Director James Cameron&#8217;s &#8220;Avatar: The Way of Water&#8221; has surpassed his 1997 monster hit &#8220;Titanic&#8221; to become the the third-highest-grossing film in international box office history.
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/james-cameron">Cameron&#8217;s</a> highly anticipated &#8220;Avatar&#8221; sequel has brought in $1.5 billion overseas and is on its way to catching up to his original 2009 movie, which holds the top international title after earning $2.1 billion overseas, <a href="https://variety.com/2023/film/box-office/avatar-2-passes-titanic-international-box-office-milestone-1235513277/">Variety</a> reported.
Marvel&#8217;s huge hit &#8220;Avengers: Endgame&#8221; is No. 2 all time, having brought in $1.9 billion in ticket sales overseas.
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‘Avatar: The Way of Water’ Passes ‘Titanic’ Overseas, Becoming No. 3 Biggest International Release in History <a href="https://t.co/kLz8JKjihR">https://t.co/kLz8JKjihR</a>
&mdash; Variety (@Variety) <a href="https://twitter.com/Variety/status/1622297059507470336?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 5, 2023</a></blockquote>
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Domestically, &#8220;Avatar: The Way of the Water&#8221; has earned a total of $636 million following its release 8 weeks ago.
Outside of the &#8220;Avatar&#8221; sequel making history at the international box office, on a global scale Cameron&#8217;s latest film ranks as the fourth-highest grossing movie in history following &#8220;Avatar&#8221; ($2.92 billion); &#8220;Avengers: Endgame&#8221; ($2.7 billion); and &#8220;Titanic&#8221; ($2.19 billion).
The &#8220;Titanic&#8221; director previously spoke about the fact that his film would have to earn $2 billion to &#8220;break even,&#8221; as previously <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/new-avatar-flick-tops-1-billion-in-just-14-days-faster-than-any-other-film-this-year">reported</a>. However, despite Cameron&#8217;s assertion, <a href="https://variety.com/2022/film/news/avatar-the-way-of-water-900-million-worldwide-1235472877/#:~:text=Cameron%20estimated%20the%20movie%20needs,probably%20closer%20to%20%241.5%20billion.">Variety</a> reports that &#8220;analysts believe the threshold to profitability is probably closer to $1.5 billion.&#8221;
During a recent appearance on HBO Max&#8217;s &#8220;Who&#8217;s Talking to Chris Wallace?&#8221; Cameron talked about the film&#8217;s success at the box office, <a href="https://www.yahoo.com/news/james-cameron-says-avatar-2-190229417.html">Yahoo.com</a> noted.
&#8220;It looks like with the momentum that the film has now that we&#8217;ll easily pass our break-even in the next few days, so it looks like I can&#8217;t wiggle out of this and I&#8217;m gonna have to do these other sequels,&#8221; Cameron shared. &#8220;I know what I&#8217;m going to be doing the next six or seven years.&#8221;
&#8220;The point is we&#8217;re going to be okay,&#8221; he added. &#8220;I&#8217;m sure that we&#8217;ll have a discussion soon with with the top folks at Disney about the game plan going forward for &#8216;Avatar 3,&#8217; which is already in the can — we&#8217;ve already captured and photographed the whole film, so we&#8217;re in extended post-production to do all that CGI magic.&#8221;
Fans can expect to see the third installment in the franchise hit theaters in December 2024, <a href="https://variety.com/2022/film/news/avatar-the-way-of-water-billion-dollar-box-office-1235473320/">Variety</a> noted.

Avatar-2

‘Avatar’ Sequel Sets New Record After Passing ‘Titanic’ At Box Office

Celebrities

Entertainment

James Cameron

Movies

U.S.

