How James Cameron makes and spends his incredible fortune: the filmmaker earns millions thanks to Titanic, Avatar and The Terminator – and splashes out on Rolexes, submarines and sea conservation

Jul 3 , 2023

One of the most successful filmmakers of all time, James Cameron is also known for his ocean conservation efforts. Photo: EPA

Cameron is the second-highest-grossing director of all-time with hits like Aliens, The Abyss, both Avatar films, and 1997’s Titanic which boosted Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio’s careers

Beyond filmmaking, the talented Canadian director is a deep-sea diver who has completed 33 dives to the Titanic wreck – he also invests in Triton, a luxury submarines brand

James Cameron is one of the most successful directors of all time, with massive hits like The Terminator, Aliens, The Abyss, Terminator: Judgment Day, both the Avatar films and of course Titanic.

His years-long obsession with the Titanic has turned Cameron into an expert on the subject. He’s completed 33 dives to the Titanic wreck, spending more time with the ship than even the captain did. This has led people to ask him his thoughts on the Titan submersible, which imploded after beginning its journey to the wreck on June 18, killing the five people on board.

Canadian filmmaker James Cameron has made dozens of dives to the Titanic wreck. Photo: AFP

“It’s a very similar tragedy where warnings went unheeded – to take place at the same exact site with all the diving that’s going around all around the world. I think it’s just astonishing, it’s really quite surreal,” Cameron told ABC News.

Cameron was one of the top 10 highest-earning entertainers in 2022, according to Forbes. He came in at No 8, with US$95 million in earnings last year. Most of that came from his giant payday for Avatar: The Way of Water. The long-awaited sequel has made US$2.2 billion at the box office.

Here’s how the 68-year-old makes and spends his money, and a look into his undersea interests:

Box office hits

James Cameron (right) with his leads, Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio on the set of Titanic. Photo: TNS

Most of his fortune comes from directing, writing and producing three of the top four highest-grossing films of all time. They total US$7.3 billion together.

Few people have the confidence of Cameron. Famously, he gave back his US$8 million salary for his 1997 blockbuster Titanic when the film went over its budget, and traded that for points on the back end, making a percentage of the profits instead.

That decision worked out pretty well for him – reportedly, he made US$97 million just from the immense success of Titanic, according to Deadline. And that was back in 2010, before two lucrative re-releases in 2012 and 2023. The 2012 re-release made US$350 million, while this year’s re-release has made US$70 million so far, per Box Office Mojo.