Avatar: Fire & Ash Is Breaking James Cameron’s 25-Year Streak That’ll Never Be Replicated

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I’ve always been amazed by James Cameron’s work. He’s made so much money at the box office – he’s the second highest-grossing director ever, right after Steven Spielberg, and that’s even though he doesn’t make as many films! A huge part of his success is definitely the Avatar series, and with Avatar: Fire and Ash doing so well, his overall earnings just keep going up and up.

With worldwide earnings of $1.3 billion, the movie is another big success for director James Cameron, despite some conversations suggesting it hasn’t performed as well as expected. While it hasn’t maintained the same strong audience attendance after a month in cinemas as the first two Avatar films, it will still be the lowest-earning movie in the series, it will ultimately be profitable thanks to its impressive overall total.

Even so, Fire and Ash concludes an incredible run for the director – a feat that will likely never be repeated.

James Cameron’s Last Three Movies Each Topped The Yearly Box Office Charts Before Fire & Ash

Credit: Fagency/INSTARimages

Cameron’s films have consistently been huge box office hits, especially the Avatar movies. The first Avatar, released in 2009, became the highest-grossing film ever, earning $2.9 billion worldwide. He previously held that record with Titanic, which made $2.2 billion. Though Avatar: The Way of Water didn’t quite break his own record, its $2.3 billion earnings were still remarkably successful.

As a film buff, I’m always amazed by James Cameron’s box office power. Films like Titanic, Avatar, and Avatar: The Way of Water weren’t just hits – they absolutely dominated the year they were released, becoming the highest-grossing movies each time. What’s even more incredible is that those were his last three films before Fire and Ash, making it a seriously impressive three-movie run!

He’s one of only three directors who have had three movies in a row become worldwide box office hits. Steven Spielberg accomplished this between 1981 and 1984 with Raiders of the Lost Ark, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, and Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. (It’s worth noting Spielberg was a co-director on 1983’s Twilight Zone: The Movie, but that film’s box office isn’t included in this record.) The Russo brothers also achieved this feat from 2016 to 2019 with Captain America: Civil War, Avengers: Infinity War, and Avengers: Endgame.

What really sets Cameron apart from directors like Spielberg and the Russos is the length of time he maintained his success. He consistently delivered hit films for 25 years, from 1997 to 2022. Fire and Ash offered him the chance to achieve something unprecedented: four consecutive blockbuster films over a 28-year period.

Based on how well Fire and Ash has done in theaters, it won’t reach the top two highest-grossing films of 2025. While successful, Cameron’s movie is expected to finish third, over $350 million behind Zootopia 2 in second place. And Ne Zha 2 from China is currently far ahead of both with earnings of $2.2 billion.

With Avatar: Fire and Ash not expected to surpass Ne Zha 2, James Cameron’s impressive record is likely to be broken. It’s hard to imagine another director achieving this level of consistent success over so many years. While other directors might have three films reach the top of the box office, doing so with years between each film seems impossible. It was truly remarkable that James Cameron managed to accomplish this feat.

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2026-01-21 23:18