Photo: Steve Jurvetson / Wikimedia Commons

Avatar was, without a doubt, the biggest movie the world has ever seen. And director James Cameron is smiling all the way to the bank. According to a report by Deadline.com, he’s made a whopping $350 million from the film.

Even Cameron is surprised

Even director James Cameron, known for his monumental blockbuster success (think Titanic, for example) didn’t expect to make quite this much from Avatar. According to a source quoted by Deadline.com, ‘Cameron is making $350 million because the DVD did beyond expectation.’

Forbes on Cameron

A week ago Forbes magazine placed Cameron in second position on its list of the world’s richest and most powerful actors, musicians and other celebrities. But he could well have been placed at number one, considering that his $350 million is quite a bit more than the $315 million earned by Oprah.

Cameron knows best

Avatar had a budget somewhere between $250 million to $300 million, and put Cameron at an enormous risk for losses. Nevertheless, he forged ahead with a script he wrote in the 90s that experts said could not be made into a 3D film, developing the technology that made Avatar possible himself. Known as the Fusion Camera System, it’s going to be another huge source of income for the director, who will likely sell it to 3D filmmakers worldwide.

But wait… there’s more

Avatar, released in December 2009, has grossed a record breaking $2.7 billion, worldwide. And on Thursday director James Cameron and Twentieth Century Fox announced that a ‘Special Edition’ of Avatar will be released in theatres on 27 August. The special release will be in digital 3D and IMAX 3D, and will feature eight minutes of previously unseen footage.

Considering that Cameron has referred to the movie as a ‘trilogy-scaled arc of a story’, fans can also look forward to not only a sequel, but quite possibly a third Avatar movie in the future. Lucky Cameron, we say.