Superstar Zoe Saldana made box office history after multiple films she was a part of each grossed more than $2 billion after the &#8220;Avatar&#8221; sequel recently crossed that benchmark globally.
The 44-year-old actress became the first actor ever to appear in four films that have crossed the $2 billion mark after <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/james-cameron">James Cameron&#8217;s</a> &#8220;<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/avatar-sequel-soars-past-top-gun-maverick-globally-to-become-top-grossing-film-of-2022">Avatar: The Way of Water</a>&#8221; did so worldwide at the box office, <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2023/01/24/entertainment/zoe-saldana-avatar-box-office/index.html">CNN</a> reported.
Saldana proved to be the most bankable star in Hollywood. Besides &#8220;Avatar&#8217;s&#8221; success, the other three films she was part of include the &#8220;Avatar&#8221; original in 2009 and two huge box office hits for Marvel: “Avengers: Infinity War&#8221; in 2018 and in the following year, the final film in the &#8220;Avengers&#8221; franchise, &#8220;Avengers: Endgame&#8221; in 2019.
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Zoey Saldana is now the first actor to appear in 4 movies that grossed over $2 billion<a href="https://t.co/8hFFW3X8NY">https://t.co/8hFFW3X8NY</a>
&mdash; Goandbewild (@goandbewild) <a href="https://twitter.com/goandbewild/status/1617343033430937603?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 23, 2023</a></blockquote>
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Saldana, who plays Neytiri in the &#8220;Avatar&#8221; films, recently spoke to <a href="https://www.essence.com/celebrity/zoe-saldana-first-actor-4-films-2-billion/">ESSENCE</a> magazine ahead of the release of the &#8220;Avatar&#8221; sequel.
&#8220;Knowing that at 27 years old I was seen by James Cameron and he thought that I had what it took to become Neytiri,&#8221; Saldana shared. &#8220;I just ran for the hills I tell you.&#8221;
&#8220;I just ran with it and I gave 120 percent every single day,&#8221; she added. &#8220;I haven&#8217;t stopped doing that.&#8221;
And given the superstar actress&#8217; upcoming projects, she has a chance to make history once more following the release of the highly-anticipated third and final installment in the &#8220;Guardians of the Galaxy&#8221; franchise, where she will reprise her role as Gamora in &#8220;Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.&#8221; She is also expected to be part of future &#8220;Avatar&#8221; sequels.
The success of &#8220;Avatar: The Way of Water&#8221; has launched director Cameron into history as well, becoming the first-ever director with three $2 billion dollar films in his impressive resume, as previously <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/james-cameron-becomes-only-director-with-3-films-grossing-2b-worldwide-following-success-of-avatar-the-way-of-water" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>.
The 68-year-old Canadian filmmaker earned the distinction following the massive success of the &#8220;Avatar&#8221; sequel when it recently surpassed the $2 billion mark at the global box office after its December 2022 release. It had a production budget of between $350 and $460 million, according to <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-11665355/James-Cameron-director-three-films-2-BILLION-following-Avatar-2-success.html">The Daily Mail</a>.
Cameron&#8217;s other massive blockbuster successes came from his original &#8220;Avatar&#8221; in 2009 and the Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet-led love story in 1997 &#8220;Titanic,&#8221; both of which earned more than $2 billion worldwide.
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/james-cameron-says-new-titanic-investigation-will-finally-settle-that-jack-and-rose-door-debate-once-and-for-all">James Cameron Says New &#8216;Titanic&#8217; Investigation Will Finally Settle That Jack And Rose &#8216;Door&#8217; Debate Once And For All</a>

Zoey Saldana-2

Zoe Saldana Makes Box Office History After Four Films Cross Incredible Milestone

Box Office

Marvel

<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/james-cameron">James Cameron</a> just made history by becoming the first-ever director with three $2 billion dollar <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/movies">films</a> in his repertoire.
The 68-year-old Canadian <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/hollywood">filmmaker</a> earned the distinction following the massive success of his latest project, “Avatar: The Way of Water.” The sequel to his initial “Avatar” blockbuster surpassed $2 billion in global box office sales six weeks after its December 2021 release. It had a production budget between $350 and $460 million, <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-11665355/James-Cameron-director-three-films-2-BILLION-following-Avatar-2-success.html">according to</a> The Daily Mail.
Previously, Cameron’s other films “Avatar” (2009) and “Titanic” (1997) also earned more than $2 billion worldwide.
In the larger world of film, surpassing $2 billion in revenue doesn’t happen often. Other films that made that kind of money include “Avengers: Endgame” (2019), which earned just under $2.8 billion on a budget of $356-400 million, “Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015) which earned $2 billion with a budget of $306 million, and “Avengers: Infinity War” (2018), which also earned $2 billion on a budget of $325-$400 million.
Cameron said the “Avatar” franchise would continue if enough people bought tickets for “The Way of Water.” The director explained that scenes for the third and fourth installments were already shot to avoid continuity issues related to child actors looking too grown up.
“Otherwise, you get — and I love ‘Stranger Things’ — but you get the ‘Stranger Things’ effect where they’re supposed to still be in high school [but] they look like they’re 27,” Cameron told Entertainment Weekly, as The Daily Wire <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/james-cameron-already-shot-avatar-3-and-4-to-avoid-stranger-things-effect-teens-who-look-like-theyre-27">reported</a>. “You know, I love the show. It’s OK, we’ll suspend disbelief. We like the characters, but, you know.”
During another interview, Cameron said he wasn’t even sure “The Way of Water” would cause a splash at the box office like the first “Avatar” did. Since so much time had passed between the original and the sequel, the Canadian filmmaker knew the whole thing was a gamble.
“There’s skepticism in the marketplace. Can anybody even remember the characters’ names? We’ll see what happens after this film,” he <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-features/james-cameron-interview-avatar-the-way-of-water-franchise-future-1235271483/">told</a> The Hollywood Reporter in November.
Now that gamble is paying off in a big way. Cameron seems committed to making the next movies in the series, as he revealed on HBO Max&#8217;s “Who&#8217;s Talking to Chris Wallace?” this month. 
“It looks like with the momentum that the film has now that we&#8217;ll easily pass our break even in the next few days, so it looks like I can&#8217;t wiggle out of this and I&#8217;m gonna have to do these other sequels,” he said. “I know what I&#8217;m going to be doing the next six or seven years.”

