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{{Short description|1997 American film by James Cameron}}
{{pp|reason=Persistent [[WP:Disruptive editing|disruptive editing]]|small=yes}}
{{Good article}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2021}}
{{Infobox film
| name           = Titanic
| image          = Titanic (1997 film) poster.png
| alt            = The film poster shows a man and a woman hugging over a picture of the Titanic's bow. In the background is a partly cloudy sky and at the top are the names of the two lead actors. The middle has the film's name and tagline, and the bottom contains a list of the director's previous works, as well as the film's credits, rating, and release date.
| caption        = Theatrical release poster
| director       = [[James Cameron]]
| producer       = {{plainlist|
* James Cameron
* [[Jon Landau (film producer)|Jon Landau]]
}}
| writer         = James Cameron
| starring = {{Plainlist|
* [[Leonardo DiCaprio]]
* [[Kate Winslet]]
* [[Billy Zane]]
* [[Kathy Bates]]
* [[Frances Fisher]]
* [[Bernard Hill]]
* [[Jonathan Hyde]]
* [[Danny Nucci]]
* [[David Warner (actor)|David Warner]]
* [[Bill Paxton]]}}<!--Per billing block – Note: Gloria Stuart and Victor Garber are not included in the billing block and therefore not listed here. -->
| music          = [[James Horner]]
| cinematography = [[Russell Carpenter]]
| editing        = {{plainlist|
* [[Conrad Buff IV|Conrad Buff]]
* James Cameron
* [[Richard A. Harris]]
}}
| studio         = {{plainlist|
* [[Paramount Pictures]]<ref name=BFI>{{cite web|title=Titanic (1997)|work=Film & TV Database|publisher=[[British Film Institute]] |url=http://ftvdb.bfi.org.uk/sift/title/541102|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090114204629/http://ftvdb.bfi.org.uk/sift/title/541102|archive-date=January 14, 2009|access-date=July 29, 2011}}</ref><ref name="AFI Catalog">{{cite web |title=Titanic |work=[[AFI Catalog of Feature Films]] |publisher=[[American Film Institute]] |url=https://catalog.afi.com/Catalog/moviedetails/55202 |access-date=February 2, 2018 |archive-date=September 15, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200915062543/https://catalog.afi.com/Catalog/moviedetails/55202 |url-status=live }}</ref>
* [[20th Century Fox]]<ref name=BFI/><ref name="AFI Catalog" />
* [[Lightstorm Entertainment]]<ref name=BFI/>
}}
| distributor    = {{plainlist|
* Paramount Pictures<br />(United States and Canada)
* [[20th Century Fox]]<br />(International)
}}
| released       = {{Film date|1997|11|01|[[Tokyo International Film Festival|Tokyo]]|1997|12|19|United States}} <!-- PLEASE DO NOT ADD THE 2012 RE-RELEASE DATE, AS WELL AS THE 2017 AND 2023 RE-RELEASE DATE! WP:FILM guidelines dictate we must use the earliest and country of origin release dates. Any attempts to add an international airdate will be removed, but can be added in the release section. Thank you.-->
| runtime        = 195 minutes<!--Theatrical runtime: 194:36--><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.bbfc.co.uk/release/titanic-q29sbgvjdglvbjpwwc0zmdu3oty | title=''TITANIC'' (<span class="ltr">12</span>) | work=[[British Board of Film Classification]] | date=November 14, 1997 | access-date=November 8, 2014 | archive-date=April 27, 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210427093725/https://www.bbfc.co.uk/release/titanic-q29sbgvjdglvbjpwwc0zmdu3oty | url-status=live }}</ref>
| country        = United States
| language       = English
| budget         = $200&nbsp;million<ref name="Garrett (2007)"/><ref name="Sandler & Studlar 1999"/><ref name="Welkos (1998)"/> 
| gross          = $2.264&nbsp;billion{{refn|group=Note|name="BoxOfficeCorrection"|The totals given for ''Titanic'' at [[Box Office Mojo]] and [[The Numbers (website)|The Numbers]] are both incorrect. Box Office Mojo has been plagued by errors for re-released films since the site was overhauled in 2019, whereby it often double-counts older grosses, as is the case for ''Titanic''. As of 2019, Box Office Mojo correctly recorded that ''Titanic'' had grossed $1.843 billion on its original release, $344 million from its 3D reissue in 2012, and a further $692,000 from a limited release in 2017 for a lifetime total of $2.187 billion.<ref>{{cite web |title=Titanic (1997) |website=[[Box Office Mojo]]  |url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt0120338/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191027003338/https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt0120338/ |access-date=October 27, 2019|archive-date=October 27, 2019 }}</ref> Following a limited re-release in 2020, Box Office Mojo incorrectly added $7 million to the original release total.<ref>{{cite web |title=Titanic (1997) |website=[[Box Office Mojo]]  |url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt0120338/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201030074558/https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt0120338/ |access-date=October 30, 2020|archive-date=October 30, 2020 }}</ref> By the end of 2021, Box Office Mojo had corrected the original release total, but added the $7 million figure to both the 2012 and 2017 reissue totals, incorrectly increasing the lifetime total by $14 million to $2.202 billion.<ref>{{cite web |title=Titanic (1997) |website=[[Box Office Mojo]]  |url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt0120338/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211026222823/https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt0120338/ |access-date=October 26, 2021|archive-date=October 26, 2021 }}</ref> At the beginning of 2023, Box Office Mojo corrected the total for the 2017 reissue, bringing the lifetime gross down $2.195 billion, but retained the error in the 2012 reissue.<ref>{{cite web |title=Titanic (1997) |website=[[Box Office Mojo]]  |url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt0120338/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230205001927/https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt0120338/ |access-date=February 28, 2023|archive-date=February 5, 2023 }}</ref> The Numbers also has an incorrect figure recorded for the lifetime gross. The Numbers does not log individual releases, but had the lifetime total recorded as $2.186 billion in September 2014 (roughly equating to $1.843 billion for the original release and $343.6 million for the 3D reissue).<ref>{{cite web |title=Titanic |website=[[The Numbers (website)|The Numbers]]  |url=http://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Titanic#http://www.the-numbers.com/movie/#tab=summar&tab=summary |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140902192258/http://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Titanic#http://www.the-numbers.com/movie/#tab=summar&tab=summary |access-date=September 2, 2014|archive-date=September 2, 2014 }}</ref> A couple of weeks later, The Numbers increased the lifetime gross to $2.208 billion, without explanation.<ref>{{cite web |title=Titanic |website=[[The Numbers (website)|The Numbers]]  |url=http://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Titanic#http://www.the-numbers.com/movie/#tab=summary&tab=summary |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140913203854/http://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Titanic#http://www.the-numbers.com/movie/#tab=summary&tab=summary |access-date=September 13, 2014|archive-date=September 13, 2014 }}</ref> Prior to the 2023 re-release, the totals at both trackers were inflated above the true figure. For clarity, ''Titanic'' earned $1.843 billion on its original release, $344 million from its 2012 reissue, $691,642 from the 2017 reissue, and $71,352 in 2020, for a lifetime total of ${{formatnum:{{#expr:1843373318+343550770+691642+71352}}}} from the first four releases. Along with the $70.2 million grossed from the 25th anniversary re-release in 2023,<ref>{{cite web |title=Titanic (25 Year Anniversary) |website=[[Box Office Mojo]] |url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/releasegroup/gr3800912389/ |access-date=March 21, 2023 |archive-date=March 21, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230321032219/https://www.boxofficemojo.com/releasegroup/gr3800912389/ |url-status=live }}</ref> the lifetime total for ''Titanic'' stands at ${{formatnum:{{#expr:1843373318+343550770+691642+71352+<!-- 2023 REISSUE -->70157472}}}} {{as of|lc=y|2023|5|22|df=US}}.}}<ref name="BoxOfficeBOM">*Pre-2020 releases: {{cite web |title=Titanic (1997) |website=[[Box Office Mojo]] |url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt0120338/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191027003338/https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt0120338/ |archive-date=October 27, 2019 |quote=Worldwide: $2,187,463,944; Original release: $1,843,221,532; 2012 3D Release: $343,550,770; 2017 Re-release: $691,642 }}
*2020 Re-release: {{cite web |title=Titanic (2020 Re-release) |website=Box Office Mojo |url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/releasegroup/gr2694926853/ |quote=2020 Re-release: $71,352 |access-date=February 20, 2023 |archive-date=March 5, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230305215849/https://www.boxofficemojo.com/releasegroup/gr2694926853/ |url-status=live }}
*2023 Re-release: {{cite web |title=Titanic (25 Year Anniversary) |website=Box Office Mojo |url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/releasegroup/gr3800912389/ |quote=2023 Re-release: $70,157,472 |access-date=February 20, 2023 |archive-date=February 27, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230227203751/https://www.boxofficemojo.com/releasegroup/gr3800912389/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
}}

'''''Titanic''''' is a 1997 American [[Epic film|epic]] [[romantic film|romantic]] [[disaster film]] directed, written, co-produced and co-edited by [[James Cameron]]. Incorporating both historical and fictionalized aspects, it is based on accounts of [[Sinking of the Titanic|the sinking]] of {{RMS|Titanic}} in 1912. [[Leonardo DiCaprio]] and [[Kate Winslet]] star as members of different social classes who fall in love during the ship's maiden voyage. The film also features an [[ensemble cast]] of [[Billy Zane]], [[Kathy Bates]], [[Frances Fisher]], [[Bernard Hill]], [[Jonathan Hyde]], [[Danny Nucci]], [[David Warner (actor)|David Warner]] and [[Bill Paxton]].

Cameron's inspiration for the film came from his fascination with [[shipwreck]]s. He felt a love story interspersed with human loss would be essential to convey the emotional impact of the disaster. Production began on September 1, 1995,<ref name="filmingdate">{{Cite web|title=Titanic (1997) - IMDb|website=[[IMDb]]|url=http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120338/locations|access-date=2022-11-06|archive-date=February 9, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230209003138/https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120338/locations|url-status=live}}</ref> when Cameron shot footage of the [[Wreck of the Titanic|''Titanic'' wreck]]. The modern scenes on the research vessel'' ''were shot on board the ''[[Akademik Mstislav Keldysh]]'', which Cameron had used as a base when filming the wreck. [[Scale model]]s, [[computer-generated imagery]], and a reconstruction of the ''Titanic'' built at [[Baja Studios]] were used to recreate the sinking. The film was initially meant for [[20th Century Studios|20th Century Fox]], but due to a mounting budget and being behind schedule resulted in Fox asking [[Paramount Pictures]] for financial help; Paramount handled distribution in the United States and Canada, while 20th Century Fox released the film internationally. ''Titanic'' was the [[List of most expensive films|most expensive film ever made]] at the time, with a production budget of $200&nbsp;million. Filming took place from July 1996 to March 1997.

''Titanic'' was released on December 19, 1997. It was praised for its visual effects, performances (particularly those of DiCaprio, Winslet, and [[Gloria Stuart]]), production values, direction, score, cinematography, story, and emotional depth. [[List of accolades received by Titanic|Among other awards]], it was nominated for 14 [[70th Academy Awards|Academy Awards]] and won 11, including [[Academy Award for Best Picture|Best Picture]] and [[Academy Award for Best Director|Best Director]], tying ''[[Ben-Hur (1959 film)|Ben-Hur]]'' (1959)<!-- PLEASE DO NOT ADD RETURN OF THE KING; YOU CANNOT TIE WITH SOMETHING WHICH WAS RELEASED LATER.--> for the most Academy Awards won by a film. With an initial worldwide gross of over $1.84&nbsp;billion, ''Titanic'' was the first film to reach the billion-dollar mark. It was [[Timeline of highest-grossing films|the highest-grossing film of all time]] until Cameron's next film, ''[[Avatar (2009 film)|Avatar]]'' (2009), surpassed it in 2010. Income from the initial theatrical release, retail video, and soundtrack sales and US broadcast rights exceeded $3.2 billion.<ref name=VHS/> A number of re-releases have pushed the film's worldwide theatrical total to $2.264&nbsp;billion, making it the second film to gross more than $2&nbsp;billion worldwide after ''Avatar''. In 2017, the [[Library of Congress]] selected it for preservation in the United States [[National Film Registry]] for being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".

==Plot==
<!-- Please do not add significant detail to this section; there is a 700-word standard specified in WP:FILMPLOT. This hidden note, the refn note and two references are not a part of the word count.-->

In 1996, aboard the research vessel ''[[Akademik Mstislav Keldysh]]'', Brock Lovett and his team search the [[Wreck of the Titanic|wreck of RMS ''Titanic'']]. They recover a safe they hope contains a necklace with a large diamond known as the Heart of the Ocean. 

