AVATAR Grabs Another First Place Record! Is There Anyone Else Set To Displace Cameron At The Top?
Jim here. The all time domestic box office performer is AVATAR. AVATAR has relegated all other movies to the "Jarhead Clan" and there doesn't seem to be much around to stop it from going further. ALICE IN WONDERLAND does not bow in S3D for another 4 weeks and even then there is speculation that not all S3D screens will be surrendered for the Tim Burton / Disney fantasy.
With $601,141,551 gathered so far domestically, it JUST passed TITANIC ($600,788,188) for the coveted top spot. A record that has stood since James Cameron's last directorial effort back in 1997. This unthinkable number contributes to an overwhelming worldwide endorsement of $2,048,130,844 to date and climbing.
If you take a look at the top movies of all time for worldwide box office you will see a startling fact: James Cameron movies are not just 1 and 2; they are 1 and 2 by a HUGE margin. TITANIC was not an aberration, it was simply the last movie that Cameron made. He has stolen the formula for true blockbusters and the ironic thing is, he shares his creative wealth. Directors of note are able to drop into a Cameron production and check out his PerfCap equipment, Volume, S3D cameras, Simulcam, Virtual cam and see exactly how he does it. He DOES NOT shelter his advances from others, but wants the industry as a whole to embrace it.
Obviously his storytelling is available for EVERYONE to dissect, not just directors.
So why has there not been another director step up to bat with a behemoth release? Is there one coming? Personally I think that there is. Spielberg and Jackson are doing TINTIN right now (a decision made after seeing Cameron's tech in action) and that could be a home run - maybe not a Cameron sized home run, but certainly $1b +. The worldwide following for TINTIN is a formidable ally for their endeavor.
Cameron has also influenced the minds of other directors such as Ridley Scott, Steven Soderbergh, George Lucas, etc. who all have S3D projects.
In my opinion nothing will catch AVATAR until potentially AVATAR 2 within 4 years time. TINTIN has a chance of catching TITANIC if it hits on all the quadrants as it could; certainly $1b is attainable. But Cameron will remain king for awhile longer. Time will tell. It is an exciting era to be a S3D enthusiast!!
Stats provided by BoxOfficeMojo
