James Cameron
Best known as a Director based on credits in that role in 14 films, with $8,702,543,077 worldwide aggregate box office (rank #2) |
Best-known technical roles: Avatar: The Way of Water (Director), Avatar: The Way of Water (Screenwriter), Avatar: The Way of Water (Story Creator), Avatar: The Way of Water (Producer), Avatar: The Way of Water (Editor) |
Best-known acting roles: Himself (The Muse), Himself (James Cameron’s Deepsea Challenge 3D), Himself (Side by Side) |
Most productive collaborators: Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Sigourney Weaver, Jon Landau, Stephen Lang |
Born: August 16, 1954 (69 years old) |
Career Summary
Movies | Domestic Box Office | International Box Office | Worldwide Box Office | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
As an Actor | Inverviewee | 2 | $58,825 | $91,279 | $150,104 |
Cameo | 1 | $11,614,954 | $0 | $11,614,954 | |
Documentary Subject | 1 | $149,879 | $85,111 | $234,990 | |
In Technical Roles | Director | 14 | $2,697,508,805 | $6,005,034,272 | $8,702,543,077 |
Screenwriter | 13 | $2,915,618,657 | $6,455,635,025 | $9,371,253,682 | |
Producer | 13 | $2,682,627,622 | $6,371,048,841 | $9,053,676,463 | |
Executive Producer | 4 | $79,090,438 | $147,786,709 | $226,877,147 | |
Editor | 3 | $1,469,297,416 | $3,771,922,996 | $5,241,220,412 | |
Story Creator | 3 | $949,792,949 | $2,133,450,627 | $3,083,243,576 | |
Character Creator | 1 | $684,075,767 | $1,633,438,619 | $2,317,514,386 | |
Cinematographer | 1 | $674,460,013 | $1,548,588,773 | $2,223,048,786 |
Latest Ranking on Selected Box Office Record Lists
See the Acting Credits tab for all Acting Box Office Records and the Technical Credits tab for all Technical Box Office Records.
Theater counts: 80 for Brady once again on top heading into Super Bowl weekend
February 9th, 2023
Although debuting in second place at the weekend box office, 80 for Brady again secures its place as the widest release of the week as it adds 27 locations from last week, becoming available 3,939 theaters. The comedy starring Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin, Sally Field and Rita Moreno debuted to $12.7 million in its opening weekend and currently enjoys a six day haul of $17.9 million. This week the film will not only have to contend with last weekend’s champ in Knock at the Cabin, but will see two newcomers arrive, along with the re-release of an epic feature from the 90s.
More...
Weekend projections: Avatar, Puss in Boots continue cruising as Oscar hopefuls and new releases do battle
January 29th, 2023
The top four movies this weekend are continuing their serene runs at the box office, with Puss in Boots: The Last Wish down just 10% in its 6th weekend, Avatar: The Way of Water declining 22% and recording its seventh consecutive weekend win, A Man Called Otto off 23% in its 5th weekend, and M3GAN posting a very respectable $6.37 million in its 4th weekend. Below them, eleven more films, coming from virtually every corner of the film world, will top $1 million this weekend.
More...
Weekend projections: Avatar nets another $45 million, M3GAN tops $30 million on debut
January 8th, 2023
2023 is off to a flying start at the box office, with Avatar: The Way of Water continuing to defy gravity, and M3GAN posting the best opening for a sci-fi horror movie in years. With A Man Called Otto also coming in well ahead of expectations, and all other films in the top 10 outperforming (bar the seasonal sensation Violent Night), over $100 million will be spent on movie tickets in North America this weekend.
More...
Weekend predictions: Avatar headed for the top again
January 6th, 2023
Avatar: The Way of Water will top the box office chart again this weekend, as its seemingly unstoppable run continues into the New Year. The big question is when it will start losing momentum, and this weekend is the first big test it has faced, partly because M3GAN is looking to get 2023 off to a good start. Here are our model’s predictions going into the weekend…
More...