James Cameron’s “Avatar: The Way Of Water” World Premiere – VIP Arrivals

James Cameron Becomes Only Director With 3 Films Grossing $2B Worldwide Following Success Of ‘Avatar: The Way Of Water’

James Cameron Becomes Only Director With 3 Films Grossing $2B Worldwide Following Success Of 'Avatar: The Way Of Water'

Hollywood

<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/james-cameron" target="_blank" rel="noopener">James Cameron</a> said a new &#8220;Titanic&#8221; investigation will finally settle the Jack and Rose &#8220;door&#8221; debate once and for all after fans have speculated for nearly three decades about the fate of both characters from his 1997 disaster-romance film.
Cameron said that a National Geographic documentary, &#8220;<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/25-years-later-titanic-would-sink-not-soar-in-modern-america" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Titanic: 25 Years Later with James Cameron</a>,&#8221; recreated the famed floating door scene and proved whether or not Leonardo DiCaprio&#8217;s character, Jack, could have survived by climbing onto the debris in the middle of the freezing waters, <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/tv/2023/01/14/titanic-james-cameron-investigates-jack-and-rose-survive/11052294002/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">USA Today</a> recently reported.
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/james-cameron-cut-10-minutes-of-guns-from-new-avatar-flick-over-fears-hed-fetishize-firearms" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Cameron</a> first shot down the fan theory that it was a door at all during a Television Critics Association panel.
&#8220;A new investigation we&#8217;ve just done will settle this fan-based question about Jack and Rose and a piece of floating debris, which everyone calls a door,&#8221; the director shared.
&#8220;It&#8217;s technically not a door,&#8221; he added, before noting that &#8220;it&#8217;s a piece of wood paneling from the first-class cabin.&#8221;
In honor of the film&#8217;s 25th anniversary, the documentary has scientifically recreated the exact situation from the film where Rose managed to survive floating on what was believed to be a door, but Jack perished in the freezing waters after the Titanic hit an iceberg and sank to the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean.
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Marking the anniversary of the film, Titanic: 25 Years Later with <a href="https://twitter.com/JimCameron?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@JimCameron</a> will settle the debate once and for all: could Jack have survived? Find out Sunday, February 5 at 9/8c on National Geographic. <a href="https://t.co/2SKx5cUagf">pic.twitter.com/2SKx5cUagf</a>
&mdash; National Geographic TV (@NatGeoTV) <a href="https://twitter.com/NatGeoTV/status/1614063614175870977?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 14, 2023</a></blockquote>
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The documentary hired two stunt doubles with similar sizes to DiCaprio and Winslet&#8217;s characters who were placed in 56-degree water. Cameron said the documentary then &#8220;doubled the time for every stage&#8221; of the recreation for this investigation, <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/titanic-director-james-cameron-new-investigation-will-settle-jack-rose-door-debate" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Fox News</a> noted.
&#8220;That actually plots out quite accurately according to the algorithms,&#8221; Cameron shared of the &#8220;scientific approach&#8221; to determine if Jack could have survived if instead of remaining in the water, he had pulled himself up onto the floating debris with Rose.
&#8220;We weren&#8217;t trying to prove or disprove anything, we&#8217;re just trying to say, &#8216;If you do this, does it make it better?’” he added.
&#8220;Across four tests, we came to some pretty hard and fast conclusions,&#8221; the director of the film continued, without revealing what they found.
The documentary will air February 5 on National Geographic.
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/kate-winslet-james-cameron-share-opinions-on-infamous-titanic-door-debate" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Kate Winslet, James Cameron Share Opinions On Infamous &#8216;Titanic&#8217; Door Debate</a>

“Titanic”

James Cameron Says New ‘Titanic’ Investigation Will Finally Settle That Jack And Rose ‘Door’ Debate Once And For All

