Critics call him out of touch – yet, with his Avatar sequel, he could soon have three of the four highest-grossing films of all time. Fans and experts explain how he attracts such huge audiences
James Cameron may have been on to something when, after winning the best director Oscar for Titanic in 1998, he claimed exuberantly to be “king of the world”. He has occupied the top spot at the worldwide box office for nearly 25 years, thanks to 1997’s Titanic and 2009’s Avatar, which have grossed more than $5bn (£4.1bn) between them. His latest film, Avatar: The Way of Water, joined the all-time Top 10 after only three weeks and was the sixth-fastest film to make $1bn. It’s now at No 7, with Titanic at No 3 and the original Avatar at No 1. If it were to overtake Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Cameron would end up with three of the four highest-grossing films ever.
Yet before the release of each of his past four films, all said to be the most expensive film then made, Cameron has been more or less written off. He was extravagant, too ambitious and out of touch, claimed commentators. That Titanic speech became a stick with which to beat him, while Avatar’s success was treated as though it was the result of a fleeting madness that had afflicted audiences, with commentators pointing to its lack of “cultural footprint” (“Name three characters,” challenged detractors on Twitter as The Way of Water approached release).