Theater counts: Way of Water cruises into 2023
January 5th, 2023
After making its North American debut on December 16th, Avatar: The Way of Water has amassed a staggering $465 million from a steady 4,202 locations. Internationally, the James Cameron juggernaut has performed even better, scoring $1.05 billion since its release, already eclipsing the $769 million that Top Gun: Maverick earned during its seven-month run. Way of Water actually adds 138 viewing locations this week, making it once again this week’s widest release, playing in 4,340 venues. We will at least have one brand new wide release this week to give it some competition.
More...
Weekend projections: Way of Water officially projected to earn $134 million this weekend
December 18th, 2022
Disney are projecting a $134-million opening weekend for Avatar: The Way of Water this morning, the best opening weekend for James Cameron in his career, and the sixth-best debut of 2022. Final numbers could move it fractionally ahead of The Batman and into fifth for the year, but it’s a slightly disappointing result, given that most predictions had it earning around $150 million this weekend. On the bright side, international numbers are looking a bit better, with $301 million so far, and its legs are looking promising.
More...
Friday numbers point to $130-million opening for Avatar
December 17th, 2022
Good, but not great, numbers on Friday suggest that Avatar: The Way of Water will open with around $130 million this weekend. That’s right at the low end of expectations as of yesterday morning, as the film looks as though it will have a very typical run through opening weekend, with a big “opening day” consisting of Thursday preview screenings and round-the-clock shows on Friday, followed by sagging sales on Saturday and Sunday. So far, there isn’t much sign of people going back for second and third helpings, but it’s early days yet.
More...
Weekend predictions: Avatar eyeing $170-million opening
December 16th, 2022
Avatar: The Way of Water is finally here. James Cameron’s epic is expected to dominate at the box office well into the New Year and rack up hundreds of millions of dollars domestically (not to mention potentially billions worldwide) in the process. Exactly how many hundreds is the question, of course. Expectations for its opening weekend have been hovering around $150 million for quite a while, and ticked a little higher in the lead up to its release. Our final analysis points to around $170 million. But, as I’ll explain, that comes with a lot of caveats.
More...
Theater counts: Wakanda Forever is back as widest release, but Avatar: The Way of Water looms
December 8th, 2022
As expected, this week witnesses a lull in new releases arriving to theaters, as well as the top films dropping in viewing locations. In fact, we have to go back nearly three months, to September 16, 2022 to not see a film registering over 4,000 locations. This week Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is back on top with 3,725 cinemas, and more so as a result of last week’s widest release, Strange World, shedding 614 theaters this week, beginning its third week at the box office in 3,560 venues. As everyone is likely aware, this week is just the calm before the storm until Avatar: The Way of Water makes landfall on December 16.
More...
Avatar: The Way of Water “Monolith” trailer
November 22nd, 2022
James Cameron’s sci-fi epic, starring Sam Worthington and Zoe Saldana arrives in theaters on December 16 ... Full Movie Details.
(We don’t know why this is called the “Monolith” trailer either.)
More...
Avatar: The Way of Water trailer
November 2nd, 2022
James Cameron’s sci-fi epic, starring Sam Worthington and Zoe Saldana arrives in theaters on December 16 ... Full Movie Details.
More...
Avatar: The Way of Water trailer
May 10th, 2022
James Cameron’s sci-fi epic, starring Sam Worthington and Zoe Saldana arrives in theaters on December 16 ... Full Movie Details.
More...
VOD Releases: Say Yes to New Releases
July 29th, 2020
This week’s line-up of new films on VOD features several films well worth a rental. In our main list, only You Should Have Left is a miss, and has some redeeming qualities. Yes, God, Yes is the one I would recommend the most, but An Accidental Studio comes a close second. Here are this week’s new releases on VOD.
More...
New at The Numbers: Actuals vs. Inflation-Adjusted Figures for Movie Comparisons
October 31st, 2019
We are happy to announce that we have added a switch to our custom movie comparison pages that allows for switching between the actual figures and figures adjusted for inflation. The switch, located above the titles when creating a movie comparison chart, can change the Production Budget, Domestic Opening Weekend, Domestic Box Office, International Box Office, and Worldwide Box Office from "Actuals" to "Infl-Adj".
