The years 1994 and 1997 were significant for James Cameron. He had two big films that came out those years that went head-to-head with other big blockbusters. And the results are telling because they flipped spectacularly in Cameron’s favor.

1994: True Lies vs. Forrest Gump

On the weekend of July 15-17, 1994, True Lies debuted. That was the second weekend of Forrest Gump, which proved to have remarkable legs, dropping just 1.5 percent from its opening weekend. It was a nail-biter, but True Lies barely won the weekend with $25.9 million against Forrest Gump’s $24.1 million. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s star power and James Cameron’s perfect record of action movies helped that film triumph in its opening weekend.

However, the victory was short-lived because the next weekend Forrest Gump edged out True Lies to regain its crown. It went on to earn over $300 million at the domestic box office, more than double True Lies’ $146 million. Both were successful, but True Lies isn’t held in the same regard as Forrest Gump. The latter film launched Tom Hanks to superstardom and won him his second Academy Award for Best Actor.

You could say that James Cameron won the battle but lost the war.

1997: Titanic vs. Tomorrow Never Dies

Compare that to the weekend of December 19-21, 1997. That time, James Cameron had an Oscar-bait film called Titanic that was going up against a heavy-hitter action movie called Tomorrow Never Dies, the second James Bond entry starring Pierce Brosnan. It was pretty close, but James Cameron won again, earning $28.6 million against Tomorrow Never Dies’ $25.1 million. James Cameron’s perfect combination of action, romance, and historical drama helped his film triumph in its opening weekend.

It’s what happened next that is truly astonishing, though. Remember how Forrest Gump regained its box-office crown the very next weekend over True Lies? Titanic remained #1 for the second week and 18 of the next 19 weeks! Tomorrow Never Dies never came close to beating it after that opening weekend. Titanic earned $600 million at the domestic box office, nearly quintuple Tomorrow Never Dies’ $125 million. Both were successful, but Tomorrow Never Dies isn’t held in the same regard as Titanic. The latter film launched Leonardo DiCaprio to superstardom and won James Cameron three Academy Awards for Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Film Editing.

What a turnaround! With Titanic, James Cameron managed to do everything that Forrest Gump did, but better. You could say that this time he won the battle and the war.

Similarities Between Forrest Gump and Titanic

Here are all of the similarities I noticed between Forrest Gump and Titanic:

• Paramount distributed Forrest Gump, and Twentieth Century Fox distributed True Lies. Both Paramount and Twentieth Century Fox shared distribution rights of Titanic.
• Forrest Gump returned to #1 the weekend after True Lies beat it. Titanic remained #1 the weekend after beating Tomorrow Never Dies.
• Forrest Gump was #1 at the box office for five of its first 10 weekends. Titanic was #1 for 18 of its first 19 weekends.
• Forrest Gump and Titanic are historical dramas told mainly in flashbacks. They have bittersweet love stories where the main character’s love interest dies and they must continue living without their other half.
• Forrest Gump propelled Tom Hanks to fame and fortune, while Titanic did the same for Leonardo DiCaprio.
• Forrest Gump had amazing legs that helped it amass more than $300 million at the domestic box office over an action film that earned $146 million. Titanic had even more amazing legs that helped it amass $600 million at the domestic box office over an action film that earned $125 million.
• Forrest Gump was nominated for 13 Oscars and won 6, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, and Best Screenplay. Titanic was nominated for 14 Oscars and won 11, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Score, and Best Song.
• A decade after their success, Robert Zemeckis and James Cameron experimented with CGI-heavy films starting with The Polar Express and Avatar, respectively.

James Cameron went from success in 1994 to mega-success in 1997. That’s all I have to say about that.

This is the Deja Reviewer bidding you farewell until we meet again.

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