Titanic

&#8220;Avatar: The Way of Water&#8221; has soared past &#8220;Top Gun: Maverick&#8221; at the global box office to become the top-grossing film released in 2022.
The highly-anticipated &#8220;<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/new-avatar-flick-tops-1-billion-in-just-14-days-faster-than-any-other-film-this-year" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Avatar</a>&#8221; sequel from director <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/james-cameron-already-shot-avatar-3-and-4-to-avoid-stranger-things-effect-teens-who-look-like-theyre-27" target="_blank" rel="noopener">James Cameron,</a> through Thursday, earned $1.547 billion at the box office internationally, <a href="https://deadline.com/2023/01/avatar-the-way-of-water-box-office-beats-top-gun-maverick-best-of-2022-1235211240/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Deadline</a> reported.
The &#8220;Avatar&#8221; sequel has become the ninth highest-grossing film of all time at the global box office, overtaking &#8220;The Avengers,” which brought in $1.521 billion in 2012, the outlet noted.
As of Wednesday, the fantasy film had beaten out the &#8220;Top Gun&#8221; sequel, earning $454 million domestically and crossing the $1 billion mark globally, <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/avatar-the-way-of-water-box-office-top-gun-1235290677/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Hollywood Reporter</a> noted.
Paramount’s &#8220;Top Gun: Maverick&#8221; was released in May, and previously held the honor of top-grossing movie released in 2022, earning $1.49 billion globally.
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&quot;I’m gonna have to do these other [&#39;Avatar&#39;] sequels. I know what I’m going to be doing the next six or seven years&#8230;.We’ve begun a saga that can now play out over multiple films.”<a href="https://t.co/Y8IHx4olJk">https://t.co/Y8IHx4olJk</a>
&mdash; Variety (@Variety) <a href="https://twitter.com/Variety/status/1611439076472942592?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 6, 2023</a></blockquote>
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Ahead of the release of “Avatar: The Way Of Water,” Cameron said the movie would have to earn $2 billion to &#8220;break even,&#8221; as previously <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/new-avatar-flick-tops-1-billion-in-just-14-days-faster-than-any-other-film-this-year" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>. However, despite Cameron’s assertion, <a href="https://variety.com/2022/film/news/avatar-the-way-of-water-900-million-worldwide-1235472877/#:~:text=Cameron%20estimated%20the%20movie%20needs,probably%20closer%20to%20%241.5%20billion." target="_blank" rel="noopener">Variety</a> reports that “analysts believe the threshold to profitability is probably closer to $1.5 billion.”
Cameron shared during his Friday appearance on HBO Max&#8217;s &#8220;Who&#8217;s Talking to Chris Wallace?&#8221; that his film will easily pass that point in the next few days, <a href="https://www.yahoo.com/news/james-cameron-says-avatar-2-190229417.html">Yahoo.com</a> noted.
&#8220;It looks like with the momentum that the film has now that we&#8217;ll easily pass our break even in the next few days, so it looks like I can&#8217;t wiggle out of this and I&#8217;m gonna have to do these other sequels,&#8221; Cameron said. &#8220;I know what I&#8217;m going to be doing the next six or seven years.&#8221;
&#8220;The point is we&#8217;re going to be okay,&#8221; he added. &#8220;I&#8217;m sure that we&#8217;ll have a discussion soon with with the top folks at Disney about the game plan going forward for &#8216;Avatar 3,’ which is already in the can — we&#8217;ve already captured and photographed the whole film, so we&#8217;re in extended post-production to do all that CG magic.&#8221;
&#8220;And then &#8216;Avatar 4&#8217; and &#8216;5&#8217; are both written,&#8221; Cameron continued. &#8220;We even have some of &#8216;4&#8217; in the can. We&#8217;ve begun a franchise at this point. We&#8217;ve begun a saga that can now play out over multiple films.&#8221;
The first &#8220;Avatar&#8221; film brought in $2.97 billion and holds the record as the highest-grossing release in cinema history, <a href="https://variety.com/2022/film/news/avatar-the-way-of-water-billion-dollar-box-office-1235473320/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Variety</a> noted.
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/avatar-director-james-cameron-having-a-pregnant-warrior-is-last-bastion-of-empowering-women" target="_blank" rel="noopener">&#8216;Avatar&#8217; Director James Cameron: Having A &#8216;Pregnant&#8217; Warrior Is &#8216;Last Bastion&#8217; Of Empowering Women</a>

Avatar

‘Avatar’ Sequel Soars Past ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ Globally To Become Top Grossing Film Of 2022

Top Gun

Audiences are quickly proving that they have been waiting for director James Cameron&#8217;s newest sequel, &#8220;Avatar: The Way of Water&#8221; — driving the franchise&#8217;s second installment to $1 billion at the global box office in just 14 days.
According to a <a href="https://variety.com/2022/film/news/avatar-the-way-of-water-billion-dollar-box-office-1235473320/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">report</a> published Tuesday by the entertainment website Variety, Cameron&#8217;s lengthy epic managed the feat in less time than any other movie in 2022 — and was one of only three released this year to reach the milestone at all. The other two were also sequels — &#8220;Top Gun: Maverick,&#8221; which cleared the hurdle in about one month; and &#8220;Jurassic World Dominion,&#8221; which took a full four months.
Variety&#8217;s report also noted that &#8220;Spider Man: No Way Home&#8221; (2021) was the most recent movie to deliver a $1 billion box office take within two weeks — and only <a href="https://www.insider.com/fastest-grossing-movies-1-billion-box-office-two-weeks-2022-10#2-avengers-infinity-war-11-days-5" target="_blank" rel="noopener">six movies</a> have bested $1 billion within two weeks of their initial release date:
<ul>
<li>&#8220;Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom&#8221; (14 days)</li>
<li>&#8220;Jurassic World&#8221; (13 days)</li>
<li>&#8220;Star Wars: The Force Awakens” (12 days)</li>
<li>&#8220;Spider Man: No Way Home&#8221; (12 days)</li>
<li>&#8220;Avengers: Infinity War” (11 days)</li>
<li>&#8220;Avengers: Endgame&#8221; (5 days)</li>
</ul>
But according to Cameron, bringing in $1 billion is quite literally only half the battle. He has told reporters that because of the film&#8217;s massive operating budget — and millions in additional promotional material — the movie would have to top $2 billion in order for him to break even on the project. However, despite Cameron’s assertion, <a href="https://variety.com/2022/film/news/avatar-the-way-of-water-900-million-worldwide-1235472877/#:~:text=Cameron%20estimated%20the%20movie%20needs,probably%20closer%20to%20%241.5%20billion." target="_blank" rel="noopener">Variety</a> reports that “analysts believe the threshold to profitability is probably closer to $1.5 billion.”
In addition, Cameron has already sunk time and money into two more installments in the &#8220;Avatar&#8221; franchise — he reportedly <a href="https://dailywire.com/news/james-cameron-already-shot-avatar-3-and-4-to-avoid-stranger-things-effect-teens-who-look-like-theyre-27/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">already filmed</a> the third movie, as well as <a href="https://collider.com/avatar-3-filming-nearly-complete-jon-landau-comments/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">parts</a> of the fourth, in an effort to preserve continuity and avoid having his actors age out before the projects are finished.
The first &#8220;Avatar&#8221; film still holds the record as the highest grossing release in cinema history, shattering box office records with a haul of $2.97 billion in 2009.
Cameron made news earlier in the week when, during a press tour for the popular sequel, he revealed that he had cut at least <a href="https://dailywire.com/news/james-cameron-cut-10-minutes-of-guns-from-new-avatar-flick-over-fears-hed-fetishize-firearms/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ten minutes</a> of gun play from the three hour epic over fears that he might &#8220;fetishize&#8221; firearms.
&#8220;I actually cut about 10 minutes of the movie targeting gunplay action. I wanted to get rid of some of the ugliness, to find a balance between light and dark. You have to have conflict, of course. Violence and action are the same thing, depending on how you look at it. This is the dilemma of every action filmmaker, and I’m known as an action filmmaker,&#8221; Cameron said, adding that he might do other films — such as &#8220;Terminator&#8221; and &#8220;True Lies&#8221; — differently in order to avoid making firearms appear glamorous.