Instead, they find only a drawing of a young nude woman wearing the necklace. The sketch is dated April 14, 1912, the same day the ''Titanic'' [[Iceberg that struck the Titanic|struck the iceberg]] that caused it to [[Sinking of the Titanic|sink]].{{refn|Although the ''Titanic'' hit the iceberg on April 14, it did not sink until the early hours of April 15.|group = Note}}  

After viewing a television news story about the discovery, [[centenarian]] Rose Dawson Calvert contacts Lovett, identifying herself as the woman in the drawing. Hoping she can help locate the necklace, Lovett brings Rose aboard ''Keldysh'', where she recounts her experiences as a ''Titanic'' passenger.

In 1912 [[Southampton]], 17-year-old Rose DeWitt Bukater, her wealthy 30-year-old fiancé Caledon "Cal" Hockley, and Rose's widowed mother Ruth board the ''Titanic''. Ruth emphasizes that Rose's marriage to Cal will resolve the family's financial problems and maintain their upper-class status. 

Rose, distraught over her loveless engagement, climbs over the stern railing, contemplating suicide. Jack Dawson, a poor young artist, coaxes her back onto the deck, and they develop a friendship. He soon admits that he has feelings for her. When Cal and Ruth object, Rose rejects Jack's attentions, but returns to him after realizing she has fallen in love.

Rose brings Jack to her stateroom and requests he draw her nude, wearing only the Heart of the Ocean. They later evade Cal's servant, Lovejoy, and have sex in a [[Renault Towncar]] inside the cargo hold. 

On the forward deck, the pair witness the ship's collision with an iceberg and overhear its officers discussing its seriousness. Cal discovers Jack's sketch and an insulting note from Rose in his safe, along with the necklace. 

When Jack and Rose return to warn the others about the collision, Cal has Lovejoy slip the necklace into Jack's pocket to frame him for theft. Jack is confined in the [[master-at-arms]]' office. Cal puts the necklace into his own overcoat pocket.

With the ship sinking, the crew prioritize women and children for evacuation. Rose finds and frees Jack, and they make it back to the deck, where Cal and Jack urge Rose to board a lifeboat. Intending to save himself, Cal lies that he will get Jack safely off the ship and wraps his overcoat around Rose. 

As her lifeboat is lowered, Rose jumps back onto the ship, unable to abandon Jack. Cal grabs Lovejoy's pistol and chases Jack and Rose, but they escape. Cal realizes the necklace is still in the coat he gave Rose. He poses as a lost child's father to board a lifeboat.

Jack and Rose return to the deck. The ship's stern is rising as the flooded bow sinks; the two desperately cling to the stern rail. The upended ship breaks in half, and the bow section sinks. The stern slams back onto the ocean, upends again and sinks. 

In the freezing water, Jack helps Rose onto a wood [[Transom (architecture)|transom panel]] among the debris, buoyant enough only for one person, and makes her promise to survive and live her life to the fullest. Jack dies of [[Cold shock response|cold shock]], but Rose is among six people saved by the one returning lifeboat. 

{{RMS|Carpathia}} rescues the survivors. Rose avoids Cal and her mother by hiding among the steerage passengers and giving her name as Rose Dawson. Still wearing Cal's overcoat, she discovers the necklace tucked inside the pocket.

In the present, Rose says she heard that Cal committed suicide after losing his fortune in the [[Wall Street Crash of 1929|1929 Wall Street crash]]. Gazing out into the ocean, Lovett laments to Lizzy Calvert and abandons his search after hearing Rose's story. 

Alone on the stern of ''Keldysh'', Rose takes the Heart of the Ocean, which has been in her possession all along, and drops it into the sea over the wreck site. While she is seemingly asleep in her bed,<ref name="comm-sleep-or-dead">{{cite video|people=[[James Cameron]]|title=Audio Commentary|medium=DVD|publisher=20th Century Fox |year=2005 |quote=The big ambiguity here is 'is she alive and dreaming' or 'is she dead and on her way to ''Titanic'' heaven?' I'll never tell. Of course, I know what we intended....The answer has to be something you supply personally; individually.}}</ref> her photos on the dresser depict a life of freedom and adventure inspired by Jack. 

A young Rose reunites with Jack at the ''Titanic''{{'s}} [[Grand Staircase of the Titanic|Grand Staircase]], applauded by those who died that night.

==Cast==
===Fictional characters===
{{multiple image
| direction = vertical
| width     = 150
| footer    = [[Leonardo DiCaprio]] (''top'', pictured in 2002), who portrayed Jack Dawson, and [[Kate Winslet]] (''bottom'', pictured in 2007), who portrayed Rose DeWitt Bukater
| image1    = Leonardo DiCaprio 2002.jpg
| alt1      = 
| caption1  = 
| image2    = Kate Winslet Palm Film Festival.jpg
| alt2      = 
| caption2  = 
}}
* [[Leonardo DiCaprio]] as Jack Dawson. Cameron said he needed the cast to feel they were really on the ''Titanic'', to relive its liveliness, and "to take that energy and give it to Jack,&nbsp;... an artist who is able to have his heart soar".<ref name="Making of">{{cite news|title=Heart of the Ocean: The Making of ''Titanic''. THE BEST OF.|date=1997–1998}}</ref> Jack is portrayed as an itinerant, poor orphan from [[Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin]], who has travelled the world, including [[Paris]]. He wins two third-class tickets for the ''Titanic'' in a poker game and travels with his friend Fabrizio. He is attracted to Rose at first sight. Her fiancé's invitation to dine with them the next evening enables Jack to mix with the first-class passengers for a night. Cameron's original choice for the role was [[River Phoenix]], however he died in 1993.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cinemablend.com/news/2494354/actors-who-couldve-been-cast-in-titanic|title=12 Actors Who Could've Been Cast In Titanic|last=Ashton|first=Will|date=September 15, 2022|website=CinemaBlend|publisher=[[Future plc]]|access-date=December 13, 2022|quote=James Cameron had originally considered River Phoenix for the role, but the young actor tragically passed away before he could be asked to play the leading man part.|archive-date=December 13, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221213152918/https://www.cinemablend.com/news/2494354/actors-who-couldve-been-cast-in-titanic|url-status=live}}</ref> Though established actors like [[Matthew McConaughey]], [[Chris O'Donnell]], [[Billy Crudup]], and [[Stephen Dorff]] were considered, Cameron felt they were too old for the part of a 20-year-old.<ref name="www.ew.com">{{cite magazine|title=Titanic. Man overboard! After a production as lavish and pricey as the doomed ship itself, James Cameron finally unveils his epic film. But will it be unsinkable?|magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]]|pages=1–7|date=November 7, 1997|url=https://ew.com/article/1997/11/07/titanic-10/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100326120040/http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,290182,00.html|archive-date=March 26, 2010}}</ref><ref name="www.media-awareness.ca">{{cite web|title=James Cameron's Titanic|publisher=[[Media Awareness Network]]|access-date=January 24, 2010|url=http://www.media-awareness.ca/english/resources/educational/teachable_moments/deconstructing_titanic_6.cfm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110609180647/http://www.media-awareness.ca/english/resources/educational/teachable_moments/deconstructing_titanic_6.cfm|archive-date=June 9, 2011}}</ref> [[Tom Cruise]] was interested, but his [[asking price]] was too high.<ref name="www.media-awareness.ca" /> Cameron considered [[Jared Leto]] for the role, but Leto refused to audition.<ref>{{cite web|first=Ramin|last=Setoodeh|title=Leonardo DiCaprio or Kate Winslet: Which 'Titanic' Star Has the Better Career?|work=[[The Daily Beast]]|publisher=[[The Newsweek Daily Beast Company]]|date=April 4, 2012|url=http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2012/04/04/leonardo-dicaprio-or-kate-winslet-which-titanic-star-has-the-better-career.html|access-date=April 23, 2012|archive-date=November 7, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161107011441/http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2012/04/04/leonardo-dicaprio-or-kate-winslet-which-titanic-star-has-the-better-career.html|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Jeremy Sisto]] did a series of screen tests with Winslet and three other actresses vying for the role of Rose.<ref>{{Cite news|first=Meena|last=Jang|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/jeremy-sisto-was-heartbroken-losing-779565|title='Clueless' Actor: I Was "Heartbroken" After Losing 'Titanic' Role to Leonardo DiCaprio|work=The Hollywood Reporter|access-date=June 17, 2019|language=en-US|archive-date=June 17, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190617234811/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/jeremy-sisto-was-heartbroken-losing-779565|url-status=live}}</ref> DiCaprio, 21 years old at the time, was brought to Cameron's attention by casting director Mali Finn.<ref name="www.ew.com" /> Initially, he did not want the role and refused to read his first romantic scene. Cameron said, "He read it once, then started goofing around, and I could never get him to focus on it again. But for one split second, a shaft of light came down from the heavens and lit up the forest." Cameron strongly believed in DiCaprio's acting ability and told him, "Look, I'm not going to make this guy brooding and neurotic. I'm not going to give him a tic and a limp and all the things you want." Cameron envisioned the character as being like those played by [[James Stewart]] or [[Gregory Peck]].<ref name="www.ew.com" /><ref>{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nIEbpGdctyg |title=James Cameron Breaks Down His Most Iconic Films {{!}} GQ |date=2022-11-22 |last=GQ |access-date=2024-05-27 |via=YouTube}}</ref> Although Jack Dawson was a fictional character, in [[Fairview Cemetery, Halifax, Nova Scotia|Fairview Cemetery]] in [[Halifax, Nova Scotia]], where 121 victims are buried, there is a grave labeled "J. Dawson". The producers did not know of the real J. Dawson until after the film was released.<ref>{{cite news|first=Rob|last=Gillies|title=Titanic: Visiting The Grave Of The Real J. Dawson In Halifax |work=Huffington Post |date=April 4, 2012 |access-date=May 12, 2015 |url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/04/04/titanic-real-j-dawson-grave_n_1403858.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120407043556/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/04/04/titanic-real-j-dawson-grave_n_1403858.html |archive-date=April 7, 2012 }}</ref>
* [[Kate Winslet]] as Rose DeWitt Bukater. Cameron said Winslet "had the thing that you look for" and that there was "a quality in her face, in her eyes" that he "just knew people would be ready to go the distance with her".<ref name="Making of" /> Rose is a 17-year-old girl from [[Philadelphia]], who is forced into an engagement to 30-year-old Cal Hockley so she and her mother, Ruth, can maintain their high-class status after her father's death had left the family debt-ridden. Rose boards ''Titanic'' with Cal and Ruth, as a first-class passenger, and meets Jack. Winslet said of her character, "She has got a lot to give, and she's got a very open heart. And she wants to explore and adventure the world, but she [feels] that's not going to happen."<ref name="Making of" /> [[Gwyneth Paltrow]], [[Winona Ryder]], [[Claire Danes]] (who had previously worked with DiCaprio in ''[[Romeo + Juliet]]'' the previous year), [[Gabrielle Anwar]], and [[Reese Witherspoon]] had been considered for the role.<ref name="www.ew.com" /><ref name="www.forbes.com">{{cite news|title=Star Misses. Nicole Kidman in "The Reader"? Gwyneth Paltrow aboard "Titanic"? How some of the biggest names in Hollywood lost out on some of its biggest roles.|work=[[Forbes]]|date=February 25, 2009|access-date=January 22, 2010|url=https://www.forbes.com/2009/02/25/nicole-kidman-gwyneth-paltrow-kate-winslet-business-media_star_misses.html|archive-date=November 4, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151104103436/http://www.forbes.com/2009/02/25/nicole-kidman-gwyneth-paltrow-kate-winslet-business-media_star_misses.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/06/22/titanic-casting-james-cameron-christian-bale_n_1619006.html|title='Titanic' Casting: What Other Stars Were Considered For James Cameron's Masterpiece?|work=[[Huffington Post]]|date=June 22, 2012|access-date=March 21, 2016|archive-date=March 13, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160313200613/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/06/22/titanic-casting-james-cameron-christian-bale_n_1619006.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="women.timesonline.co.uk">{{cite news|first=Ruby|last=Warrington|title=Claire Danes: the secretive starlet|work=[[The Times]]|date=November 29, 2009|access-date=January 22, 2010|url=http://women.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/women/celebrity/article6929555.ece|location=London|archive-date=June 15, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110615145756/http://women.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/women/celebrity/article6929555.ece|url-status=live}}</ref> When they turned it down, Winslet campaigned heavily for the role. She sent Cameron daily notes from England, which led Cameron to invite her to [[Hollywood, California|Hollywood]] for auditions. As with DiCaprio, casting director [[Mali Finn]] originally brought her to Cameron's attention. When looking for a Rose, Cameron described the character as "an [[Audrey Hepburn]] type" and was initially uncertain about casting Winslet even after her [[screen test]] impressed him.<ref name="www.ew.com" /> After she screen tested with DiCaprio, Winslet was so thoroughly impressed with him, that she whispered to Cameron, "He's great. Even if you don't pick me, pick him." Winslet sent Cameron a single rose with a card signed, "From Your Rose", and lobbied him by phone. "You don't understand!" she pleaded one day when she reached him by mobile phone in his [[Humvee]]. "I am Rose! I don't know why you're even seeing anyone else!" Her persistence, as well as her talent, eventually convinced him to cast her in the role.<ref name="www.ew.com" />
* [[Billy Zane]] as Caledon "Cal" Hockley, Rose's arrogant and snobbish 30-year-old fiancé, who is the heir to a [[Pittsburgh]] steel fortune. He is resentful of Rose's affection for Jack. Cameron initially considered [[Michael Biehn]], who he had previously collaborated with on ''[[The Terminator]], [[Aliens (1986 film)|Aliens]]'', and ''[[The Abyss (1989 film)|The Abyss]]'', for the role,<ref>{{cite news |last1=Spelling |first1=Ian |title='Asteroid's' Michael Biehn Hopes for a Big Impact |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1997-02-13-9702130369-story.html |access-date=5 September 2023 |publisher=Chicago Tribune |date=February 13, 1997 |archive-date=September 5, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230905060654/https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1997-02-13-9702130369-story.html |url-status=live }}</ref> before offering it to Matthew McConaughey,<ref name="www.media-awareness.ca" /> and [[Rob Lowe]] said he pursued it.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.eonline.com/news/699008/rob-lowe-talks-about-his-brothers-sisters-and-the-west-wing-departures-ahead-of-the-grinder-premiere|title=Why Rob Lowe Left Brothers & Sisters & The West Wing|work=E! Online|access-date=July 23, 2017|language=en-US|archive-date=July 14, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170714182709/http://www.eonline.com/news/699008/rob-lowe-talks-about-his-brothers-sisters-and-the-west-wing-departures-ahead-of-the-grinder-premiere|url-status=live}}</ref>
* [[Frances Fisher]] as Ruth DeWitt Bukater, Rose's widowed mother, who arranges Rose's engagement to Cal to maintain her family's high-society status. Like many aristocratic passengers portrayed in the film, her disposition is elitist and frivolous. She loves her daughter but believes that social position is more important than having a loving marriage. She strongly dislikes Jack, even though he saved her daughter's life.
* [[Gloria Stuart]] as the modern-day Rose Dawson Calvert. Rose narrates the film in a [[framing device]]. Cameron stated, "In order to see the present and the past, I decided to create a fictional survivor who is [close to] 101 years, and she connects us in a way through history."<ref name="Making of" /> The 100-year-old Rose gives Lovett information regarding the "Heart of the Ocean" after he discovers a nude drawing of her in the wreck. She shares the story of her time aboard the ship, and speaks about her relationship with Jack for the first time since the sinking. At 87, Stuart had to be made up to look older for the role.<ref name="www.media-awareness.ca" /> Of casting Stuart, Cameron stated, "My casting director found her. She was sent out on a mission to find retired actresses from the [[Classical Hollywood cinema|Golden Age of the thirties and forties]]."<ref name="www.industrycentral.net">{{cite web |last=Schultz |first=Rick |title=James Cameron tells the astonishing story of Titanic, his breathtaking labor of love |url=http://www.industrycentral.net/director_interviews/JC01.HTM |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100206150228/http://www.industrycentral.net/director_interviews/JC01.HTM |archive-date=February 6, 2010 |access-date=January 23, 2010 |publisher=industrycentral.net}}</ref> Cameron said that he did not know who Stuart was, and [[Fay Wray]] was also considered for the role. "But [Stuart] was just so into it, and so lucid, and had such a great spirit. And I saw the connection between her spirit and [Winslet's] spirit," stated Cameron. "I saw this ''[[joie de vivre]]'' in both of them, that I thought the audience would be able to make that cognitive leap that it's the same person."<ref name="www.industrycentral.net"/>
* [[Bill Paxton]] as Brock Lovett, a treasure hunter looking for the "Heart of the Ocean" in the wreck of the ''Titanic'' in the present. Time and funding for his expedition are running out. He reflects at the film's conclusion that, despite thinking about ''Titanic'' for three years, he has never understood it until he hears Rose's story.
* [[Suzy Amis Cameron|Suzy Amis]] as Lizzy Calvert, Rose's granddaughter, who accompanies her when she visits Lovett on the ship and learns of her grandmother's romantic past with Jack Dawson.
* [[Danny Nucci]] as Fabrizio De Rossi, Jack's Italian best friend, who boards ''Titanic'' with him after Jack wins two tickets in a poker game. Fabrizio fails to board a lifeboat when the ''Titanic'' sinks and is killed when one of the ship's funnels breaks and crashes into the water, crushing him and several other passengers to death.
* [[David Warner (actor)|David Warner]] as Spicer Lovejoy, an ex-[[Pinkerton (detective agency)|Pinkerton]] constable and Cal's English valet and bodyguard. He monitors Rose and is suspicious about the circumstances surrounding Jack rescuing her. He dies when the ''Titanic'' splits in half, causing him to fall into a massive opening. Warner had appeared in the 1979 TV miniseries ''[[S.O.S. Titanic]]''.
* [[Jason Barry]] as Tommy Ryan, an Irish third-class passenger who befriends Jack and Fabrizio. Tommy is killed when he is accidentally pushed forward and shot by a panicked First Officer Murdoch.

