not scheduled to be released in theaters on June 12, 2026. Meanwhile, Fire and Ash's theatrical debut is December 19, 2025, which gives Cameron time to pass Spielberg before his sci-fi film releases.

The screenplay for Spielberg's upcoming sci-fi movie comes from Jurassic Park screenwriter David Koepp.

With the Russo brothers directing Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars, their all-time box office totals are also expected to increase significantly, even if the upcoming Marvel Cinematic Universe movies do not reach the same heights as Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame. That being said, Avengers: Doomsday's release is not until May 1, 2026. At this point, Cameron may already be the highest-grossing director of all time after Fire and Ash's theatrical run, and there will be even more distance between his numbers and those of the Russo brothers.

Avatar’s Remaining Movies Will Likely Put Cameron Far Above Other Directors

Avatar 4 & 5 Will Further Solidify James Cameron's Box Office Dominance

If Fire and Ash does not put Cameron far above all other directors, then Avatar 4 and Avatar 5 probably will. With just Fire and Ash, it may be a close call on whether he can pass Spielberg, and Spielberg can get back on top after his sci-fi movie releases in 2026. Spielberg is unlikely to remain there, though, as the Avatar sequels continue to come out. Avatar 4 is currently scheduled for December 21, 2029, while Avatar 5 is slated for December 19, 2031, with these release dates all but guaranteeing Cameron's box office domination in the coming years.

As the third highest-grossing movie of all time, The Way of Water did not suffer from the release changes, and it seems unlikely that Fire and Ash, Avatar 4, or Avatar 5 will suffer from any potential schedule changes either.

The release dates for Avatar 4 and Avatar 5 may change, but this should not have any adverse effect on the franchise's box office numbers. Avatar: The Way of Water's release dates changed numerous times, with the sequel at one point being scheduled as early as 2014 before ultimately coming out in December 2022. As the third highest-grossing movie of all time, The Way of Water did not suffer from the release changes, and it seems unlikely that Fire and Ash, Avatar 4, or Avatar 5 will suffer from any potential schedule changes either.

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After Avatar 5, it will be difficult for any director to come anywhere near Cameron's average or total box office gross. This will also not be the end of his directing career, as Cameron's next movie after Avatar 5 will be Last Train from Hiroshima, based on real eyewitness accounts from World War II, which he has already spoken about before. Cameron already has the highest average box office gross for a director by a significant margin and Avatar: Fire and Ash and its sequels are poised to make him the highest-grossing director of all time.

Source: Reddit