The World Premiere of James Cameron’s “Avatar: The Way of Water”

New ‘Avatar’ Flick Tops $1 Billion In Just 14 Days – Faster Than Any Other Film This Year

New 'Avatar' Flick Tops $1 Billion In Just 14 Days

***This article contains spoilers***
Director James Cameron cut <a href="https://www.mediaite.com/entertainment/james-cameron-cut-10-minutes-of-guns-from-avatar-2-says-he-regrets-fetishizing-firearms-in-movies/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ten full minutes</a> from his latest film, &#8220;Avatar: The Way of Water&#8221; — which still clocks in at a lengthy three hours and 12 minutes — because he was afraid that scenes featuring guns would &#8220;fetishize&#8221; firearms.
<a href="https://dailywire.com/news/get-over-it-james-cameron-laughs-off-decision-that-cost-matt-damon-250-million/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Cameron</a> made the comments during an <a href="https://www.esquireme.com/culture/interviews/james-cameron-i-wouldnt-make-terminator-today" target="_blank" rel="noopener">interview</a> published by Esquire: Middle East, saying that he had struggled to find the line between preserving the film&#8217;s necessary action sequences and adding scenes that were more gratuitous and included firearms.
&#8220;I actually cut about 10 minutes of the movie targeting gunplay action. I wanted to get rid of some of the ugliness, to find a balance between light and dark,&#8221; he said. &#8220;You have to have conflict, of course. Violence and action are the same thing, depending on how you look at it. This is the dilemma of every action filmmaker, and I’m known as an action filmmaker.&#8221;
<a href="https://dailywire.com/news/james-cameron-flies-one-finger-salute-to-fans-leaving-avatar-the-way-of-water-screening/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Cameron</a> went on to explain that other scenes were left in despite their brutality — like one in which hunters are taking enjoyment from the slow, deliberate stalking of one of the Tulkun. &#8220;There&#8217;s a moral crime,&#8221; he said.
He concluded the interview with an assessment of how the second film differed from the first — 2009&#8217;s &#8220;Avatar&#8221; — in the way that the final scenes played out.
&#8220;The first film has the good guys and the bad guys seemingly equally opposed, and then the good guys get crushed and defeated and many of the heroes die. Then there’s this almost ‘deus ex machina’ where Jake invokes the forces of nature—a ‘deus ex machina’ I think is earned by the way,&#8221; he explained. &#8220;The second film doesn’t work that way at all. The battle is not even a battle, it’s a rout. It’s the revenge of the Na’vi and the Tulkun. The real challenge, and the real defeat, and the thing that must be recovered from, happens after the battle.&#8221;
Cameron has reportedly gone all-in on the franchise, filming the third and fourth installments before the second was even released in an effort to <a href="https://dailywire.com/news/james-cameron-already-shot-avatar-3-and-4-to-avoid-stranger-things-effect-teens-who-look-like-theyre-27/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ensure continuity</a>, but his comments suggest a deliberate move away from more scenes featuring firearms — and he even went so far as to say he would reconsider making some of his more famous films for the same reason.
&#8220;I look back on some films that I’ve made, and I don’t know if I would want to make that film now. I don’t know if I would want to fetishize the gun, like I did on a couple of &#8216;Terminator&#8217; movies 30+ years ago, in our current world,&#8221; Cameron explained. &#8220;What’s happening with guns in our society turns my stomach.&#8221;
The &#8220;True Lies&#8221; director went on to say that he was glad to be somewhat removed from the problem, primarily living outside the United States where gun laws were far more strict.
&#8220;I’m happy to be living in New Zealand where they just banned all assault rifles two weeks after that horrific mosque shooting a couple of years ago,&#8221; he said.

CinemaCon 2022 – The Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures Presentation

James Cameron Cut 10 Minutes Of Guns From New ‘Avatar’ Flick Over Fears He’d ‘Fetishize’ Firearms

James Cameron Cut 10 Minutes Of Guns From New 'Avatar' Flick Over Fears He’d ‘Fetishize’ Firearms