===Historical characters===
Although not intended to be an entirely accurate depiction of events,<ref name=five/> the film includes portrayals of various historical figures:
[[File:Molly brown rescue award titanic.jpg|thumb|The real Margaret Brown (right) providing Captain [[Arthur Rostron|Arthur Henry Rostron]] with an award for his service in the rescue of ''Titanic''{{'}}s surviving passengers.]]
* [[Kathy Bates]] as [[Margaret Brown|Margaret "Molly" Brown]]. Brown is looked down upon by other first-class women, including Ruth, as "vulgar" and "[[new money]]". She is friendly to Jack and lends him a suit of evening clothes (bought for her son) when he is invited to dinner in the first-class dining saloon. She was dubbed "The Unsinkable Molly Brown" by historians because, with the support of other women, she commandeered [[Titanic Lifeboat No. 6|Lifeboat 6]] from Quartermaster [[Robert Hichens (RMS Titanic)|Robert Hichens]].<ref name="SLB">{{cite book|first=Stephanie L.|last=Barczewski|title=Titanic: A Night Remembered|publisher=Continuum International Publishing Group|year=2004|access-date=March 31, 2009|page=30|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yYX4s1_6IlEC&pg=PA30|isbn=978-1-85285-434-8|archive-date=January 26, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210126014112/https://books.google.com/books?id=yYX4s1_6IlEC&pg=PA30|url-status=live}}</ref> Some aspects of this altercation are portrayed in Cameron's film. [[Reba McEntire]] was offered the role, but had to turn it down, because it conflicted with her touring schedule.<ref>{{cite news | title=Reba McEntire Reveals She Turned Down a Role in 'Titanic' | url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/reba-mcentire-turned-down-a-role-titanic-1188978/ | location=Los Angeles | work=The Hollywood Reporter | first=Katherine | last=Schaffstall | date=February 22, 2019 | access-date=February 26, 2023 | archive-date=February 27, 2023 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230227061650/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/reba-mcentire-turned-down-a-role-titanic-1188978/ | url-status=live }}</ref>
* [[Victor Garber]] as [[Thomas Andrews]]: The ship's builder, Andrews is portrayed as a kind, decent man who is modest about his grand achievement. After the collision, he tries to convince the others, particularly Ismay, that it is a "mathematical certainty" that the ship will sink. He is depicted during the [[Sinking of the Titanic|sinking of the ship]] as standing next to the clock in the first-class smoking room, lamenting his failure to build a strong and safe ship. Although this has become one of the most famous legends of the sinking of the ''Titanic'', this story, which was published in a 1912 book (''Thomas Andrews: Shipbuilder'') and therefore perpetuated, came from John Stewart, a steward on the ship who in fact left the ship in boat no.15 at approximately 1:40&nbsp;a.m.<ref name="seaofglass">ON A SEA OF GLASS: THE LIFE & LOSS OF THE RMS TITANIC" by Tad Fitch, J. Kent Layton & Bill Wormstedt. Amberley Books, March 2012. pp 321–323</ref> There were testimonies of sightings of Andrews after that moment.<ref name="seaofglass" /> It appears that Andrews stayed in the smoking room for some time to gather his thoughts, then he continued assisting with the evacuation.<ref name="seaofglass" /> 
[[File:Olympic_Crew_1911.jpg|250px|thumb|right|Crew of the ''Olympic'', 1911. Left: [[William McMaster Murdoch|First Officer William M. Murdoch]]. Right: [[Edward Smith (sea captain)|Captain Edward J. Smith]].]]
* [[Bernard Hill]] as [[Edward Smith (sea captain)|Captain Edward John Smith]].<ref name="Marsh&Kirland1998p66">{{Harvp|Marsh|Kirkland|1998|p=66}}.</ref> Smith planned to make the ''Titanic'' his final voyage before retiring. He retreats into the [[Bridge (nautical)|wheelhouse]] on the [[bridge (nautical)|bridge]] as the ship sinks, dying when the windows burst from the water pressure whilst he clings to the ship's wheel. There are conflicting accounts as to whether he died in this manner or later froze to death in the water near the capsized collapsible lifeboat "B".<ref>Ballard, pp. 40–41</ref>
* [[Jonathan Hyde]] as [[J. Bruce Ismay]], White Star Line's ignorant, boorish managing director. Ismay influences Captain Smith to go faster with the prospect of an earlier arrival in New York and favorable press attention; while this appears in popular portrayals of the disaster, it is unsupported by evidence.<ref>{{cite book |last=Beesley |first=Lawrence |title=The Loss of the S.S. Titanic |publisher=Heinemann |location=London, England |year=1912 |page=56}}</ref><ref>Howells (1999: 31).</ref> After the collision, he struggles to comprehend that his "unsinkable" ship is doomed. Ismay later boards Collapsible C (one of the last lifeboats to leave the ship) just before it is lowered. He was branded a coward by the press and public for surviving the disaster while many women and children had drowned.
* [[Eric Braeden]] as [[John Jacob Astor IV]], a first-class passenger and the richest man on the ship. The film depicts Astor and his 18-year-old wife [[Madeleine Astor|Madeleine]] ([[Charlotte Chatton]]) as being introduced to Jack by Rose in the first-class dining saloon. During the introduction, Astor asks if Jack is connected to the "Boston Dawsons", a question Jack deflects by saying that he is instead affiliated with the [[Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin|Chippewa Falls]] Dawsons. Astor is last seen as the Grand Staircase glass dome implodes and water surges in.
* [[Bernard Fox (actor)|Bernard Fox]] as [[Archibald Gracie IV|Colonel Archibald Gracie IV]]. The film depicts Gracie making a comment to Cal that "women and machinery don't mix", and congratulating Jack for saving Rose from falling off the ship, though he is unaware that it was a [[suicide attempt]]. He is later seen offering to lead Jack and Rose to the remaining lifeboats during the sinking. Fox had portrayed [[Frederick Fleet]] in the 1958 film ''[[A Night to Remember (1958 film)|A Night to Remember]]''.
* [[Michael Ensign]] as [[Benjamin Guggenheim]], a mining magnate traveling in first-class. He shows off his French mistress Madame Aubert (Fannie Brett) to his fellow passengers while his wife and three daughters wait for him at home. When Jack joins the other first-class passengers for dinner after his rescue of Rose, Guggenheim refers to him as a "[[Bohemianism|bohemian]]". He is seen in the flooding Grand Staircase during the sinking, saying he is prepared to go down as a gentleman.
[[File:Wallace Henry Harvey.jpg|148px|thumb|Wallace Hartley. ''Titanic''{{'}}s bandmaster and violinist.]]
* Jonathan Evans-Jones as [[Wallace Hartley]], the ship's bandmaster and violinist who plays uplifting music with his colleagues on the boat deck as the ship sinks. As the final plunge begins, he leads the band in a final performance of "[[Nearer, My God, to Thee]]", to the tune of Bethany,<ref>{{cite news | title=Further, my god, from thee | url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/further-my-god-from-thee-1122417.html | location=London | work=The Independent | first=Ian | last=Jack | date=September 26, 1999 | access-date=April 16, 2012 | archive-date=December 26, 2017 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171226182331/http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/further-my-god-from-thee-1122417.html | url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Bevil">{{cite news | first=Bevil, J | last=Marshall | title=And the Band Played On | url=http://home.earthlink.net/~llywarch/tnc02.html.htm | work=Southwest Regional Chapter of the American Musicological Society, Rice University | location=Houston | date=October 1999 | access-date=February 23, 2012 | archive-date=August 9, 2017 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170809161210/http://home.earthlink.net/~llywarch/tnc02.html.htm | url-status=live }}</ref> and dies in the sinking.
* [[Mark Lindsay Chapman]] as [[Henry Tingle Wilde|Chief Officer Henry Wilde]],<ref name="Marsh&Kirland1998p66"/> the ship's chief officer, who lets Cal on board a lifeboat because he has a child in his arms. Before he dies, he tries to get the boats to return to the sinking site to rescue passengers by blowing his whistle. After he freezes to death, Rose uses his whistle to attract the attention of Fifth Officer Lowe, which leads to her rescue.
* [[Ewan Stewart]] as [[William McMaster Murdoch|First Officer William Murdoch]],<ref name="Marsh&Kirland1998p66"/> the officer in charge of the bridge when the ''Titanic'' struck the iceberg. During a rush for the lifeboats, Murdoch shoots Tommy Ryan, as well as another passenger, in a momentary panic, then commits suicide by shooting himself in the head. When Murdoch's nephew Scott saw the film, he objected to his uncle's portrayal as damaging to Murdoch's heroic reputation.<ref>{{cite news | title = Nephew angered by tarnishing of Titanic hero | work = BBC News | date = January 24, 1998 | url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/50203.stm | access-date = February 19, 2007 | archive-date = October 4, 2017 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20171004222811/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/50203.stm | url-status = live }}</ref> A few months later, Fox vice-president Scott Neeson went to [[Dalbeattie]], Scotland, where Murdoch lived, to deliver a personal apology, and also presented a £5000 donation to [[Dalbeattie High School]] to boost the school's William Murdoch Memorial Prize.<ref>{{cite news | title = Titanic makers say sorry | work = BBC News | date = April 15, 1998 | url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/78839.stm | access-date = February 22, 2007 | archive-date = March 9, 2018 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20180309052839/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/78839.stm | url-status = live }}</ref> Cameron apologized on the DVD commentary, but stated that there were officers who fired gunshots to enforce the [[Women and children first|"women and children first" policy]].<ref name="commentary">{{cite video | people = James Cameron | title = Audio Commentary |medium = DVD | publisher = 20th Century Fox |year= 2005}}</ref> According to Cameron, his depiction of Murdoch is that of an "honorable man," not of a man "gone bad" or of a "cowardly murderer." He added, "I'm not sure you'd find that same sense of responsibility and total devotion to duty today. This guy had half of his lifeboats launched before his counterpart on the port side had even launched one. That says something about character and heroism."<ref>James Cameron's Titanic, p.&nbsp;129.</ref>
* [[Jonny Phillips (actor)|Jonathan Phillips]] as [[Charles Lightoller|Second Officer Charles Lightoller]].<ref name="Marsh&Kirland1998p66"/> Lightoller took charge of the port side evacuation. The film depicts Lightoller informing Captain Smith that it will be difficult to see icebergs without breaking water, and following the collision, suggesting the crew should begin boarding women and children to the lifeboats. He is seen brandishing a gun and threatening to use it to keep order. He can be seen on top of Collapsible B when the first funnel collapses. Lightoller was the most senior officer to have survived the disaster.
* Film producer Kevin De La Noy as [[Herbert Pitman|Third Officer Herbert Pitman]],<ref name="Marsh&Kirland1998p66"/> who also survived the sinking and manning [[Lifeboats of the Titanic#Lifeboat 5 (starboard)|Lifeboat 5]].
* [[Simon Crane]] as [[Joseph Boxhall|Fourth Officer Joseph Boxhall]],<ref name="Marsh&Kirland1998p66"/> the officer in charge of firing flares and manning [[Lifeboats of the Titanic#Lifeboat 2 (port)|Lifeboat 2]] during the sinking. He is shown on the bridge wings helping the seamen firing the flares.
* [[Ioan Gruffudd]] as [[Harold Lowe|Fifth Officer Harold Lowe]],<ref name="Marsh&Kirland1998p66"/> the only officer to lead a lifeboat to retrieve survivors of the sinking from the icy waters. The film depicts Lowe rescuing Rose.
* Edward Fletcher as [[James Paul Moody|Sixth Officer James Moody]],<ref name="Marsh&Kirland1998p66"/> the only junior officer to have died in the sinking. The film depicts Moody admitting Jack and Fabrizio onto the ship only moments before it departs from Southampton. Moody is later shown following Murdoch's orders to put the ship to full speed ahead and informs Murdoch about the iceberg. He is last seen clinging to one of the davits on the starboard side after having unsuccessfully attempted to launch collapsible A.
* James Lancaster as [[Thomas Byles|Father Thomas Byles]], a second-class passenger and a Catholic priest from England. He is portrayed praying and consoling passengers during the ship's final moments.
* [[Lew Palter]] and [[Elsa Raven]] as [[Isidor Straus|Isidor]] and [[Ida Straus]]. Isidor is a former owner of [[Macy's|R.H. Macy and Company]], a former congressman from New York, and a member of the New York and New Jersey Bridge Commission. During the sinking, the couple were offered seats on a lifeboat together. Isidor refused to go before all women and children have been evacuated, and urged his wife Ida to go ahead. Ida is portrayed refusing to board the lifeboat, saying that she will honor her wedding pledge by staying with Isidor. They are last seen lying on their bed, embracing each other as water fills their stateroom.
* [[Martin Jarvis (actor)|Martin Jarvis]] as [[Cosmo Duff-Gordon|Sir Cosmo Duff-Gordon]], a Scottish baronet who is rescued in [[Titanic Lifeboat No. 1|Lifeboat 1]]. Lifeboats 1 and 2 were emergency boats with a capacity of 40. Situated at the forward end of the boat deck, these were kept ready to launch in case of a person falling overboard. On the night of the disaster, Lifeboat 1 was the fourth to be launched, with 12 people aboard, including Duff-Gordon, his wife and her secretary. The baronet was much criticized for his conduct during the incident. It was suggested that he had boarded the emergency boat in violation of the "women and children first" policy, and that the boat had failed to return to rescue those struggling in the water. He offered five pounds to each of the lifeboat's crew, which those critical of his conduct viewed as a bribe. The Duff-Gordons at the time (and his wife's secretary in a letter written at the time and rediscovered in 2007) stated that there had been no women or children waiting to board in the vicinity of the launching of their boat; there is confirmation that lifeboat 1 of the ''Titanic'' was almost empty, and that First Officer William Murdoch was apparently glad to offer Duff-Gordon and his wife and her secretary a place (simply to fill it) after they had asked if they could get on. Duff-Gordon denied that his offer of money to the lifeboat crew represented a bribe. The [[British Wreck Commissioner's inquiry into the sinking of the Titanic|British Board of Trade's inquiry into the disaster]] accepted Duff-Gordon's denial of bribing the crew, but maintained that, if the emergency boat had rowed towards the people who were in the water, it might very well have been able to rescue some of them.<ref>''British Wreck Commissioner's Enquiry: Report.'' "Account of the Saving and Rescue of those who Survived: Conduct of Sir Cosmo Duff Gordon and Mr Ismay". Retrieved 8/23/12 at: {{cite web |url=http://www.titanicinquiry.org/BOTInq/BOTReport/BOTRepConduct.php |title=British Wreck Commissioner's Inquiry Report|access-date=February 3, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140103010821/http://www.titanicinquiry.org/BOTInq/BOTReport/BOTRepConduct.php |archive-date=January 3, 2014 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Letter clears 'blackguard of the Titanic' |work=The Daily Telegraph |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/05/02/ntitanic02.xml |access-date=May 5, 2007 |location=London |first=Nigel |last=Reynolds |date=May 2, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070716054503/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=%2Fnews%2F2007%2F05%2F02%2Fntitanic02.xml |archive-date=July 16, 2007 }}</ref>
* [[Rosalind Ayres]] as [[Lucy, Lady Duff-Gordon|Lady Duff-Gordon]], a world-famous fashion designer and Sir Cosmo's wife. She is rescued in Lifeboat 1 with her husband. They never lived down rumors that they had forbidden the lifeboat's crew to return to the wreck site in case they would be swamped.<ref>Lynch, pp. 183–185</ref><ref>"Sir Cosmo and Lady Duff Gordon at the Titanic Inquiry," ''The Sketch'', May 22, 1912</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Conduct of Sir Cosmo-Duff Gordon and Mr. Ismay|publisher=Titanic Inquiry Project|url=http://www.titanicinquiry.org/BOTInq/BOTInq11LDuff-Gordon01.php|access-date=January 2, 2006|archive-date=April 21, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160421173137/http://www.titanicinquiry.org/BOTInq/BOTInq11LDuff-Gordon01.php|url-status=live}}</ref>
* Rochelle Rose as [[Noël Leslie, Countess of Rothes]]. The Countess is shown to be friendly with Cal and the DeWitt Bukaters. Despite being of a higher status in society than Sir Cosmo and Lady Duff-Gordon, she is kind, and helps row the boat and even looks after the steerage passengers.
* Scott G. Anderson as [[Frederick Fleet]], the lookout who saw the iceberg. Fleet escapes the sinking ship aboard Lifeboat 6.
* [[Paul Brightwell]] as [[Robert Hichens (sailor)|Quartermaster Robert Hichens]], one of the six quartermasters and at the ship's wheel at the time of collision. He is in charge of [[Titanic Lifeboat No. 6|lifeboat 6]]. He refuses to go back and pick up survivors after the sinking and eventually the boat is commandeered by Molly Brown.
* Martin East as [[Reginald Lee]], the other lookout in the [[crow's nest]]. He survives the sinking.
* Gregory Cooke as [[Jack Phillips (wireless officer)|Jack Phillips]], the senior wireless operator whom Captain Smith ordered to send the distress signal.
* [[Craig Kelly (actor)|Craig Kelly]] as [[Harold Bride]], a junior wireless operator.
* [[Liam Tuohy (actor)|Liam Tuohy]] as [[Charles Joughin|Chief Baker Charles Joughin]]. The baker appears in the film helping Rose stand up after she falls, following her and Jack to the ship's stern, and finally hanging onto the ship's railing as it sinks, drinking brandy from a flask. According to the real Joughin's testimony, he rode the ship down and stepped into the water without getting his hair wet. He also admitted to hardly feeling the cold, most likely thanks to alcohol.<ref>{{cite web| title = British Wreck Commissioner's Inquiry: Day 6| url = http://www.titanicinquiry.org/BOTInq/BOTInq06Joughin01.php| publisher = Titanic Inquiry Project| year = 1999| access-date = August 3, 2010| archive-date = September 21, 2017| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170921001504/http://www.titanicinquiry.org/BOTInq/BOTInq06Joughin01.php| url-status = live}}</ref> In a deleted scene, he's shown throwing deckchairs overboard before taking a drink from his bottle.<ref>{{Cite web |first=Adrienne |last=Tyler |date=2021-08-22 |title=Titanic Deleted Scenes Honor The Best True Stories Cut From The Movie |url=https://screenrant.com/titanic-movie-deleted-cut-scenes-true-stories/ |access-date=2022-03-07 |website=ScreenRant |language=en-US |archive-date=March 7, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220307114920/https://screenrant.com/titanic-movie-deleted-cut-scenes-true-stories/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Titanic - Deleted Scene - Boat Six Won't Return [<span class="ltr">HD</span>] |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JiHCMp8C3KY&t=114s |website=YouTube |access-date=March 7, 2022 |archive-date=March 7, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220307115929/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JiHCMp8C3KY&t=114s |url-status=live }}</ref>
* [[Terry Forrestal]] as [[Joseph Bell (engineer)|Chief Engineer Joseph G. Bell]]: Bell and his men worked throughout the sinking to keep the lights and the power on in order for distress signals to get out. The film portrays Bell and all of the engineers as having died in the bowels of the ''Titanic'', however there is evidence to suggest that at least some of the engineers were released to come on deck when the flooding became severe. Greaser Frederick Scott testified to seeing eight engineers between approximately 1:50 and 1:55 a.m. standing up against the electric crane on the starboard Boat Deck; by then, all the lifeboats had gone.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.titanicinquiry.org/BOTInq/BOTInq06Scott02.php |title=Day 6 - Testimony of Frederick Scott (Greaser, SS Titanic) |work=British Wreck Commissioner's Inquiry  |date=10 May 1912 |access-date=9 April 2020}}</ref>

