James Cameron‘s new movie has stolen an impressive Rotten Tomatoes record from his legendary sci-fi outings.
As one of the most successful filmmakers in the sci-fi genre and a Goliath when it comes to dominating the box office, Cameron’s movies have most often than not fared incredibly well with audience reviews since the mid-1980s. However, while Cameron’s Terminator 2: Judgment Day, Aliens, Titanic, and Avatar may go down as some of the most influential genre movies in history, they’ve now been surpassed by a concert film in a key Rotten Tomatoes ranking.
Billie Eilish and James Cameron talking together in Hit Me Hard and Soft The Tour
Billie Eilish: Hit Me Hard and Soft: The Tour (Live in 3D) has debuted with an impressive 99% rating from audiences on Rotten Tomatoes, the highest score of any Cameron-directed film across his entire career. The score is generated from over 500 verified audience reviews following its May 8 premiere, but may fluctuate as more ratings roll in.
When disregarding the 25th anniversary re-release of Titanic, which holds a 97% score, Cameron’s second-highest audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes is 95% for Terminator 2: Judgment Day. The director’s next-highest rated films on the review aggregator site are Aliens (94%), Avatar: The Way of Water (92%), and Avatar: Fire and Ash (90%).
Billie Eilish: Hit Me Hard and Soft: The Tour (Live in 3D), which is also co-directed by Billie Eilish, similarly fared well with critics. The film currently holds a 93% Rotten Tomatoes score from critics generated from 60 reviews, which is now tied for the highest rating for a Cameron-directed movie alongside his 1986 sci-fi sequel Aliens. After the Billie Eilish concert documentary, Cameron’s next-highest rating from critics is tied at 90% for Terminator and its sequel Terminator 2: Judgment Day.
Movie
Rotten Tomatoes Critics Score
Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score
Billie Eilish: Hit Me Hard and Soft: The Tour (Live in 3D)
93%
99%
Avatar: Fire and Ash
66%
90%
Avatar: The Way of Water
76%
92%
Avatar
81%
82%
Aliens of the Deep
84%
49%
Ghosts of the Abyss
80%
68%
Titanic
88%
69%
True Lies
77%
76%
Terminator 2: Judgment Day
90%
95%
The Abyss
75%
83%
Aliens
93%
94%
The Terminator
90%
89%
Piranha II: The Spawning
4%
12%
The success of Billie Eilish: Hit Me Hard and Soft: The Tour (Live in 3D), which features performances from the artist’s Hit Me Hard and Soft tour, has also been another victory for James Cameron as a box office giant. During its opening weekend, the concert film earned over $20.1 million at the box office against a reported $20 million budget, going up against films like The Devil Wears Prada 2, Michael, Mortal Kombat 2, and The Sheep Detectives.
Billie Eilish’s concert film marks the first non-Avatar movie that James Cameron has directed in the 17 years since the franchise began, with his last outside the series being the 2005 documentary Aliens of the Deep. The movie also follows hot on the heels of Cameron’s December 2025 sequel Avatar: Fire and Ash, with Cameron seemingly still planning to direct Disney’s upcoming Avatar 4 and 5 over the next several years.
While it’s still unclear which project James Cameron will be directing next after Billie Eilish: Hit Me Hard and Soft: The Tour (Live in 3D), the legendary filmmaker has confirmed that he’s writing a new Terminator movie. Furthermore, his company recently acquired the film rights to adapt the fantasy novel The Devils. Though the most likely next directorial venture will be Avatar 4, there’s always the potential for Cameron to throw in a welcome surprise like the Billie Eilish concert film into his lineup.
Release Date
May 6, 2026
Runtime
114 minutes