To many modern movie fans, James Cameron is known as the guy who directed all three Avatar movies, which have collectively earned over $6 billion at the global box office. However, Cameron is also responsible for another of the highest-grossing movies of all time, with Titanic, the 1997 masterpiece that earned over $2.2 billion globally. Cameron also launched the Terminator franchise back in the early 1980s with the help of Arnold Schwarzenegger, and while other filmmakers have taken their turn at telling a Terminator story, Cameron has remained involved as a producer who gives creative insight. The Oscar-winning director is hopeful soon to begin work on the fourth Avatar movie, and he’s also confirmed he’s working on a new WWII movie that will dive into the bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
It’s hard to pinpoint exactly what James Cameron’s most important film is, but many would argue that some of his finest work came in 1986 on Aliens. Cameron took the torch from another visionary sci-fi director, Ridley Scott, who directed the 1979 original Alien movie, and he managed to do what so few directors can: make a sequel that’s as good as the original. Aliens grossed over $130 million at the box office against a relatively modest $18 million budget, and the film earned immaculate scores of 94% from critics and 96% from audiences on Rotten Tomatoes. Aliens may be absent from streaming libraries in America, but the film recently premiered on HBO Max globally, where it’s quietly smashed to the top of streaming charts. The critically acclaimed sci-fi film stars Sigourney Weaver, Paul Reiser, Michael Biehn, Carrie Henn, and more.
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When Does the Next ‘Avatar’ Movie Come Out?
The next Avatar movie is currently scheduled for release four years from now, in 2029. After there was a 12-year gap between the first and second installments, Cameron bridged this with a much smaller gap of only three years between the second and third film. Avatar: Fire and Ash arrived in theaters just last year, and it grossed over $1.5 billion globally, but this was still well short of both its predecessors. Cameron confirmed that box office results would directly determine whether we get a fourth Avatar movie, so fans have to hope that Avatar 3’s impressive total was enough to secure the future of the franchise.
Check out Aliens on VOD platforms like Prime Video and Apple TV, and stay tuned to Collider for more streaming updates and coverage of Cameron’s future projects.
Release Date
July 18, 1986
Runtime
137 minutes
Director
James Cameron
Writers
James Cameron