===Cameos ===
Several crew members of the ''Akademik Mstislav Keldysh'' appear, including [[Anatoly Sagalevich]], the creator and pilot of the ''[[Mir (submersible)|Mir]]'' self-propelled Deep Submergence Vehicle.<ref name="heart">{{cite book | author = Ed W. Marsh | title = James Cameron's Titanic | publisher = Boxtree | year = 1998 | location = London | pages = 3–29}}</ref> Van Ling portrayed Fang Lang; his backstory inspired Cameron to produce a documentary ''The Six'', based on a group of Chinese survivors who survived the sinking.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Le |first=Phuong |date=2021-11-16 |title=The Six review – the Chinese survivors who were written out of the Titanic narrative |url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2021/nov/16/the-six-review-the-chinese-survivors-who-were-written-out-of-the-titanic-narrative |access-date=2024-05-01 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}</ref> Anders Falk, who filmed a documentary about the film's sets for the [[Titanic Historical Society|''Titanic'' Historical Society]], makes a cameo appearance in the film as a Swedish immigrant whom Jack Dawson meets when he enters his cabin; [[Edward Kamuda]] and Karen Kamuda, then President and Vice President of the Society, who served as film consultants, were cast as extras in the film.<ref name="bostonglobe">{{cite news |first=Jon |last=Marcus |title=A Titanic Obsession |url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/magazine/2012/04/07/atitanicobsession/cZ3J1URIHpkUKf4DusONbI/story.html |work=[[Boston Globe]] |date=April 8, 2012 |access-date=May 11, 2014 |archive-date=May 12, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140512231518/http://www.bostonglobe.com/magazine/2012/04/07/atitanicobsession/cZ3J1URIHpkUKf4DusONbI/story.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="falk">{{cite video | people = Anders Falk | title = Titanic Ship's Tour | medium = DVD | publisher = 20th Century Fox |year = 2005}}</ref>

