15 Movies You Thought Were Doomed (But Weren't)

1. Avatar

Though Titanic should've taught people to never doubt James Cameron, that didn't stop his epic 2009 tentpole Avatar facing off against a torrent of online negativity in the months leading up to its release.

With the infamy of Cameron's tough time on Titanic, the $237 million budget and technical ambition of Avatar, as well as the fact the first trailer didn't release until less than four months before it hit screens, there was a general sentiment that Big Jim had finally bitten off more than he could chew.

Polarising responses to the first trailer largely evoked an "Is that it?" vibe, and as the film's premiere approached, many weren't convinced Cameron could deliver on the promises of a game-changing 3D spectacle, or that casual audiences would care about "blue cat people."

Cameron, again, proved his doubters hilariously wrong, with Avatar scoring strong acclaim, earning nine Oscar nominations (including Best Picture and Best Director) and grossing more than $2.7 billion worldwide. Almost a decade later, it's still the highest-grossing film of all time with no clear rival in sight.

Though there's already an air of skepticism surrounding Cameron's plan to release four more Avatar sequels over the next seven years - with a rumoured combined budget of a billion dollars, no less - we can probably give him the benefit of the doubt at this stage, no?

Which of these successful movies surprised you the most? Shout them out in the comments!