Our Movie Comparison feature creates a custom graph and table of up to 6 films, allowing for the easy comparison of total box office results and a breakdown of the films' daily, weekend, and weekly results. These are also adjusted for inflation at the flick of the switch.
The Movie Comparison tool can be accessed by selecting it from the Research Tools tab at the top of the page or by going to a film's page and selecting "Compare this performance with other movies…" in the film's Box Office tab. For example, if you were curious about the performance of a few of the films that James Cameron has had a hand in writing, you can build a custom chart comparing Avatar, Titanic, and Alita: Battle Angel and adjust the figures for inflation to have an easier time making a realistic comparison.
More...
Home Market Releases for July 31st, 2018
August 1st, 2018
This is one of the worst weeks on the home market I can remember. There’s nothing here that even remotely looks like a top-notch release, at least on physical medium. This is the week that Avengers: Infinity War hits Video on Demand and it is dominating the home market in that regard and has to be the Pick of the Week. The only other releases that were close are Star Blazers: Space Battleship Yamato 2199 on Blu-ray Combo Pack and Star Wars Rebels: Season Four.
More...
Featured Blu-ray Review: Aliens: 30th Anniversary
October 17th, 2016
The original Alien movie can be described as a haunted house movie set in space, only with an alien instead of a supernatural entity attacking the cast. Aliens, on the other hand, loses nearly all of its tension and instead goes for an action-oriented approach. Does it work? Oh hell yeah. This is one of the best films from the 1980s and it is a must have. Is this 30th Anniversary Blu-ray worth picking up if you have the box set? That’s an interesting question.
More...
Star Wars: The Force Awakens - A Spoiler-Free, and Detail-Free, Review
April 3rd, 2016
Despite what the box office numbers would indicate, there are some people who have never seen Star Wars: The Force Awakens. [Copy Ed: Some of us have never seen any Star Wars movie]. Because of that, we are going to have two reviews. The first is going to contain absolutely no spoilers... okay, just one spoiler. The big boat sinks in the end. ... On the one hand, I feel the need to apologize for that joke. On the other hand, I will never not find that joke funny. So how do you do a review without a single spoiler? Simple, nothing but lists. I will rank The Force Awakens in a trio of lists. How does this film compare to others in the Star Wars Franchise? How does it compare to the biggest hits of 2015? And finally, how does it compare to the biggest all-time hits?
More...
2015 Preview: December
December 1st, 2015
November ended on a positive note with a strong Thanksgiving weekend. Even so, the overall numbers were mixed with a lot of misses mixed in with a few hits. It was better than October and we will call that a victory. Meanwhile, December is potentially record-breaking. Actually, given the evidence, it is almost assuredly going to be record-breaking. Star Wars: The Force Awakens has already set a record for the most money taken from ticket pre-sales and the biggest December weekend will fall. The pre-orders alone will guarantee that. On the downside, it is very likely that no film will make as much in total as The Force Awakens will make during its opening weekend. There's a chance no film makes in total as much as The Force Awakens makes during its opening day. There are a few films that have a shot at $100 million. For example, Joy should get there, if it becomes a major player during Awards Season. If not, it will at least come close. Daddy's Home, and to a lesser extent Sisters, could be surprise $100 million hits. However, like the rest of 2015, December is shaping up to be a month of a record-breaking hit and a lot of films that struggle just to get noticed. On the other hand, last December, was a lot more balanced at the top with four films earning more than $100 million, led by The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies. There's a chance The Force Awakens earns more than all four $100 million hits from last year earned combined.
More...
Featured TV on DVD Review: Mythbusters: Collection 13
August 10th, 2015
Mythbusters has been on the air for roughly thirteen seasons. (It depends on whether you consider the three first specials as a separate season or not.) It has been a while since I watched the show consistently, but when I do catch the occasional episode, I'm usually entertained. Collection 13 has eight episodes on two discs. What episodes are they? And where do they rank on the show's average?