==Pre-production==

===Writing and inspiration===
[[File:JAMES CAMERON 2000.jpg|thumb|upright|Director, writer and producer [[James Cameron]] (''pictured in 2000'')]]
{{Quote box |salign= |width=250px |align=right | quote = 
The story could not have been written better had it been fiction{{nbsp}}...The juxtaposition of rich and poor, the [[gender roles]] played out unto death ([[Women and children first|women first]]), the stoicism and nobility of a bygone age, the magnificence of the great ship matched in scale only by the folly of the men who drove her hell-bent through the darkness. And above all the lesson: that life is uncertain, the future unknowable{{nbsp}}... the unthinkable possible. |source=—James Cameron<ref name="foreword">Marsh and Kirkland, pp. v–xiii</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/read-an-excerpt-from-james-camerons-titanic|title=Read an excerpt from James Cameron's -- 'Titanic'|website=[[Fox News]]|access-date=7 May 2015|archive-date=February 19, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230219023621/https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/read-an-excerpt-from-james-camerons-titanic|url-status=live}}</ref>}}

James Cameron has long had a fascination with shipwrecks, and for him ''Titanic'' was "the [[Mount Everest]] of shipwrecks".<ref name="www.playboy.com">{{cite news | title=James Cameron: Playboy Interview|work=[[Playboy]]|date=December 2009|access-date=January 19, 2010|url=http://www.playboy.com/articles/james-cameron-interview/index.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100730084827/http://www.playboy.com/articles/james-cameron-interview/index.html |archive-date=July 30, 2010}}</ref><ref name="www.eyeforfilm.co.uk">{{cite news|first=Maria|last=Realf|title=An audience with James Cameron. The filmmaker discusses his movies to date and reveals the motivations|publisher=Eyeforfilm.co.uk|access-date=January 21, 2010|url=http://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/feature/2009-12-17-james-cameron-talks-about-avatar-aliens-and-his-titanic-career-feature-story-by-maria-realf|archive-date=November 9, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201109140422/https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/feature/2009-12-17-james-cameron-talks-about-avatar-aliens-and-his-titanic-career-feature-story-by-maria-realf|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="gq-magazine.co.uk">{{cite news|first=Alex |last=Bilmes |title=James Cameron is a genial raconteur and self-effacing man, says Alex Bilmes |work=[[<span class="ltr">GQ</span>]] |date=December 14, 2009 |access-date=May 9, 2014 |url=http://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/comment/articles/2009-12/14/alex-bilmes-james-cameron |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100326133227/http://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/comment/articles/2009-12/14/alex-bilmes-james-cameron |archive-date=March 26, 2010}}</ref> He was almost past the point in his life when he felt he could consider an undersea expedition, but said he still had "a mental restlessness" to live the life he had turned away from when he switched from the sciences to the arts in college. When an [[IMAX]] film, ''[[Titanica]]'', was made from footage shot of the ''Titanic'' wreck, Cameron decided to seek Hollywood funding for his own expedition. It was "not because I particularly wanted to make the movie," Cameron said. "I wanted to dive to the shipwreck."<ref name="www.playboy.com" />

Cameron wrote a [[scriptment]] for a ''Titanic'' film,<ref name="dive" /> met with [[20th Century Fox]] executives including [[Peter Chernin]], and pitched it as "''[[Romeo and Juliet]]'' on the ''Titanic''".<ref name="www.eyeforfilm.co.uk" /><ref name="gq-magazine.co.uk" /> Cameron said the executives were unconvinced of the commercial potential, and had instead hoped for action scenes similar to his previous films.<ref name="www.ew.com" /> They approved the project as they hoped for a long-term relationship with Cameron.<ref name="www.ew.com" /><ref name="www.media-awareness.ca" /><ref name="www.industrycentral.net" />

Cameron convinced Fox to promote the film based on the publicity afforded by shooting the ''Titanic'' wreck,<ref name="dive">{{cite video | people = James Cameron | title = Deep Dive Presentation | medium = DVD | publisher = 20th Century Fox |year = 2005}}</ref> and organized several dives over a period of two years.<ref name="foreword" /> He also convinced Fox that shooting the real wreck for the film scenes, instead of simulating it with special effects, would provide value: "We can either do [the shots] with elaborate models and motion control shots and CG and all that, which will cost X amount of money – or we can spend X plus 30 per cent and actually go shoot it at the real wreck."<ref name="www.eyeforfilm.co.uk" />

The crew shot at the wreck in the [[Atlantic Ocean]] 12 times in 1995. The work was risky, as the water pressure could kill the crew if there were a tiny flaw in the submersible structure.<ref name="www.media-awareness.ca" /> Additionally, adverse conditions prevented Cameron from getting footage.<ref name="www.media-awareness.ca" /> During one dive, one of the submersibles collided with ''Titanic''{{'}}s hull, damaging both sub and ship, and leaving fragments of the submersible's propeller shroud scattered around the superstructure. The external bulkhead of the captain's quarters collapsed, exposing the interior, and the area around the entrance to the [[Grand Staircase of the Titanic|Grand Staircase]] was damaged.<ref>{{cite book | last1 = Eaton | first1 = John P. | last2 = Haas | first2 = Charles A. | year = 1999 | title = ''Titanic'': A Journey Through Time | page=205 | publisher = Patrick Stephens | location = Sparkford, Somerset | isbn = 978-1-85260-575-9 }}</ref>

Descending to the site emphasized to the crew that the ''Titanic'' disaster was not simply a story but a real event with real loss of life. Cameron said: "Working around the wreck for so much time, you get such a strong sense of the profound sadness and injustice of it, and the message of it." He felt a "great mantle of responsibility" to convey the emotional message of the story, as he was aware there might never be another filmmaker to visit the wreck.<ref name="www.industrycentral.net" />

Cameron felt the ''Titanic'' sinking was "like a great novel that really happened", but that the event had become a mere [[morality play|morality tale]]; the film would give audiences the experience of living the history.<ref name="foreword" /> The treasure hunter Brock Lovett represented those who never connected with the human element of the tragedy.<ref name="heart" /> He believed that the romance of Jack and Rose would be the most engaging element: when their love is finally destroyed, the audience would mourn the loss.<ref name="foreword" /> He said: "All my films are love stories, but in ''Titanic'' I finally got the balance right. It's not a disaster film. It's a love story with a fastidious overlay of real history."<ref name="www.industrycentral.net" />

After filming the underwater shots, Cameron began writing the screenplay.<ref name="dive" /> He wanted to honor the people who died, and spent six months researching the ''Titanic''{{'}}s crew and passengers.<ref name="foreword" /> He created a detailed timeline of the events of the voyage and sinking and had it verified by historical experts.<ref name="www.eyeforfilm.co.uk" /> From the beginning of the shoot, the team had "a very clear picture" of what happened on the ship. Cameron said "That set the bar higher in a way – it elevated the movie in a sense. We wanted this to be a definitive visualization of this moment in history as if you'd gone back in a time machine and shot it."<ref name="www.eyeforfilm.co.uk" /> Cameron was influenced by the 1958 British film about ''Titanic'', ''[[A Night to Remember (1958 film)|A Night to Remember]]'', which he had seen as a youth. He liberally copied some dialogue and scenes, including the lively party of the passengers in steerage,<ref>{{cite journal |url=https://openjournals.library.sydney.edu.au/SSE/article/view/12639 |title=Neoliberal and Social Democratic Versions of History, Class and Ideology in James Cameron's ''Titanic'' and Roy Baker's ''A Night to Remember'' |journal=Sydney Studies in English |volume=43 |first=Steve |last=Cramer |publisher=Sydney Studies |date=2017 |page=117 |s2cid=165242268 |access-date=June 29, 2023 |archive-date=June 29, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230629005133/https://openjournals.library.sydney.edu.au/SSE/article/view/12639 |url-status=live }}</ref> and the [[Musicians of the Titanic|musicians playing on the deck]] during the sinking.<ref name=five>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-17515305|title=Five Titanic myths spread by films|first=Rosie|last=Waites|date=April 5, 2012|access-date=September 15, 2019|work=BBC News|archive-date=December 1, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201201044643/https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-17515305|url-status=live}}</ref>

Cameron framed the romance with the elderly Rose to make the intervening years palpable and poignant.<ref name="foreword" /> While Winslet and Stuart believed Rose dies at the end of the film,<ref name="Audio Commentary">{{cite video | people = [[Jon Landau (film producer)|Jon Landau]], Kate Winslet, Gloria Stuart, [[Victor Garber]] | title = Audio Commentary | medium = DVD | publisher = [[20th Century Fox]] |year = 2005}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|author=Beverly Fortune|title=Wheel of Fortune |work=[[Lexington Herald-Leader]] |date=October 11, 1999 |quote=That was one of the first questions pitched to 89-year-old actress Gloria Stuart at a book signing Wednesday night at Joseph-Beth Booksellers{{nbsp}}[...] 'Yes, Old Rose died.'}}</ref> Cameron said "the answer has to be something you supply personally; individually".<ref name="comm-sleep-or-dead" />

===Scale modeling===
[[File:TitanicBaja.jpg|thumb|alt=A ship resembling the Titanic is being built at a port with clear skies and small waves.|The reconstruction of ''Titanic''. The blueprints were supplied by the original ship's builder and Cameron tried to make the ship as detailed and accurate as possible.<ref name="blueprint">Marsh and Kirkland, pp. 36–38</ref><ref name="ewadmin">{{Cite web |last=ewadmin |date=2014-08-13 |title=TITANIC, the Model |url=https://www.epoxyworks.com/index.php/titanic-the-model/ |access-date=2022-04-21 |website=Epoxyworks |language=en-US |archive-date=July 24, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220724131201/https://www.epoxyworks.com/index.php/titanic-the-model/ |url-status=live }}</ref>]]

[[Harland & Wolff]], ''Titanic''{{'s}} builders, opened their private archives to the crew, sharing blueprints that were previously thought lost. For the ship's interiors, production designer [[Peter Lamont]]'s team looked for artifacts from the era. The newness of the ship meant every prop had to be made from scratch.<ref name="blueprint" /> Fox acquired 40 acres of waterfront south of [[Rosarito Beach|Playas de Rosarito]] in Mexico and began building a new studio on May 31, 1996. A [[horizon tank]] of 17 million gallons was built for the exterior of the reconstructed ship, providing 270 degrees of ocean view. The ship was built to full scale, but Lamont removed redundant sections on the [[superstructure]] and forward well deck for the ship to fit in the tank, with the remaining sections filled with digital models. The lifeboats and funnels were shrunk by ten percent. The boat deck and A-deck were working sets, but the rest of the ship was steel plating. Within was a 50-foot lifting platform for the ship to tilt during the sinking sequences. The 60-foot 1/8th scale model of the stern section was designed by the naval architect [[Jay Kantola]] using plans of the ''Titanic''{{'s}} sister ship {{RMS|Olympic}}.<ref name="ewadmin"/> Above the model was a {{convert|162|ft|m|adj=mid|-tall}} tower crane on {{convert|600|ft|m}} of [[Track (rail transport)|rail track]], acting as a combined construction, lighting, and camera platform.<ref name="heart" />

The sets representing the interior rooms of the ''Titanic'' were reproduced exactly using photographs and plans from the ''Titanic''{{'s}} builders. The Grand Staircase, which features prominently in the film, was recreated to a high standard, though it was widened 30% compared to the original and reinforced with steel girders. Craftsmen from Mexico and Britain sculpted the ornate paneling and plasterwork based on ''Titanic''{{'s}} original designs.<ref>{{cite book| title=James Cameron's Titanic | url=https://archive.org/details/jamescameronstit00kirk | url-access=registration | author=Ed W. Marsh | year=1997 | page=[https://archive.org/details/jamescameronstit00kirk/page/21 21]}}</ref> The carpeting, upholstery, individual pieces of furniture, light fixtures, chairs, cutlery and crockery with the [[White Star Line]] crest on each piece were among the objects recreated according to original designs.<ref>{{cite book| title=James Cameron's Titanic | url=https://archive.org/details/jamescameronstit00kirk | url-access=registration | author=Ed W. Marsh | year=1997 | page=[https://archive.org/details/jamescameronstit00kirk/page/35 35]}}</ref> Cameron hired two ''Titanic'' historians, [[Don Lynch]] and [[Ken Marschall]], to authenticate the historical detail.<ref name="www.media-awareness.ca" />

