James Cameron famously once said that Avatar: The Way of Water would need to be the “the third or fourth highest-grossing film in history” in order to truly be considered successful. Well it looks like baby got his way. Avatar: TWOW broke into the top 10 biggest movies of all time mere weeks into its initial theatrical release. And on February 19, the film officially surpassed Cameron’s Titanic to become the third highest-grossing film of all time, per Variety. This act of Cameron self-topping means that out of the current 5 biggest movies of all time, 3 are the work of Big Jim Cammy.
According to Box Office Mojo, the current 5 biggest movies of all time are:
1. Avatar
2. Avengers: Endgame
3. Avatar: The Way of Water
4. Titanic
5. Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens
The Way of Water long ago surpassed such films as Jurassic World and 2019’s The Lion King. Then it took on the colon crew — Spider-Man: No Way Home, Avengers: Infinity War, and Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens. After passing The Force Awakens, the film officially became “successful” by Cameron’s metric. But it just keeps coming. This past month, Titanic saw a theatrical rerelease, which tugged at millennial heartstrings around Valentine’s Day but did little to stop the tulkuns from breaking down the door.