More...
Ask About Our Limited Releases
August 8th, 2014
Last week, there was only one limited release that I thought would do well, Calvary. This week might be even weaker. There is only one film earning a good amount of buzz, What If. Unfortunately, its reviews are likely not as good as they need to be. Again like last week, there are also a couple of documentaries that could find audiences in limited release: Fifi Howls from Happiness and The Dog.
More...
Featured TV on DVD Review: Cosmos: A Space Time Odyssey
June 19th, 2014
Cosmos debuted on TV in 1980 and featured Carl Sagan, who was arguably the most famous science communicator ever. When it was announced that the show was being re-booted as a mini-series, I was super excited, even more so when it was announced Neil deGrasse Tyson was the host, my anticipation grew even more. But did it grow too much? Could the show possibly live up to my expectations?
More...
Featured Blu-ray / DVD Review: Cirque Du Soleil - Worlds Away
March 11th, 2013
I requested Cirque Du Soleil - Worlds Away for the same reason I requested Samsara. After reading numerous reviews, I had really no idea what the movie was about, which made it difficult to come up with keywords. Unfortunately with Samsara that didn't work out so well. I loved the movie, but there was no plot to describe. Is this movie going to be the same?
More...
2012 - Holiday Gift Guide - Part I
November 23rd, 2012
This weekend is Thanksgiving and as always that means Black Friday and Cyber Monday plus 48 hours of shopping in-between. Unlike most years, I'm only halfway done with my Christmas shopping. So what recent, and not so recent releases are prime candidates for the perfect gift this year? Over the next month, we will go over several dozen possibilities with our annual Holiday Gift Guide, which is divided into into four sections. This week we start with Major Movie Releases. These are first run releases, franchise box sets, etc. However, before we get into the individual titles, we will start with an update on...
More...
All Acting Credits
Register with The Numbers for free to customize this chart.
Release Date | Title | Role | Domestic Box Office | International Box Office | Worldwide Box Office |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Jun 16, 2017 | Score: A Film Music Do… | Himself | $83,050 | $83,050 | |
Aug 8, 2014 | James Cameron’s Deepse… | Himself | $149,879 | $85,111 | $234,990 |
Aug 17, 2012 | Side by Side | Himself | $58,825 | $8,229 | $67,054 |
Aug 27, 1999 | The Muse | Himself | $11,614,954 | $11,614,954 | |
Averages | $3,941,219 | $58,797 | $3,000,012 | ||
Totals | 4 | $11,823,658 | $176,390 | $12,000,048 |
Latest Ranking on All Acting Box Office Record Lists
All Technical Credits
Register with The Numbers for free to customize this chart.
Release Date | Title | Role | Domestic Box Office | International Box Office | Worldwide Box Office |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Dec 19, 2031 | Avatar 5 | Director | |||
Dec 21, 2029 | Avatar 4 | Director Screenwriter |
|||
Dec 19, 2025 | Avatar 3 | Screenwriter Director Producer Editor |
|||
Dec 16, 2022 | Avatar: The Way of Water | Director Screenwriter Producer Story by Editor Character Creator |
$684,075,767 | $1,633,438,619 | $2,317,514,386 |
Nov 1, 2019 | Terminator: Dark Fate | Producer Story by |
$62,253,077 | $188,114,589 | $250,367,666 |