==Production==
Principal photography began on July 31, 1996<ref name="filmingdate" /> at [[Dartmouth, Nova Scotia]], with the modern-day expedition scenes aboard the ''[[Akademik Mstislav Keldysh]]''.<ref name="heart" /> In September 1996, the production moved to the newly built Fox [[Baja Studios]] in [[Rosarito, Mexico]], where a full-scale ''Titanic'' had been constructed.<ref name="heart" /> The [[poop deck]] was built on a hinge that could rise from zero to 90 degrees in a few seconds, just as the ship's stern rose during the sinking.<ref name="timelapse">{{cite video | people = Ed W. Marsh | title = Construction Timelapse | medium = DVD | publisher = 20th Century Fox |year = 2005}}</ref> For the safety of the stuntmen, many props were made of foam rubber.<ref name="sink">Marsh and Kirkland, pp. 130–142</ref> By November 15, the boarding scenes were being shot.<ref name="timelapse" /> Cameron built his ''Titanic'' on the [[Port and starboard|starboard]] side as a study of weather data revealed it was a prevailing north-to-south wind, which blew the funnel smoke aft. This posed a problem for shooting the ship's departure from [[Southampton]], as it was docked on its [[Port and starboard|port]] side. Implementation of written directions, as well as props and costumes, had to be reversed; for example, if someone walked to their right in the script, they had to walk left during shooting. In post-production, the film was flipped to the correct direction.<ref>Marsh and Kirkland, pp. 52–54</ref> A full-time etiquette coach was hired to instruct the cast in the manners of the upper class gentility in 1912.<ref name="www.media-awareness.ca" /> Despite this, several critics noted [[anachronism]]s in the film.<ref>"Quite a bit of the dialogue is peppered by vulgarities and colloquialisms that seem inappropriate to the period and place, but again seem aimed directly to the sensibilities of young American viewers." {{cite news |access-date=February 21, 2009 |url=https://variety.com/1997/film/reviews/titanic-5-1117339997/ |title="Titanic" review by Todd McCarthy |work=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] |date=November 3, 1997 |first=Todd |last=McCarthy |archive-date=December 1, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201201043404/https://variety.com/1997/film/reviews/titanic-5-1117339997/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |first=Desson |last=Howe |access-date=February 21, 2009 |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/style/longterm/movies/videos/titanichowe.htm |title=Titanic's very slow leak |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=March 25, 1999 |archive-date=December 1, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201201043439/https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/style/longterm/movies/videos/titanichowe.htm |url-status=live }}</ref>

[[File:Kate-winslet titanic movie pencil-drawing.jpg|left|thumb|alt=A pencil-drawing sketch depicting a woman with a somewhat stern face lying on a chair and pillow naked, only wearing a diamond necklace. From the breast down the picture is cut off.|Cameron's sketch of Rose wearing the Heart of the Ocean. The scene was one of the first shot, as the main set was not ready.<ref name="www.industrycentral.net" />]]
Cameron sketched Jack's portrait of Rose; Winslet posed in a bathing suit.<ref name=":3">{{cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/art/art-news/8421218/Topless-drawing-of-Kate-Winslet-in-Titanic-to-sell-for-10000.html |title=Topless drawing of Kate Winslet in Titanic to sell for £10,000 |date=April 1, 2011 |work=[[The Daily Telegraph|The Telegraph]] |access-date=October 28, 2018 |archive-date=October 28, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181028225925/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/art/art-news/8421218/Topless-drawing-of-Kate-Winslet-in-Titanic-to-sell-for-10000.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Huff |first=Lauren |date=9 February 2023 |title=James Cameron is really the one sketching naked Rose in 'Titanic' |url=https://ew.com/movies/james-cameron-drew-rose-sketch-titanic/ |access-date=2024-02-04 |website=EW.com |language=en |archive-date=February 4, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240204145304/https://ew.com/movies/james-cameron-drew-rose-sketch-titanic/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Cameron felt the scene had a backdrop of repression and freedom: "You know what it means for her, the freedom she must be feeling. It's kind of exhilarating for that reason," he said.<ref name=":3" /><ref name="www.industrycentral.net" /> The sketching scene was DiCaprio and Winslet's first scene together. "It wasn't by any kind of design, although I couldn't have designed it better. There's a nervousness and an energy and a hesitance in them," Cameron stated. "They had rehearsed together, but they hadn't shot anything together. If I'd had a choice, I probably would have preferred to put it deeper into the body of the shoot." Cameron said he and his crew "were just trying to find things to shoot" because the big set "wasn't ready for months, so we were scrambling around trying to fill in anything we could get to shoot."  Cameron felt the final scene worked well.<ref name="www.industrycentral.net" />

The shoot was an arduous experience that "cemented Cameron's formidable reputation as 'the scariest man in Hollywood". He became known as an "uncompromising, hard-charging perfectionist" and a "300-decibel screamer, a modern-day [[William Bligh|Captain Bligh]] with a megaphone and walkie-talkie, swooping down into people's faces on a 162ft crane".<ref name="entertainment.timesonline.co.uk">{{cite news|first=Christopher|last=Godwin|title=James Cameron: From Titanic to Avatar|work=[[The Times]]|date=November 8, 2008|access-date=January 9, 2010|url=http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/film/article6902906.ece|location=London|archive-url=https://archive.today/20110916020751/http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/film/article6902906.ece|archive-date=September 16, 2011}}</ref> Winslet chipped a bone in her elbow during filming and had been worried that she would drown in the 17m-gallon water tank in which the ship would sink. "There were times when I was genuinely frightened of him. Jim has a temper like you wouldn't believe," she said.<ref name="entertainment.timesonline.co.uk" /> "'God damn it!' he would yell at some poor crew member, 'That's exactly what I didn't want!'"<ref name="entertainment.timesonline.co.uk" /> Bill Paxton was familiar with Cameron's work ethic from his earlier experience, and said: "There were a lot of people on the set. Jim is not one of those guys who has the time to win hearts and minds."<ref name="entertainment.timesonline.co.uk" /> The crew felt Cameron had an evil alter ego and so nicknamed him "Mij" (Jim spelled backwards).<ref name="entertainment.timesonline.co.uk" /> In response to the criticism, Cameron said, "Film-making is war. A great battle between business and aesthetics."<ref name="entertainment.timesonline.co.uk" /> More than 800 crew members worked on the film,<ref name=":2" /> a large number for any Hollywood production.{{citation needed|date=July 2024}}

On August 9, 1996, during the ''Akademik Mstislav Keldysh'' shoot in Canada, an unknown person, suspected to be a crew member, put the [[dissociative]] drug [[Phencyclidine|PCP]] into the soup that Cameron and various others ate one night in [[Dartmouth, Nova Scotia]].<ref name="www.ew.com" /><ref name="PCP">{{cite magazine|url=https://www.ew.com/article/1996/09/13/pcp-laced-chowder-derails-titanic-filming|title=PCP-laced chowder derails ''Titanic'' filming|magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]]|date=September 13, 1996|access-date=December 3, 2015|archive-date=November 11, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201111202633/https://ew.com/article/1996/09/13/pcp-laced-chowder-derails-titanic-filming/|url-status=live}}</ref> It sent more than 50 people to the hospital.<ref name="PCP"/> Paxton and Cameron ate the soup and went to the hospital but Paxton decided to leave, telling Cameron "Jim, I'm not gonna hang out here, this is bedlam. I'm gonna ... wander back down to the set and just drink a case of beer."<ref>{{Cite web |date=2015-06-17 |title=A case of beer? Bill Paxton reveals his remedy for 'Titanic's' PCP-laced chowder |url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/gossip/la-et-mg-bill-paxton-pcp-laced-chowder-remedy-titanic-larry-king-20150617-htmlstory.html |access-date=2024-03-11 |website=Los Angeles Times |language=en-US |archive-date=March 11, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240311051144/https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/gossip/la-et-mg-bill-paxton-pcp-laced-chowder-remedy-titanic-larry-king-20150617-htmlstory.html |url-status=live }}</ref> "There were people just rolling around, completely out of it. Some of them said they were seeing streaks and [[Psychedelic experience|psychedelics]]," said actor Lewis Abernathy.<ref name="www.ew.com" /> Cameron managed to vomit before the drug took a full hold. Abernathy was shocked at the way he looked. "One eye was completely red, like the [[Terminator (character)|Terminator]] eye. A pupil, no iris, beet red. The other eye looked like he'd been [[sniffing glue]] since he was four."<ref name="www.ew.com" /><ref name="entertainment.timesonline.co.uk" /> The Nova Scotia Department of Health confirmed that the soup had contained PCP on August 27, and the [[Halifax Regional Police Service]] announced a criminal investigation the next day. The investigation was closed in February 1999.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Jacobs |first=Matthew |date=2022-12-19 |title=25 Years Later, No One Knows Who Spiked the Titanic Chowder |url=https://www.vulture.com/2022/12/25-years-later-no-one-knows-who-spiked-the-titanic-chowder.html |access-date=2022-12-19 |website=Vulture |language=en-us |archive-date=December 19, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221219210838/https://www.vulture.com/2022/12/25-years-later-no-one-knows-who-spiked-the-titanic-chowder.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The person behind the poisoning was never caught.<ref name="Audio Commentary" /><ref name="return">{{cite news | author=Andrew Gumbel | url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/lights-cameras-blockbuster-the-return-of-james-cameron-431615.html | title=Lights, cameras, blockbuster: The return of James Cameron | work=[[The Independent]] | date=January 11, 2007 | access-date=February 5, 2008 | location=London | archive-date=January 27, 2012 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120127013103/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/lights-cameras-blockbuster-the-return-of-james-cameron-431615.html | url-status=live }}</ref>

The filming schedule was intended to last 138 days but grew to 160 (filming officially wrapped on March 23, 1997).<ref name="filmingdate" /> Many cast members came down with colds, flu, or kidney infections after spending hours in cold water, including Winslet. In the end, she decided she would not work with Cameron again unless she earned "a lot of money".<ref name="return" /> Several others left the production, and three stuntmen broke their bones, but the [[Screen Actors Guild]] decided, following an investigation, that nothing was inherently unsafe about the set.<ref name="return" /> Additionally, DiCaprio said there was no point when he felt he was in danger during filming.<ref>{{cite web|title=Leonardo DiCaprio Interviewed by Joe Leydon for "Titanic"|url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eZPnEEtvXTU|publisher=YouTube|date=June 11, 2008|access-date=August 3, 2010|archive-date=April 27, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160427162610/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eZPnEEtvXTU|url-status=live}}</ref> Cameron believed in a passionate work ethic and never apologized for the way he ran his sets, although he acknowledged:{{blockquote|I'm demanding, and I'm demanding on my crew. In terms of being kind of militaresque, I think there's an element of that in dealing with thousands of extras and big logistics and keeping people safe. I think you have to have a fairly strict methodology in dealing with a large number of people.<ref name="return" />}}

