Director James Cameron’s Highest-Grossing Films

James Cameron is a Canadian filmmaker, director, screenwriter, editor, production designer, executive producer, and environmental activist. Cameron was born in Kapuskasing, Ontario in 1954. At 17, he moved with his family to California and studied physics at Fullerton College, but it wasn’t until he saw Star Wars in 1977 where he was inspired to pursue a career in film. At 24-years-old, James directed his first movie with a budget—a $20,000 sci-fi short called Xenogenesis—which opened doors to a number of jobs in the entertainment industry: James worked as a model maker, an art director, a special effects artist, and a production designer.

James is known for directing big-budget hits like Terminator 2, Titanic, and Avatar, all of which broke box office records and pushed the boundaries for special effects in the entertainment industry. He earned an Academy Award for Best Director for Titanic in 1998 (along with the year’s Best Picture award), and won the Best Director again in 2010 for his work on Avatar. His work on Avatar also made Cameron an outspoken environmental activist, particularly relating to efforts to protect the Amazon rainforests. Cameron also produced several documentaries based on his deep-sea explorations, including Ghosts of the Abyss (2003) and Aliens of the Deep (2005). James co-founded three production companies and is a National Geographic sea explorer.

James Cameron’s movies are some of the highest-grossing films in history.

1. 1. The Terminator (1984): James wrote and directed this film about a deadly cyborg sent back in time to kill the mother of a resistance leader. The Terminator was James’ first major Hollywood success, debuting at number one at the American box office and earning a worldwide gross of $78.3 million, a significant return on the $6.8 million production budget. TIME magazine named it one of the ten best films of 1984.
2. 2. Aliens (1986): This sequel to Ridley Scott’s 1979 film Alien was another box office smash for James, and an opportunity to showcase his skill with major action sequences and visual effects. The film earned over $150 million worldwide and was recognized at the 1987 Academy Awards with seven nominations (including a Best Actress nomination for Sigourney Weaver's portrayal of Ripley). The film also won Oscars for Best Sound Editing and Best Visual Effects.
3. 3. The Abyss (1989): The Abyss follows a rescue mission for a sunken submarine that goes on to uncover a mystery deep in the ocean. It was one of the earliest films to use digital special effects, which won the film an Oscar for Best Visual Effects at the 1989 Academy Awards, along with three other wins.
4. 4. Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991): Cameron’s follow-up to his 1984 film was a major success for action/sci-fi films, a genre in which Cameron was steadily becoming known as a master. The film received accolades for its visual effects, makeup, sound, and editing, categories in which Cameron continued to innovate. The film won four Academy Awards, while Cameron won Best Director at the Saturn Awards.
5. 5. True Lies (1994): True Lies, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jamie Lee Curtis, follows an American spy juggling his work and home life. It was a major box-office success, opening at number one in the US and earning $378.8 million worldwide. The film was also nominated for an Academy Award for its visual effects.
6. 6. Titanic (1997): This love story starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet is set aboard one of the greatest ship disasters of all time. Titanic was a massive critical and commercial success, earning $28.6 million on its opening weekend alone. The film broke records at the Academy Awards, tying with Ben-Hur for the most wins of all time at eleven wins. It eventually earned over $2 billion worldwide, the highest-grossing film ever until James broke his own record with his next major film, Avatar.
7. 7. Avatar (2009): James wrote and directed this blockbuster science fiction film set on the fictional planet of Pandora following an alien race of blue catlike humanoids called the Navi. The film required innovations in digital technology to bring this interstellar world to life. It has now grossed over $3 billion, making it the highest-grossing film of all time. The film won three Academy Awards and was nominated for seven, including a nomination for Cameron for Best Director.

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