Director James Cameron is in a league of his own. After a closely contested tussle over the last week, the filmmaker’s latest blockbuster, Avatar: The Way of Water, has overtaken his iconic 1997 hit Titanic to claim the third spot on the list of highest grossing movies of all time at the worldwide box office.
The Way of Water has now made $2.243 billion globally, against Titanic’s $2.242 billion. The 1997 classic was re-released in theaters last week on the occasion of its 25th anniversary, which increased its lead over The Way of Water just as it was about to be overtaken. But the re-release merely delayed the inevitable. Although with The Way of Water also nearing the end of its run in a few weeks, there’s a real chance that these two are locked in an endless fight for the same spot with every subsequent re-release in the future.
That being said, Cameron now holds the staggering distinction of having directed three of the top four highest-grossing movies in history. The first Avatar remains the biggest film of all time, with $2.9 billion at the global box office. Avengers: Endgame is at the number two spot, with nearly $2.8 billion. This weekend, The Way of Water also overtook Jurassic World to become the ninth-biggest film of all time at the domestic box office, with a running total of $657 million. The film will almost certainly overtake Titanic ($671 million) and Avengers: Infinity War ($678 million) to claim the seventh spot on the all-time domestic list in the coming days.