The costs of filming ''Titanic'' ballooned and eventually reached $200&nbsp;million,<ref name="Garrett (2007)">{{cite news|first=Diane |last=Garrett |title=Big-budget bang-ups. |work=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] |date=April 20, 2007 |access-date=November 16, 2009 |url=https://www.variety.com/article/VR1117963551.html?categoryid=1019&cs=1 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20240524185201/https://www.webcitation.org/5lLRXg73q?url=http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117963551.html%3Fcategoryid=1019&cs=1 |archive-date=May 24, 2024}}</ref><ref name="Sandler & Studlar 1999">{{cite book |last1=Wyatt |first1=Justin |last2=Vlesmas |first2=Katherine |year=1999 |chapter=The Drama of Recoupment: On the Mass Media Negotiation of Titanic |editor=Kevin S. Sandler |editor2=Gaylyn Studlar |editor2-link=Gaylyn Studlar |title=Titanic: Anatomy of a Blockbuster |pages=[https://books.google.com/books?id=q1Q8PlAnosQC&pg=PA29 29]–45}}</ref><ref name="Welkos (1998)">{{cite news|first=Robert W. |last=Welkos |title=The $200-Million Lesson of 'Titanic' |work=[[Los Angeles Times]] |date=February 11, 1998 |access-date=December 12, 2009 |url=https://articles.latimes.com/1998/feb/11/entertainment/ca-17727 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121015183327/http://articles.latimes.com/1998/feb/11/entertainment/ca-17727 |archive-date=October 15, 2012}}</ref> a bit over $1&nbsp;million per minute of screen time.<ref>{{cite news |last=Marshall |first=Sarah |url=https://www.buzzfeed.com/sarahmarshall/20-years-ago-titanic-took-over-the-world-heres-why |title=The Insane True Story Of How "Titanic" Got Made |work=[[BuzzFeed]] |date=December 17, 2017 |access-date=December 27, 2017 |archive-date=December 26, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171226230549/https://www.buzzfeed.com/sarahmarshall/20-years-ago-titanic-took-over-the-world-heres-why |url-status=live }}</ref> Fox executives panicked and suggested an hour of specific cuts from the three-hour film. They argued the extended length would mean fewer showings, thus less revenue, even though long epics are more likely to help directors win [[Academy Awards|Oscars]]. Cameron refused, telling Fox, "You want to cut my movie? You're going to have to fire me! You want to fire me? You're going to have to kill me!"<ref name="www.ew.com" /> The executives did not want to start over, because it would mean the loss of their entire investment. The executives initially rejected Cameron's offer to forfeit his share of the profits as an empty gesture, as they predicted profits would be unlikely.<ref name="www.ew.com" /> Worried about the mounting costs, Fox wanted to find a partner studio to co-finance the film. Fox first turned to [[Universal Pictures]] as they had picked up the international distribution rights to Cameron's ''[[True Lies]]'' (1994) when production costs began to mount; however Universal would turn Fox down, and Fox was then approached by [[Paramount Pictures]] in May 1996 following the success both studios had collaborating together on [[Mel Gibson]]'s ''[[Braveheart]]'' (1995), and ultimately agreed to co-finance the film together and split the distribution rights.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news |last=Bart |first=Peter |date=December 15, 2022 |title=Peter Bart: James Cameron's 'Avatar' Movies Represent Titanic Commitment In A Changing World |work=Deadline.com |url=https://deadline.com/2022/12/james-cameron-avatar-movie-plan-titanic-history-lesson-1235200296/ |access-date=December 28, 2022 |archive-date=December 29, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221229033828/https://deadline.com/2022/12/james-cameron-avatar-movie-plan-titanic-history-lesson-1235200296/ |url-status=live }}</ref> In an effort to recoup their $135 million investment, Fox sold the domestic rights to the film to Paramount in return for Paramount providing Fox an additional $65 million for production, while retaining international rights, Fox however would still be responsible for any further budget overruns going forward, but also retain all profits from any merchandise sold based on the film as part of the deal with Paramount.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Brew |first1=Simon |title=Titanic, and how Paramount Pictures got an incredible deal on the world’s biggest film |url=https://filmstories.co.uk/features/titanic-and-how-paramount-pictures-got-an-incredible-deal-on-the-worlds-biggest-film/ |website=Film Stories |date=April 15, 2020}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite news |last=Feinberg |first=Scott |date=March 9, 2023 |title=An Oral History of the Epic 'Titanic' Oscars at 25 |work=[[The Hollywood Reporter]] |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-features/titanic-oscars-oral-history-1235343150/ |access-date=March 18, 2023 |archive-date=March 17, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230317223819/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-features/titanic-oscars-oral-history-1235343150/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

Cameron explained forfeiting his share as complex. "...{{nbsp}}the short version is that the film cost proportionally much more than ''[[Terminator 2: Judgment Day|T2]]'' and ''[[True Lies]].'' Those films went up seven or eight percent from the initial budget. ''Titanic'' also had a large budget to begin with, but it went up a lot more," he said. "As the producer and director, I take responsibility for the studio that's writing the checks, so I made it less painful for them. I did that on two different occasions. They didn't force me to do it; they were glad that I did."<ref name="www.industrycentral.net" /> Amidst the film's successful box office run, a Fox executive, William Mechanic, commented that "Jim Cameron told us we could have an expensive bad movie or a more expensive potentially great movie. We made our judgment. And we made the best choice."<ref>{{Cite news |last=Weinraub |first=Bernard |date=1998-02-02 |title='Titanic' is turning out to be a success on the scale of its doomed subject. |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1998/02/02/business/media-entertainment-titanic-turning-be-success-scale-its-doomed-subject.html |access-date=2024-02-06 |work=[[The New York Times]] |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=February 6, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240206053341/https://www.nytimes.com/1998/02/02/business/media-entertainment-titanic-turning-be-success-scale-its-doomed-subject.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

In July 2024, Cameron stated that it was actually co-producer [[Jon Landau (film producer)|Jon Landau]] who "bore the brunt of the studio pressure" when ''Titanic'' was being made.<ref name=cameronspeaksonlandau>{{cite news|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/jon-landau-dead-hollywood-tributes-1235940368/|title=James Cameron, Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate Winslet and More Remember Jon Landau: “He Gave Everyone a Sense of Purpose and Belonging”|first=Carly|last=Thomas|publisher=The Hollywood Reporter|date=July 8, 2024|accessdate=July 8, 2024}}</ref> According to Cameron, Landau "gave his all to provide the time and resources for me to make the film I saw in my head."<ref name=cameronspeaksonlandau />

==Post-production==
===Effects===
Cameron wanted to push the boundary of special effects, and enlisted [[Digital Domain]] and [[Pacific Data Images]] to continue the developments in digital technology he pioneered on ''[[The Abyss]]'' and ''[[Terminator 2: Judgment Day]]''. Many previous films about ''Titanic'' shot water in [[slow motion]], which did not look wholly convincing.<ref name="unreality">Marsh and Kirkland, pp. 147–154</ref> Cameron encouraged his crew to shoot their {{convert|45|ft|m|adj=mid|-long}} [[Scale model|miniature]] of the ship as if "we're making a commercial for the White Star Line".<ref>Marsh and Kirkland, p. 65</ref> Afterwards, digital water and smoke were added, as were extras captured on a [[motion capture]] stage. Visual effects supervisor Rob Legato scanned the faces of many actors, including himself and his children, for the digital extras and stuntmen. There was also a {{convert|65|ft|m|adj=mid|-long}} model of the ship's stern that could break in two repeatedly, the only miniature to be used in water.<ref name="unreality" /> For scenes set in the ship's engines, footage of the [[SS Jeremiah O'Brien|SS ''Jeremiah O'Brien''{{'}}s]] engines were composited with miniature support frames, and actors shot against a [[chroma key|greenscreen]].<ref>{{cite video | title = VFX Shot Breakdown | medium = DVD | publisher = 20th Century Fox |year = 2005}}</ref> In order to save money, the first-class lounge was a miniature set incorporated into a greenscreen backdrop behind the actors.<ref>{{cite video | title = VFX How To For First Class Lounge | medium = DVD | publisher = 20th Century Fox |year = 2005}}</ref> The miniature of the Lounge would later be crushed to simulate the destruction of the room and a scale model of a First-Class corridor flooded with jets of water while the camera pans out.<ref>{{cite video | title = VFX How To Flood A First Class Corridor | medium = DVD | publisher = 20th Century Fox |year = 2005}}</ref>

[[File:Titanic breaks in half.jpg|thumb|left|300px|alt=The Titanic about to sink into the ocean, with the ship breaking into two parts and with smoke still coming out of the funnels.|Unlike previous ''Titanic'' films, Cameron's retelling of the disaster showed the ship breaking into two pieces before sinking entirely. The scenes were an account of the moment's most likely outcome.]]

An enclosed {{convert|5000000|usgal|L|adj=mid}} tank was used for sinking interiors, in which the entire set could be tilted into the water. In order to sink the Grand Staircase, {{convert|90000|usgal|L}} of water were dumped into the set as it was lowered into the tank. Unexpectedly, the waterfall ripped the staircase from its steel-reinforced foundations, although no one was hurt. The {{convert|744|ft|m|adj=mid|-long}} exterior of ''Titanic'' had its first half lowered into the tank, but as the heaviest part of the ship it acted as a [[shock absorber]] against the water; to get the set into the water, Cameron had much of the set emptied and even smashed some of the promenade windows himself. After submerging the dining saloon, three days were spent shooting Lovett's [[remotely operated vehicle|ROV]] traversing the wreck in the present.<ref name="heart" /> The post-sinking scenes in the freezing Atlantic were shot in a {{convert|350000|usgal|L|adj=mid}} tank,<ref name="water">Marsh and Kirkland, pp. 161–168</ref> where the frozen corpses were created by applying on actors a powder that crystallized when exposed to water, and wax was coated on hair and clothes.<ref name="blueprint" />

The climactic scene, which features the breakup of the ship directly before it sinks as well as its final plunge to the bottom of the Atlantic, involved a tilting full-sized set, 150 extras, and 100 stunt performers. Cameron criticized previous ''Titanic'' films for depicting the liner's final plunge as a graceful slide underwater. He "wanted to depict it as the terrifyingly chaotic event that it really was".<ref name="www.media-awareness.ca" /> When carrying out the sequence, people needed to fall off the increasingly tilting deck, plunging hundreds of feet below and bouncing off of railings and propellers on the way down. A few attempts to film this sequence with stunt people resulted in some minor injuries, and Cameron halted the more dangerous stunts. The risks were eventually minimized "by using computer-generated people for the dangerous falls".<ref name="www.media-awareness.ca" /> A [[Linux]]-based operating system was utilized for the creation of the effects.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Strauss |first=Daryll |date=February 1, 1998 |title=Linux Helps Bring Titanic to Life |url=https://www.linuxjournal.com/article/2494 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210301001437/https://www.linuxjournal.com/article/2494 |archive-date=March 1, 2021 |website=[[Linux Journal]] |quote=Linux fulfilled the task very well. It handled every job we threw at it. During our testing phase, we used its ability to emulate Digital UNIX applications to benchmark standard applications and show that its performance would meet our needs. The flexibility of the existing devices and available source code gave Linux a definitive advantage.}}</ref>

===Editing===
Cameron said there were aspects of the ''Titanic'' story that seemed important in pre- and post-production but became less important as the film evolved. He omitted the [[SS Californian|SS ''Californian'']], the ship that was close to the ''Titanic'' the night she sank but had turned off its radio for the night, did not hear her crew's [[SOS]] calls, and did not respond to their distress flares. A scene involving the ''Californian'' was cut, according to Cameron, "because it focuses you back onto that world. If ''Titanic'' is powerful as a metaphor, as a microcosm, for the end of the world in a sense, then that world must be self-contained." He said its omission was not "a compromise to mainstream filmmaking" but "about emphasis, creating an emotional truth to the film".<ref name="www.industrycentral.net" />

During the first assembly cut, Cameron altered the ending. In the original version, Brock and Lizzy see the elderly Rose at the stern of the boat and fear she is going to commit suicide. Rose reveals that she had the Heart of the Ocean diamond all along but never sold it, to live on her own without Cal's money. She allows Brock to hold it but tells Brock that life is priceless and throws the diamond into the ocean. After accepting that treasure is worthless, Brock laughs at his stupidity. In the editing room, Cameron decided that by this point, the audience would no longer be interested in Brock Lovett and cut the scene, so that Rose is alone when she drops the diamond. He also did not want to disrupt the audience's melancholy after the ''Titanic''{{'s}} sinking.<ref>{{cite video | people = James Cameron | title = Alternate Ending Commentary | medium = DVD | publisher = 20th Century Fox |year = 2005}}</ref> Paxton agreed that his scene with Brock's epiphany and laugh was unnecessary, saying "I would have shot heroin to make the scene work better{{nbsp}}... Our job was done by then{{nbsp}}... If you're smart and you take the ego and the narcissism out of it, you'll listen to the film, and the film will tell you what it needs and what it does not need."<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/bill-paxton-on-the-alternate-ending-of-titanic-audiences-didnt-see-in-1997-150538039.html | title=Bill Paxton on the Alternate Ending of 'Titanic' That Audiences Didn't See in 1997 | first=Will | last=Lerner | date=February 27, 2017 | publisher=Yahoo! Entertainment | access-date=September 23, 2018 | archive-date=December 25, 2020 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201225134938/https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/bill-paxton-on-the-alternate-ending-of-titanic-audiences-didnt-see-in-1997-150538039.html | url-status=live }}</ref>

The version used for the first [[test screening]] featured a fight between Jack and Lovejoy after Jack and Rose escape into the flooded dining saloon.<ref name="Deleted scene commentaries">{{cite video | people = James Cameron | title = Deleted scene commentaries | medium = DVD | publisher = 20th Century Fox |year = 2005}}</ref> The scene was written to give the film more suspense, and had Cal offering to give Lovejoy, his valet, the Heart of the Ocean if he can get it from Jack and Rose. Lovejoy goes after the pair in the sinking first-class dining room. Jack attacks him and smashes his head against a window; this is why Lovejoy has a gash later in the film. Test audiences said it would be unrealistic to risk one's life for wealth, and Cameron cut it for this reason, as well as for timing and pacing reasons. Many other scenes were cut for similar reasons.<ref name="Deleted scene commentaries" />

===Heart of the Ocean===
{{more citations needed section|date=May 2023}}
{{redirect|Heart of the Ocean}}
For the Heart of the Ocean design, London-based jewelers [[Asprey & Garrard]] used [[cubic zirconia]]s set in white gold<ref name="oocities">{{cite interview|interviewer=Diane Sawyer|first=Terry|last=Davidson|date=March 11, 1998|title=Real 'Titanic' Necklace to Benefit Diana's Trust: Movie's Paste Necklace Recreated with Real Jewels|url=http://www.oocities.org/heartland/acres/1561/heart.html|access-date=February 24, 2020|archive-date=August 1, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200801220113/http://www.oocities.org/heartland/acres/1561/heart.html|url-status=live}}</ref> to create an [[Edwardian era|Edwardian]]-style necklace to be used as a prop in the film. The studio designed and produced three variations, very similar but unique and distinguishable in character. Two of them were used in the film while the third went unused until after the film had been released. The three necklaces are commonly known as the original prop, the J. Peterman necklace and the Asprey necklace.

