James Cameron has officially joined Hollywood’s most exclusive club – the Billionaire’s club. The director, who is awaiting the release of his film, ‘Avatar: Fire and Ash’, has a networth estimated at USD 1.1 billion, Forbes reports. As per the report, the director is one of the few in the entertainment industry, who has made his fortune, primarily through the box office success of his films.
James Cameron made USD 1.1 Billion from films’ success
The Oscar-winning director is now projected to earn at least USD 200 million (before taxes) from his next release, ‘Avatar: Fire and Ash’. This comes after Cameron’s four-decade long career with his films from ‘The Terminator’ and ‘Aliens’ to ‘Titanic’ and ‘Avatar’ films, collectively earning nearly USD 9 billion at the worldwide box office.
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Cameron is now among the elite club of directors like George Lucas, Steven Spielberg, Peter Jackson and Tyler Perry. Forbes reports that the director’s income from salaries, backend profit participation, licensing deals tied to theme parks and merchandise, and equity in his production banner Lightstorm Entertainment outweighs his spending on underwater exploration, environmental philanthropy, real estate and years of reinvesting personal earnings to retain creative control of his films.
James Cameron’s wealth to grow with ‘Avatar: Fire and Ash’
His wealth is set to grow further with the box office performance of ‘Avatar: Fire and Ash’, which is widely expected to be one of the biggest films of the year potentially grossing over USD 2 billion globally. As per the report, Cameron could personally earn at least USD 200 million from the film, before taxes and fees.
James Cameron’s humble beginnings
Cameron’s rise to the Billionaire’s club, is particularly striking given his humble beginnings from a college dropout to a truck driver in his early 20s. He then went on to landing a job as a production assistant job at Roger Corman’s New World Pictures for USD 175 a week. He landed his first directing assignment in the 1981 film ‘Piranha II: The Spawning’, however, it ended abruptly after he was fired. He got his big break with ‘The Terminator’ in 1984. In a now-legendary gamble, he sold the script to producer Gale Anne Hurd for USD 1 on the condition that he would direct the film that went on to gross USD 78 million worldwide, on a USD 6.4 million budget and went on to flag off a franchise that has since earned more than USD 2 billion worldwide. He went on to make films like ‘Aliens’, ‘The Abyss’ and ‘Titanic’, before starting his ambitious ‘Avatar’ franchise. Go to Source
