What Was the First Movie to Make $1 Billion? Titanic (1997)

Q: What was the first movie to make $1 billion?

Titanic (1997), directed by James Cameron, was the first movie to gross more than $1 billion worldwide, passing the mark in early 1998. It held the record as the highest-grossing film for 12 years, until Cameron’s own Avatar (2009) overtook it. Counting re-releases, Titanic has earned about $2.2 billion.

Why Titanic broke the record

Titanic didn’t have a huge opening weekend. Instead, it stayed in theaters for months, as audiences, especially young people, returned to see it again. It was the No. 1 film in North America for 15 weekends in a row. It also won 11 Oscars, including Best Picture, tying the record. For the story and stars, see Titanic’s Jack and Rose.

What about Jurassic Park?

Jurassic Park (1993) was the highest-grossing film of its time, with about $900 million in its first run, but it only passed $1 billion after a 3D re-release in 2013. So Titanic was the first to reach the milestone. See who directed Jurassic Park.

The highest-grossing films

Film	Year	Worldwide gross (approx., including re-releases)
Avatar	2009	$2.9 billion
Avengers: Endgame	2019	$2.8 billion
Avatar: The Way of Water	2022	$2.3 billion
Titanic	1997	$2.2 billion
Star Wars: The Force Awakens	2015	$2.1 billion

Rankings change as new films and re-releases come out. Adjusted for inflation, Gone with the Wind (1939) is often estimated to be the biggest box-office success of all time.

Billion-dollar films today

Since Titanic, more than 50 films have passed $1 billion, mostly superhero films, animated films and franchise sequels. Higher ticket prices, 3D and IMAX, and growing markets like China made the milestone more common. Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey joined the club in 2026; see who directed Inception, Interstellar and Dunkirk.

James Cameron’s records

Cameron directed three of the four highest-grossing films ever: Avatar, Avatar: The Way of Water and Titanic. Before making Titanic, he dived to the real wreck in submersibles, and in 2012 he reached the bottom of the Mariana Trench alone.