Feb 14, 2019 | Alita: Battle Angel | Screenwriter Producer |
$85,838,210 | $316,061,830 | $401,900,040 |
Aug 8, 2014 | James Cameron’s Deepsea Cha… | Executive Producer | $149,879 | $85,111 | $234,990 |
Jun 6, 2013 | Swan Lake Mariinsky Live | Producer | |||
Dec 21, 2012 | Cirque du Soleil: Worlds Away | Executive Producer | $12,512,862 | $21,640,239 | $34,153,101 |
Feb 4, 2011 | Sanctum | Executive Producer | $23,209,310 | $85,747,788 | $108,957,098 |
Dec 18, 2009 | Avatar | Director Screenwriter Producer Editor |
$785,221,649 | $2,138,484,377 | $2,923,706,026 |
Jan 28, 2005 | Aliens of the Deep | Director Producer |
$8,968,684 | $3,797,000 | $12,765,684 |
Apr 11, 2003 | Ghosts of the Abyss | Director Producer |
$17,093,668 | $11,648,645 | $28,742,313 |
Nov 27, 2002 | Solaris | Producer | $14,970,038 | $14,970,038 | |
Dec 19, 1997 | Titanic | Director Screenwriter Producer Cinematographer |
$674,460,013 | $1,548,588,773 | $2,223,048,786 |
Oct 6, 1995 | Strange Days | Screenwriter | $7,918,562 | $7,918,562 | |
Jul 15, 1994 | True Lies | Director Screenwriter Producer |
$146,282,411 | $219,017,589 | $365,300,000 |
Jul 12, 1991 | Point Break | Executive Producer | $43,218,387 | $40,313,571 | $83,531,958 |
Jul 2, 1991 | Terminator 2: Judgment Day | Director Screenwriter Producer Story Creator |
$203,464,105 | $311,897,419 | $515,361,524 |
Aug 9, 1989 | The Abyss | Screenwriter Director |
$54,763,229 | $30,205 | $54,793,434 |
Jul 18, 1986 | Aliens | Screenwriter Director |
$85,160,248 | $98,131,645 | $183,291,893 |
May 22, 1985 | Rambo: First Blood Part II | Screenwriter | $150,415,432 | $149,984,568 | $300,400,000 |
Oct 26, 1984 | The Terminator | Director Screenwriter |
$38,019,031 | $40,000,000 | $78,019,031 |
Nov 5, 1982 | Piranha 2: The Spawning | Director | |||
Averages | $163,052,345 | $400,410,704 | $521,314,554 | ||
Totals | 24 | $3,097,994,562 | $6,806,981,968 | $9,904,976,530 |
Director Credits
Register with The Numbers for free to customize this chart.
Release Date | Title | Opening Weekend | Maximum Theaters | Domestic Box Office | Worldwide Box Office | Domestic Share |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Dec 19, 2031 | Avatar 5 | |||||
Dec 21, 2029 | Avatar 4 | |||||
Dec 19, 2025 | Avatar 3 | |||||
Dec 16, 2022 | Avatar: The Way of Water | $134,100,226 | 4,340 | $684,075,767 | $2,317,514,386 | 29.5% |
Dec 18, 2009 | Avatar | $77,025,481 | 3,461 | $785,221,649 | $2,923,706,026 | 26.9% |
Jan 28, 2005 | Aliens of the Deep | $479,368 | 27 | $8,968,684 | $12,765,684 | 70.3% |
Apr 11, 2003 | Ghosts of the Abyss | $1,408,474 | 97 | $17,093,668 | $28,742,313 | 59.5% |
Dec 19, 1997 | Titanic | $28,638,131 | 3,265 | $674,460,013 | $2,223,048,786 | 30.3% |
Jul 15, 1994 | True Lies | $25,869,770 | 2,561 | $146,282,411 | $365,300,000 | 40.0% |
Jul 2, 1991 | Terminator 2: Judgment… | $31,765,506 | 2,495 | $203,464,105 | $515,361,524 | 39.5% |
Aug 9, 1989 | The Abyss | $9,319,797 | 1,538 | $54,763,229 | $54,793,434 | 99.9% |
Jul 18, 1986 | Aliens | $10,052,042 | 1,454 | $85,160,248 | $183,291,893 | 46.5% |
Oct 26, 1984 | The Terminator | $4,020,663 | 1,112 | $38,019,031 | $78,019,031 | 48.7% |
Nov 5, 1982 | Piranha 2: The Spawning | |||||
Averages | $32,267,946 | 2,035 | $269,750,881 | $870,254,308 | 49.1% | |
Totals | 14 | $2,697,508,805 | $8,702,543,077 |
Producer Credits
Register with The Numbers for free to customize this chart.