While “<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/movies">Avatar 2: The Way of Water</a>” was by no means a guaranteed success, director <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/james-cameron">James Cameron</a> already shot scenes for the third and fourth installments of the franchise.
The filmmaker <a href="https://ew.com/movies/james-cameron-shot-avatar-sequels-same-time-stranger-things-effect/">explained</a> to Entertainment Weekly that he did it to avoid a common problem in Hollywood that happens when years pass between <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/entertainment">sequels</a> — actors to age too much for the storyline.
“Otherwise, you get — and I love ‘Stranger Things’ — but you get the ‘Stranger Things’ effect where they’re supposed to still be in high school [but] they look like they’re 27,” Cameron told the publication. “You know, I love the show. It’s OK, we’ll suspend disbelief. We like the characters, but, you know.”
The phenomenon is more noticeable with adolescent actors who go through extreme changes as they mature. Trinity Jo-Li Bliss was around 7 when she was cast as Tuk in the &#8220;Avatar&#8221; sequel and has since become a teenager. Similarly, 18-year-old actor Jack Champion plays Spider in the movies and went through big changes since filming began when he was 13, leading Cameron to remark that he’s “growing like a weed.”
The first “Avatar” film came out in 2009, and the third installment is slated for a 2024 release.
During an <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-features/james-cameron-interview-avatar-the-way-of-water-franchise-future-1235271483/">interview</a> with The Hollywood Reporter, Cameron discussed how risky it was making a sequel more than a decade after the first release. “There’s skepticism in the marketplace. Can anybody even remember the characters&#8217; names? We’ll see what happens after this film,” he said.
The latest installment was a big gamble for Disney, costing more than $350 million in production costs alone. If Cameron completes the intended story, the total amount spent will exceed $1 billion. As of this week, “The Way of Water” had surpassed $550 million in global ticket sales, but it still hasn’t reached a break-even point or become profitable, Variety <a href="https://variety.com/2022/film/news/avatar-the-way-of-water-box-office-550-million-1235467215/">noted</a>. 
Producer Jon Landau teased a bit of what the third and fourth “Avatar” movies would include.
“Each movie is going to introduce audiences to new clans, new cultures on Pandora,&#8221; he told EW. 
&#8220;Once we introduce a character, they stay a part of the ongoing evolution. We just add to it. So you can expect to see the Metkayina that you meet in this movie in subsequent movies. There are other clans that we&#8217;ll introduce in movie 3 that you&#8217;ll see in movie 4 and so on and so forth.&#8221;
This is all banking on the success of “The Way of Water,” of course, which is still not guaranteed.

James Cameron Already Shot ‘Avatar’ 3 And 4 To Avoid ‘Stranger Things’ Effect, Teens Who ‘Look Like They’re 27’

James Cameron Already Shot 'Avatar' 3 And 4 To Avoid 'Stranger Things' Effect, Teens Who 'Look Like They're 27'

Disney

Director <a href="https://dailywire.com/news/james-cameron-flies-one-finger-salute-to-fans-leaving-avatar-the-way-of-water-screening/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">James Cameron</a> laughed off a recent question about actor <a href="https://dailywire.com/news/matt-damon-ill-close-my-mouth-while-paul-bois/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Matt Damon</a> and his claim that turning down a role in the first &#8220;Avatar&#8221; film cost him millions.
&#8220;When was the last time you had a conversation with Matt Damon?&#8221; a BBC radio interviewer asked Cameron, who was promoting &#8220;Avatar: The Way of Water&#8221; — the long-awaited sequel to the visually-stunning 2009 film. Cameron immediately burst out laughing.
The context, of course, was the viral clip of Damon from the 2021 Cannes Film Festival — when he revealed that Cameron had offered him a role and a 10% stake in the massively-successful film. But the &#8220;Good Will Hunting&#8221; star was already committed to filming another installment in the highly-successful &#8220;Bourne&#8221; franchise and had to turn it down.
&#8220;Jim Cameron called me. He offered me ten percent of &#8216;Avatar,’” Damon said at a Cannes press event, laughing as he made the revelation. The audience laughed as well, knowing just how big a film &#8220;Avatar&#8221; had turned out to be.
The film ultimately <a href="https://time.com/6241639/avatar-2-costs-box-office/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">raked</a> in over $2.9 billion worldwide — meaning that Damon&#8217;s paycheck, plus the proposed 10% stake, would have netted him somewhere around $250 million or even more.
&#8220;I will go down in history,&#8221; Damon <a href="https://ew.com/movies/matt-damon-turned-down-avatar-10-percent-profits/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">said at the time</a>. &#8220;You will never meet an actor who turned down more money.&#8221;
Cameron suggested that Damon, who has done quite well for himself even without the $250-million boost, ought to just let it go.
&#8220;He’s beating himself up over this. And I really think, you know, &#8216;Matt, you’re kind of like one of the biggest movie stars in the world, get over it,’” Cameron joked — but he went on to note that it was really only the actor&#8217;s schedule that had gotten in the way. &#8220;He had to do another &#8216;Bourne&#8217; film, which was on his runway and there was nothing we could do about that. So he had to regretfully decline.&#8221;
Cameron made it clear that he was interested in having Damon be a part of an &#8220;Avatar&#8221; film in the future, however, but it would not come with quite the same incentive. &#8220;Must do it,&#8221; Cameron said of including Damon in the franchise. &#8220;We have to do it so the world is in equilibrium again. But he doesn’t get 10%, f*** that.&#8221;
WATCH:
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78 Venice International Film Festival 2021

‘Get Over It!’: James Cameron Laughs Off Decision That Cost Matt Damon $250 Million

