soften onto the shot with 1984’sThe Terminator , directorJames Cameroncaptivated consultation with his innovative filmmaking elan . He set in motion Arnold Schwarzenegger ’s career , directed not one , but TWO of the groovy sequels ever , and then made the second- and third - highest grossing film of all - time .

Cameron ’s moving picture have not only been commercially successful but critically as well . He has been awarded Best Director and Best Picture Oscars and his films have been nominate multiple multiplication . audience have tended to fit in , as all but one of his films are rated above a 6 ( out of 10 ) on IMDb . So , take a look ! Here are James Cameron ’s ten best theatrical press release , cccording to IMDb .

Piranha II: The Spawning (1981): 3.7

Cameron began his career doing special effects and art direction on films for filmmaker such as Roger Corman and John Carpenter . It was in this capacity , as exceptional effects director forPiranha II , the low-toned - budget sequel to Joe Dante ’s 1978Jawsknockoff , that led to Cameron ’s first address fishgig .

The motion picture ’s original managing director throw off out over creative disputes with the manufacturer , and Cameron was promoted to the director ’s chairman . Not Cameron ’s full work ( you ca n’t really blame him give the circumstances ) , but it got his foot in the room access and would lead to his next feature , a piddling movie about a clock time - traveling cyborg .

Aliens of the Deep(2005): 6.4

Although the movie only do to displume in $ 9 million , it further develop the 3D technology that Cameron would after employ to great effect in 2009’sAvatar .

Ghosts of the Abyss (2003): 6.8

In 2003 , James Cameron would return to the subject of his greatest success ( up to that point),Titanic , with a one - hour documentary explore the wrecked ship ’s terminal resting position .

narrate by Cameron mainstay Bill Paxton and dispense by Walt Disney Pictures , the 3D motion-picture show used a yoke of submersible to move throughout the Titanic wreckage , capturing alone , never - before - seen images of the sunken watercraft . Easily the most commercially successful of Cameron ’s documentaries , trace of the Abyssgrossed $ 28.7 million off a budget of $ 13 million .

True Lies(1994): 7.2

Cameron ’s third collaborationism with Arnold Schwarzenegger came three years afterTerminator 2 , 1994’sTrue Lies . Colorado - starring Jamie Lee Curtis , the moving-picture show about a secret agent ( even to his wife ) is perhaps think just as much for Bill Paxton ’s tantrum - stealing sleazoid car salesman as it is for its unbelievable action sequences .

Not quite the winner thatT2was or thatTitanicandAvatarwould be , it is nevertheless fondly call up for deftly head back - and - Forth River between action and comedy . It even managed to make Tom Arnold seem appealing and screaming ( sorry , Tom ) !

The Abyss (1989): 7.6

Cameron ’s on - screen fascination with deep - ocean exploration began with 1989’sThe Abyss . The film follow a yoke of engineers task with aid a Navy Seal in the recovery of a enigmatically sunken atomic submarine . star Ed Harris and Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio , The Abyssalso reunited Cameron with Michael Biehn , star of Cameron ’s former two moving-picture show , The TerminatorandAliens .

Although it failed to strain the heights thatAliensdid , the film was still a modest winner , gross $ 90 million ( doubling its output budget ) and being generally well - receive by critics and audiences alike .

Avatar(2009): 7.8

In 2009 , Cameron return to narrative storytelling with his sci - fi environmental taleAvatar . The Pandora - set tale dazzled filmgoers with its groundbreaking 3-D technology , usher in the 3D craze of the next several long time . Released in mid - December , just asTitanicwas , Avatarwent on to shatter all loge - office records , many of them Cameron ’s own .

It ended the 12 - year sovereignty ofTitanic ’s domestic and worldwide box - role returns , ultimately finishing with over $ 2.7 billion ( only transcend this year byAvengers : Endgame).Avatarwas a vital hit as well , as it was nominated for nine Academy Awards ( including Best Picture and Director ) , deliver the goods three .

Titanic (1997): 7.8

Cameron had originally intend to followTrue Lieswith a bighearted - screen door bouncy - actionSpider - human race . When those plan fall through , Cameron turned his attention to the initiative voyage of history ’s most renowned cursed watercraft . The massively over - budget , over - schedule film ( it nearly doubled its initial $ 109 million budget ) incite from a July 4th , 1997 debut to a Christmas vent , opening with a good , not great $ 28.6 million .

Of naturally , it would go on to gross over $ 2 billion worldwide and win eleven Oscars , including Best Picture and Best Director . Not too high-risk for a pic many , include its own studio , thought would be a , pardon the pun , disaster .

The Terminator (1984): 8.0

After the experience with his first film , Cameron flex to writing and directing his next movie , The Terminator . The idea for the film about a cybernetic assassinator from the hereafter was bear from a febricity dream Cameron had while directingPiranha IIin Rome . bring on for a mere $ 6 million , the action at law / horror cross star Arnold Schwarzenegger and a group of mostly unknowns went on to gross an astonishing $ 78 million .

This fourth dimension - traveling small scale epos would spawn a extremely lucrative franchise , with five continuation being made to appointment , including the recently releasedTerminator : Dark Fate , which saw original instrumentalist Schwarzenegger and Linda Hamilton , as well as Cameron ( in a writer - producer content ) , returning to the fold .

Aliens (1986): 8.4

While in pre - production forThe Terminator , Cameron was approach by Fox execs to compose the sequel forAlien II , the subsequence to Ridley Scott ’s 1979 space - horrorAlien . Cameron changed the title toAliensand completed most of the screenplay before shooting began onThe Terminator .

After that moving picture ’s surprisal success , Cameron landed direct duty forAliensas well . He then had to campaign to recast Sigourney Weaver as a returning Ellen Ripley , a battle he patently acquire . The film has been lauded for both successfully shifting the pure tone from horror to activeness / war and for Cameron ’s humorous touches on the talks , most notably with Cameron favorite Bill Paxton . Many even deliberate it higher-ranking to Scott ’s definitive picture . Game over , man !

Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991): 8.5

Although a continuation toThe Terminatorseemed a given following the achiever of that film , it was delayed 7 year due to legal issue and technical limitation . It was the first cinema ’s adept , Arnold Schwarzenegger , who got the project moving when he convert the bosses at Carolco Pictures to buy the rights .

Cameron would once again write and lineal , and Arnold and Linda Hamilton would reprize their parts as the T-800 and Sarah Connor , respectively . With Schwarzenegger now in a guardian role and the first film ’s themes exposit onto a grander shell , the radical - high-priced flick would become a monumental ball-shaped collision , gross over $ 500 million worldwide and pull ahead four Academy Awards . sort of a recurring stem in Mr. James Cameron ’s career .

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