Release Date | Title | Opening Weekend | Maximum Theaters | Domestic Box Office | Worldwide Box Office | Domestic Share |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Dec 19, 2025 | Avatar 3 | |||||
Dec 16, 2022 | Avatar: The Way of Water | $134,100,226 | 4,340 | $684,075,767 | $2,317,514,386 | 29.5% |
Nov 1, 2019 | Terminator: Dark Fate | $29,033,832 | 4,086 | $62,253,077 | $250,367,666 | 24.9% |
Feb 14, 2019 | Alita: Battle Angel | $28,525,613 | 3,802 | $85,838,210 | $401,900,040 | 21.4% |
Jun 6, 2013 | Swan Lake Mariinsky Live | |||||
Dec 18, 2009 | Avatar | $77,025,481 | 3,461 | $785,221,649 | $2,923,706,026 | 26.9% |
Jan 28, 2005 | Aliens of the Deep | $479,368 | 27 | $8,968,684 | $12,765,684 | 70.3% |
Apr 11, 2003 | Ghosts of the Abyss | $1,408,474 | 97 | $17,093,668 | $28,742,313 | 59.5% |
Nov 27, 2002 | Solaris | $6,752,722 | 2,406 | $14,970,038 | $14,970,038 | 100.0% |
Dec 19, 1997 | Titanic | $28,638,131 | 3,265 | $674,460,013 | $2,223,048,786 | 30.3% |
Jul 15, 1994 | True Lies | $25,869,770 | 2,561 | $146,282,411 | $365,300,000 | 40.0% |
Jul 2, 1991 | Terminator 2: Judgment… | $31,765,506 | 2,495 | $203,464,105 | $515,361,524 | 39.5% |
Averages | $36,359,912 | 2,654 | $268,262,762 | $905,367,646 | 44.2% | |
Totals | 12 | $2,682,627,622 | $9,053,676,463 |
Writer Credits
Register with The Numbers for free to customize this chart.
Release Date | Title | Opening Weekend | Maximum Theaters | Domestic Box Office | Worldwide Box Office | Domestic Share |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Dec 21, 2029 | Avatar 4 | |||||
Dec 19, 2025 | Avatar 3 | |||||
Dec 16, 2022 | Avatar: The Way of Water | $134,100,226 | 4,340 | $684,075,767 | $2,317,514,386 | 29.5% |
Nov 1, 2019 | Terminator: Dark Fate | $29,033,832 | 4,086 | $62,253,077 | $250,367,666 | 24.9% |
Feb 14, 2019 | Alita: Battle Angel | $28,525,613 | 3,802 | $85,838,210 | $401,900,040 | 21.4% |
Dec 18, 2009 | Avatar | $77,025,481 | 3,461 | $785,221,649 | $2,923,706,026 | 26.9% |
Dec 19, 1997 | Titanic | $28,638,131 | 3,265 | $674,460,013 | $2,223,048,786 | 30.3% |
Oct 6, 1995 | Strange Days | 1,691 | $7,918,562 | $7,918,562 | 100.0% | |
Jul 15, 1994 | True Lies | $25,869,770 | 2,561 | $146,282,411 | $365,300,000 | 40.0% |
Jul 2, 1991 | Terminator 2: Judgment… | $31,765,506 | 2,495 | $203,464,105 | $515,361,524 | 39.5% |
Aug 9, 1989 | The Abyss | $9,319,797 | 1,538 | $54,763,229 | $54,793,434 | 99.9% |
Jul 18, 1986 | Aliens | $10,052,042 | 1,454 | $85,160,248 | $183,291,893 | 46.5% |
May 22, 1985 | Rambo: First Blood Par… | $25,520,843 | 2,074 | $150,415,432 | $300,400,000 | 50.1% |
Oct 26, 1984 | The Terminator | $4,020,663 | 1,112 | $38,019,031 | $78,019,031 | 48.7% |
Averages | $36,715,628 | 2,657 | $248,155,978 | $801,801,779 | 46.5% | |
Totals | 14 | $2,977,871,734 | $9,621,621,348 |