James Cameron Laughs Off Decision That Cost Matt Damon $250 Million

Matt Damon

James Cameron admitted he&#8217;s &#8220;in discussion&#8221; to relaunch the &#8220;Terminator&#8221; franchise, which he started in 1984, after the last several sequels were box office flops.
During the 68-year-old director&#8217;s appearance on the &#8220;Smartless&#8221; <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/james-cameron/id1521578868?i=1000589723416" target="_blank" rel="noopener">podcast</a>, the director talked about the fate of the franchise after 2019&#8217;s &#8220;Terminator: Dark Fate,&#8221; from Tim Miller, failed to capture the magic of the original. <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/james-cameron" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Cameron</a> directed both the original movie and its sequel, &#8220;Terminator 2: Judgement Day,&#8221; <a href="https://variety.com/2022/film/news/the-terminator-reboot-james-cameron-new-film-discussion-1235466280/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Variety noted</a>.
&#8220;If I were to do another &#8216;Terminator&#8217; film and maybe try to launch that franchise again, which is in discussion, but nothing has been decided, I would make it much more about the AI side of it than bad robots gone crazy.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
James Cameron: “If I were to do another <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Terminator?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Terminator</a> film and maybe try to launch that franchise again, which is in discussion, but nothing has been decided, I would make it much more about the AI side of it than bad robots gone crazy.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/0czmKdOQJy">https://t.co/0czmKdOQJy</a>
&mdash; Variety (@Variety) <a href="https://twitter.com/Variety/status/1605244889226268673?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 20, 2022</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
When asked recently what he thinks went wrong with Miller&#8217;s &#8220;Dark Fate,&#8221; Cameron said he thinks that what sunk the film was bringing back both Linda Hamilton and <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/arnold-schwarzenegger" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Arnold Schwarzenegger</a>, <a href="https://deadline.com/2022/12/james-cameron-avatar-the-way-of-water-terminator-remorse-sigourney-weaver-kate-winslet-7-minute-breath-holding-swim-1235197918/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Deadline noted</a>.
&#8220;I think the movie could have survived having Linda in it,&#8221; Cameron shared. &#8220;I think it could have survived having Arnold in it, but when you put Linda and Arnold in it and then, you know, she&#8217;s 60-something, he&#8217;s 70-something, all of a sudden it wasn&#8217;t your &#8216;Terminator&#8217; movie, it wasn&#8217;t even your dad&#8217;s &#8216;Terminator&#8217; movie, it was your granddad&#8217;s &#8216;Terminator&#8217; movie. And we didn&#8217;t see that.&#8221;
&#8220;Dark Fate&#8221; has made $261 million at the box office globally. It is supposed to be the direct sequel to Cameron&#8217;s 1991 movie &#8220;Terminator 2: Judgement Day,&#8221; which is considered one of the greatest sci-fi films ever, with a lifetime adjusted box office gross of $446,188,002, per <a href="https://www.boxofficemojo.com/chart/top_lifetime_gross_adjusted/?adjust_gross_to=2019" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Box Office Mojo</a>.
&#8220;Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines&#8221; from 2003 didn&#8217;t do nearly as well domestically but when the international numbers are figured its box office gross stands at $433,371,112. The fourth film in the series, 2009&#8217;s &#8220;Terminator Salvation,&#8221; earned globally at the box office $371,353,001, the movie outlet noted. The fifth installment of the franchise, 2015&#8217;s &#8220;Terminator Genisys,&#8221; generated a lot less interest than its predecessors domestically with only $89 million, but achieved a worldwide gross of $440,603,537. &#8220;Dark Fate&#8221; currently stands at $261,119,292 at the box office worldwide, earning around $62 million domestically.

Photo by Albert L. Ortega/WireImage

James Cameron Admits He’s ’In Discussion’ To Relaunch ‘Terminator’ Franchise And Reveals What He’d Do Different This Time

