Oops, James Cameron Did It Again

There’s plenty to say against the “Avatar” franchise.

• The films aren’t sticky in the pop culture sense
• The storylines are preachy, and the dialogue can make your teeth hurt
• The saga hasn’t sparked a merchandising bonanza a la “Star Wars” 
• The films’ environmental themes haven’t changed the zeitgeist
• Even director James Cameron appears tired of the current storyline

It’s true. All of it.

What’s also true? “Avatar” movies print money. Bigly.

• “Avatar” – $785 million US / $2.1 billion international
• “Avatar: The Way of Water” – $688 million US / $1.6 billion international

“Avatar: Fire and Ash” just crossed the $1 billion mark globally after just three weeks of release. “Fire and Ash” generated $40 million in its third full weekend stateside, coming in number one at the U.S. box office.

Again.

Even better? The film dropped just 37 percent from the following weekend, showing it’s got cinematic legs.

How does Cameron do it?

His films are an event, and events are what often push the modern movie goer off his or her couch. Many directors make a movie every other year, while some are slightly more or less prolific.

Cameron takes his sweet time delivering the very best he can offer. That means audiences understand the scarcity rule regarding his releases.

Watch it while you can.

Cameron continues to push movie effects to the limit. Even if you loathe “Fire and Ash,” you adored the bright, eye-popping visuals punctuating every scene.

There’s no other film quite like it outside the “Avatar”-verse, and Cameron’s mastery of 3D imagery is unmatched. If other directors understood the medium as he did, 3D might still be a major part of the theatrical experience.

Cameron also sticks to basic storytelling tics. Good vs. Evil. Family vs. the World. “The Way of Water” boasts strong pro-family themes, the kind that don’t announce themselves in technicolor but are impossible to avoid.

Plus, Hollywood is enamored with turning villains into heroes of late. Think “Cruella,” The “Wicked” franchise and the recent “M3GAN 2.0.” An upcoming “Beauty and the Beast” spinoff focusing on Gaston is in the works.

Not Cameron.

He knows a villain is a villain is a villain, and Stephen Lang’s Colonel Quaritch fits that description to a T.

The other reasons? You’ll have to ask Cameron. He has a unique grasp of the modern marketplace that few others can touch. When you make back-to-back-to-back-to-back billion dollar movies, you’re doing something right.