With no suitable pretenders to the throne stepping up to mount a challenge as the undisputed ruler of the box office, James Cameron has instead found himself in competition with none other than James Cameron in the battle to become the director of the third highest-grossing movie in the history of cinema.
In a fantastic twist of fate, Avatar: The Way of Water would have secured the number three spot on the all-time rankings a couple of weeks back if it wasn’t for the three-time Academy Award winner getting in his own way by re-releasing Titanic again. The 1997 classic continues to fare phenomenally well among crowds, so it managed to put some distance between itself and the filmmaker’s blockbuster sci-fi epic.
However, normal service has now been resumed after The Way of Water squeaked past the $2.2428 billion of Jack and Rose’s doomed romance to take the lead with $2.2433 billion. Now, we can never rule out the possibility of Titanic coming back to theaters once more, but then again, the Avatar sequel will no doubt make a comeback to raise awareness ahead of the third installment, so this may not even be the last time it’s Cameron vs. Cameron in the quest for supremacy.
The five highest-grossing features to have ever seen the inside of a multiplex – in order of earnings – are now those helmed by James Cameron, Joe and Anthony Russo, James Cameron, James Cameron, and J.J. Abrams, as if you needed any more indicators that certain behind the camera talents have created a monopoly.