Arnold Schwarzenegger

Hollywood can keep churning out movies month after month, year after year, but it’s unlikely another cultural phenomenon like James Cameron’s “Titanic” will ever happen again.
There are many reasons to blame for this beyond the fact that the three hour and 30-minute drama revolves around a heterosexual white couple. It would be impossible to explain to teens today just how much “Titanic” captivated the nation’s attention for months.
Whether they loved it or intentionally avoided “Titanic” for being so popular, everyone knew about the moment Rose croaked, “I&#8217;ll never let go, Jack. I’ll never let go,” just before watching her young love sink into the icy abyss.
I was 13 years-old when “Titanic” came out and am only slightly ashamed to admit that I saw it seven times in theaters and cried through every single showing. I was so obsessed with the story of the poor young artist Jack Dawson (Leonardo DiCaprio) falling in love with first-class passenger Rose DeWitt Bukater (Kate Winslet) that a classmate actually wrote in my yearbook that spring, “The boat sank. Get over it.”
I wasn’t the only one swooning. Though it had a bit of a slow start at the box office, “Titanic” remained the number-one movie in America for 15 consecutive weeks and earned over $2.2 billion. None of this was guaranteed; in fact, some critics feared the overly ambitious, over-budget film would sink faster than the ship it was based upon. It could have been a colossal failure just as easily as it was a success. 
In the end, “Titanic” was nominated for 14 Academy Awards and won 11, including awards for Best Picture and Best Director. The film managed to impress audiences as much as critics for several reasons that would be almost impossible by today’s standards.
First and foremost is society’s extreme lack of attention span. Movie hype today won’t ever reach “Titanic” heights because people are constantly seeking the next big thing, which leads to movie studios cycling through sequel after sequel to constantly have something new to share. Superhero franchises have the best chance for success with the current model.
Audiences are likely to latch onto the hot movie of the moment, but the concept of that production remaining at the top of the charts for four solid months is almost inconceivable. Also, would audiences even sit through a movie that was more than three hours long?
Another thing “Titanic” had going for it was widespread appeal that just doesn’t exist anymore. There were definitely teenage girls like me who already had posters of Leonardo DiCaprio hanging on their walls before the movie came out and could therefore be expected to buy tickets for multiple showings just to see him on screen. 
But Cameron’s epic historical drama held appeal for a much bigger audience, including history enthusiasts who were fascinated with the real-life sinking of the Titanic in 1912 and moviegoers who appreciated big-budget productions which benefited from surround sound and giant screen.
In the ’90s, people were less likely to have state-of-the-art theaters in their basements and would therefore be drawn to movie theaters to see a blockbuster like “Titanic.” In present day, theater attendance started dwindling before the COVID pandemic and has yet to recover from closures that dragged on for months in its wake. A Gallup <a href="https://news.gallup.com/poll/388538/movie-theater-attendance-far-below-historical-norms.aspx" target="_blank" rel="noopener">poll</a> from last year found that Americans watched an average of 1.4 movies in a movie theater, while a record number of people (61%) didn’t go to the movies in a theater once.
At least one publication credited “Titanic’s” popularity with the rise of hater culture due to the number of people who despised it purely based on its popularity. They called Cameron’s film overhyped and overdone, cheesy and performative.
In many ways, they hated the hype surrounding the movie more than the actual film – which they swore they’d never watch – and pegged it as proof of how gullible people would always just follow a crowd.
Today’s backlash would be very different. In no time, critics would note how the ill-fated ship didn’t feature a single person of color despite the fact that the real Titanic only had one black passenger. Mainstream outlets would further complain about Jack, a straight white male, falling in love with Rose, who is also straight and white. They’d lambast Cameron for failing to meet LGBTQ representation quotas and accuse him of being a blatant transphobe, homophobe, and possibly racist.
“Titanic” wasn’t perfect. But the narrative did focus on the concept of sacrificial love, which is no longer a popular concept. While modern cultural institutions promote self-satisfaction at any cost, the world of “Titanic” at its core featured a man who would give his life for a woman. The main villain in the movie was Rose’s intended fiance, Caledon &#8220;Cal&#8221; Hockley, who pretends to be a father so he can secure passage on a lifeboat that was meant for women and children first.
Possibly the saddest thing about “Titanic” reaching the milestone of 25 years is realizing how much the world has changed for the worse since the day it premiered. In a world where it’s no longer cool to be impressed by anything, this historical drama managed to defy expectations and convey feelings of awe, sorrow, joy, sacrifice, love, and redemption. The boat sank, but maybe we’ll never get over it.

25 Years Later: ‘Titanic’ Would Sink, Not Soar, In Modern America

Readers Pass

<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/kate-winslet">Kate Winslet</a> has weighed in on the famous “<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/titanic">Titanic</a>” door controversy in light of the film’s 25th anniversary.
In the movie, the character Rose (Winslet) survives after the boat sinks after finding a floating door to use as a raft. Meanwhile, her love interest Jack (Leonardo DiCaprio) freezes to death in the icy sea. Fans have speculated for decades whether Jack could have fit on the door with Rose and potentially have survived the disaster. 
The 47-year-old actress said that the matter came down to the door&#8217;s buoyancy, not its size.
“I don’t f***ing know. That’s the answer. I don’t f***ing know,” Winslet said during a recent Happy Sad Confused <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cT9s_EeqkJ0">podcast</a> episode. “Look, all I can tell you is, I do have a decent understanding of water and how it behaves.”
“If you put two adults on a stand-up paddleboard, it becomes immediately, extremely unstable. That is for sure,” she continued.
Finally, she revealed her personal opinion on the controversy.
“I have to be honest: I actually don’t believe that we would have survived if we had both gotten on that door,” Winslet declared. “I think he would have fit, but it would have tipped and it would not have been a sustainable idea.”
“So, you heard it here for the first time,” she concluded. “Yes, he could have fit on that door, but it would not have stayed afloat. It wouldn’t.”
Movie director <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/james-cameron">James Cameron</a> had similar thoughts when previously asked about the controversy. He told <a href="https://torontosun.com/entertainment/movies/james-cameron-plans-to-prove-that-jack-couldnt-have-lived-in-titanic">The Toronto Sun</a> that the idea of both Jack and Rose fitting on the raft had already been tested.
“We have done a scientific study to put this whole thing to rest and drive a stake through its heart once and for all,” Cameron told the publication. 
“We have since done a thorough forensic analysis with a hypothermia expert who reproduced the raft from the movie,” he continued. “We took two stunt people who were the same body mass of Kate and Leo and we put sensors all over them and inside them and we put them in ice water. We tested to see whether they could have survived through a variety of methods and the answer was, there was no way they both could have survived. Only one could survive.”
Cameron also said he has no regrets about Jack dying. “No, he needed to die,” the filmmaker confirmed. “It’s like Romeo and Juliet. It’s a movie about love and sacrifice and mortality. The love is measured by the sacrifice,” he said.
He hopes fans will be able to move past the door controversy now. “Maybe … maybe … after 25 years, I won’t have to deal with this anymore,” Cameron told the publication while laughing.

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