The third and final design was not used in the film. After the film's success, [[Asprey & Garrard]] were commissioned to create an authentic Heart of the Ocean necklace using the original design. The result was a platinum-set, {{convert|171|carat|g|adj=on}} heart-shaped Ceylon [[sapphire]] surrounded by 103 diamonds.<ref name="oocities" /> This design featured a much larger inverted pear-shaped Ceylon sapphire with a subtle cleft to resemble a heart. The chain for this necklace also featured a mix of round, pear, and marquise cut white diamonds. The bail also featured a heart cut white diamond with another round cut diamond attached to an inverted pear shape diamond which was then attached to the cage of the main stone. The necklace was donated to [[Sotheby's]] auction house in [[Beverly Hills]] for an auction benefiting the [[Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fund]] and Southern California's Aid For AIDS. It was sold to an unidentified Asprey client<ref>{{cite news|title=Heart of the Matter|last=Van Der Voort|first=Jane|date=February 11, 2001|work=The Toronto Sun}}{{page needed|date=February 2014}}</ref> for $1.4&nbsp;million (equivalent to ${{Inflation|US|1.4|1998|r=2}}&nbsp;million in {{Inflation/year|US}}), under the agreement that Dion would wear it two nights later at the [[70th Academy Awards|1998 Academy Awards]] ceremony. Since then, this necklace has not been made available for public viewing.

==Soundtrack==
{{Main|Titanic: Music from the Motion Picture|l1=''Titanic: Music from the Motion Picture''|Back to Titanic|l2=''Back to Titanic''}}
Cameron wrote ''Titanic'' while listening to the work of the Irish new-age musician [[Enya]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1998-jan-15-ca-8361-story.html|title=Soundtrack to 'Titanic' Rises to No. 1|work=Los Angeles Times|access-date=June 17, 2019|language=en-US|archive-date=October 21, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201021073533/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1998-jan-15-ca-8361-story.html|url-status=live}}</ref> After Enya declined an invitation to compose for the film,<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/irelands-enya-on-how-life-by-the-sea-influenced-her-music-1458056146|title=Ireland's Enya on How Life by the Sea Influenced Her Music|work=The Wall Street Journal|access-date=June 17, 2019|language=en-US|archive-date=October 18, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201018025817/https://www.wsj.com/articles/irelands-enya-on-how-life-by-the-sea-influenced-her-music-1458056146|url-status=live}}</ref> Cameron instead chose [[James Horner]]. The two had parted ways after a tumultuous working experience on ''[[Aliens (film)|Aliens]],''<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.royalalberthall.com/about-the-hall/news/2017/september/he-was-a-good-friend-and-he-was-very-funny-hollywood-director-james-cameron-on-working-with-titanic-avatar-and-aliens-composer-james-horner/|title='He was a good friend, and he was very funny': Hollywood director James Cameron on working with Titanic, Avatar and Aliens composer James Horner|work=Royal Albert Hall|access-date=June 17, 2019|language=en-US|archive-date=October 20, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201020205231/https://www.royalalberthall.com/about-the-hall/news/2017/september/he-was-a-good-friend-and-he-was-very-funny-hollywood-director-james-cameron-on-working-with-titanic-avatar-and-aliens-composer-james-horner/|url-status=live}}</ref> but ''Titanic'' cemented a successful collaboration that lasted until Horner's death.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.vulture.com/2015/06/james-cameron-remembers-working-with-james-horner.html|title=James Cameron Remembers Working With James Horner|work=Vulture|access-date=June 17, 2019|language=en-US|archive-date=October 20, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201020040100/https://www.vulture.com/2015/06/james-cameron-remembers-working-with-james-horner.html|url-status=live}}</ref> For the vocals heard throughout the film, Horner chose the Norwegian singer [[Sissel Kyrkjebø]], commonly known as "Sissel". Horner knew Sissel from her album ''[[Innerst i sjelen (album)|Innerst i sjelen]]'', and particularly liked how she sang "''[[Eg veit i himmerik ei borg]]''" ("I Know in Heaven There Is a Castle"). He tried around 30 singers before choosing Sissel.<ref name="online.wsj.com">{{cite news|first=Earle|last=Hitchner|title=In Titanic's Wake: A Voice to Remember . . .|work=[[The Wall Street Journal]]|date=March 12, 1998|access-date=January 8, 2010|url=https://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB889672431117893500?mg=reno64-wsj&url=http%3A%2F%2Fonline.wsj.com%2Farticle%2FSB889672431117893500.html|archive-date=December 1, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201201043521/https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB889672431117893500|url-status=live}}</ref>

Horner wrote the end theme, "[[My Heart Will Go On]]", in secret with [[Will Jennings]] because Cameron did not want any songs in the film.<ref name="Parisi">Parisi, p. 195</ref> [[Celine Dion|Céline Dion]] agreed to record a demo at the persuasion of her husband [[René Angélil]]. Horner waited until Cameron was in an appropriate mood before presenting him with the song. After playing it several times, Cameron declared his approval, although worried that he would have been criticized for "going commercial at the end of the movie".<ref name="Parisi" /> Cameron also wanted to appease anxious studio executives and "saw that a hit song from his movie could only be a positive factor in guaranteeing its completion".<ref name="www.media-awareness.ca" />

The soundtrack was the best-selling album of 1998 with sales of over 27 million.<ref name=VHS/>

==Release==
===Initial screening===
Distribution for the film was split between Paramount Pictures and 20th Century Fox; the former handling the distribution in the United States and Canada, and the latter handling the international release.<ref name=":0" /> Both studios expected Cameron to complete the film for a release on July 2, 1997.<ref>{{cite news|last=Weinraub|first=Bernard|title=Hollywood Braces for Likely Delay Of 'Titanic'|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1997/04/21/movies/hollywood-braces-for-likely-delay-of-titanic.html|access-date=February 8, 2014|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|date=April 21, 1997|archive-date=February 16, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210216221259/https://www.nytimes.com/1997/04/21/movies/hollywood-braces-for-likely-delay-of-titanic.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The film was to be released on this date "to exploit the lucrative summer season ticket sales when blockbuster films usually do better".<ref name="www.media-awareness.ca" /> In April, Cameron said the film's special effects were too complicated and that releasing the film on that date would not be possible.<ref name="www.media-awareness.ca" /> The studios considered pushing the film to late July or the first week of August, but [[Harrison Ford]], whose film ''[[Air Force One (film)|Air Force One]]'' was to be released on July 25, is reported to have informed Paramount, which had produced his lucrative ''[[Indiana Jones]]'' and ''[[Jack Ryan (franchise)|Jack Ryan]]'' franchises, that he would never work with them again if they released ''Titanic'' so close to his own film.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Drudge |first=Matt |date=May 21, 1997 |title=Drudge: Harrison Ford Holds Up the Titanic |url=https://www.wired.com/1997/05/drudge-harrison-ford-holds-up-the-titanic/ |access-date=July 9, 2023 |website=wired.com |archive-date=July 9, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230709060046/https://www.wired.com/1997/05/drudge-harrison-ford-holds-up-the-titanic/ |url-status=live }}</ref> On May 29, 1997, Paramount pushed back the release date to December 19, 1997.<ref name=":2">{{cite news|last=Weinraub|first=Bernard|title=As Problems Delay 'Titanic,' Hollywood Sighs in Relief|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1997/05/29/movies/as-problems-delay-titanic-hollywood-sighs-in-relief.html|access-date=April 30, 2023|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|date=May 29, 1997|archive-date=February 12, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230212081342/https://www.nytimes.com/1997/05/29/movies/as-problems-delay-titanic-hollywood-sighs-in-relief.html|url-status=live}}</ref> "This fueled speculation that the film itself was a disaster." A preview screening in [[Minneapolis]] on July 14 "generated positive reviews" and "[<span class="ltr">c</span>]hatter on the internet was responsible for more favorable word of mouth about the [film]". This eventually led to more positive media coverage.<ref name="www.media-awareness.ca" />

Cameron refused to hold the film's [[Premiere|world premiere]] in Los Angeles.<ref name=":1" /> Paramount disagreed with Cameron's decision, but Fox acquiesced and went ahead and held the premiere on November 1, 1997, at the [[Tokyo International Film Festival]],<ref>{{cite news|title=Big in Japan: ''Titanic''{{'s}} premiere|url=https://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,290257,00.html|access-date=February 11, 2014|newspaper=[[Entertainment Weekly]]|date=November 14, 1997|archive-date=April 18, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120418021537/http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,290257,00.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=":1" /> where reaction was described as "tepid" by ''[[The New York Times]]''.<ref>{{cite news|last=Strom|first=Stephanie|title=Arts Abroad; Harrison Ford's Not in 'Titanic'? Well, No Matter!|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1997/11/04/movies/arts-abroad-harrison-ford-s-not-in-titanic-well-no-matter.html|access-date=February 11, 2014|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|date=November 4, 1997|archive-date=February 11, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140211113547/http://www.nytimes.com/1997/11/04/movies/arts-abroad-harrison-ford-s-not-in-titanic-well-no-matter.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Positive reviews started to appear back in the United States; the official Hollywood premiere occurred on December 14, 1997, where "the big movie stars who attended the opening were enthusiastically gushing about the film to the world media".<ref name="www.media-awareness.ca" />

==Box office==
Including revenue from the 2012, 2017 and 2023 reissues, ''Titanic'' earned $674.3&nbsp;million in North America and $1.583&nbsp;billion in other countries, for a worldwide total of $2.257&nbsp;billion.{{refn|group=Note|name="BoxOfficeCorrection"}}<ref name="BoxOfficeBOM" /> It became the [[List of highest-grossing films|highest-grossing film of all time worldwide]] in 1998, beating ''[[Jurassic Park (film)|Jurassic Park]]'' (1993).<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/108108407/its-a-titanic-hit/ |title=It's a Titanic hit
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220822192638/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/108108407/its-a-titanic-hit/ |date=February 25, 1998 |access-date=August 22, 2022 |archive-date=August 22, 2022 |page=37 |publisher=[[The Tampa Tribune]] |via=[[Newspapers.com]] |url-status=live}} {{Open access}}</ref> The film remained so for twelve years, until ''[[Avatar (2009 film)|Avatar]]'' (2009), also written and directed by Cameron, surpassed it in 2010.<ref name="newsday">{{cite news|title=Cameron does it again as 'Avatar' surpasses 'Titanic'|work=[[Newsday]]|date=February 3, 2010|access-date=October 26, 2010|url=http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/movies/cameron-does-it-again-as-avatar-surpasses-titanic-1.1741190|archive-date=October 23, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201023000450/https://www.newsday.com/entertainment/movies/cameron-does-it-again-as-avatar-surpasses-titanic-1.1741190|url-status=live}}</ref> On March 1, 1998,<ref>{{cite book|author=Paula Parisi|title=Titanic and the Making of James Cameron|publisher=[[HarperCollins]]|isbn=978-1-55704-364-1|year=1998|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7A9ws0inw4YC&q=march+1998+titanic+billion&pg=PA223|access-date=October 29, 2020|archive-date=January 25, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210125221531/https://books.google.com/books?id=7A9ws0inw4YC&q=march+1998+titanic+billion&pg=PA223|url-status=live}}</ref> it became the first film to earn more than $1&nbsp;billion worldwide<ref>{{cite news|title=Titanic sinks competitors without a trace|work=BBC News|date=February 25, 1998|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/59913.stm|access-date=February 19, 2007|archive-date=January 11, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210111025643/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/59913.stm|url-status=live}}</ref> and on the weekend April 13–15, 2012—a century after the original vessel's foundering, ''Titanic'' became the second film to cross the $2&nbsp;billion threshold during its 3D re-release.<ref>{{cite news|title=Titanic becomes second ever film to take $2&nbsp;billion|work=[[The Daily Telegraph]]|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/history/titanic-anniversary/9206367/Titanic-becomes-second-ever-film-to-take-2-billion.html|access-date=April 16, 2012|date=April 16, 2012|location=London|archive-date=April 16, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120416223817/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/history/titanic-anniversary/9206367/Titanic-becomes-second-ever-film-to-take-2-billion.html}}</ref> [[Box Office Mojo]] estimates that ''Titanic'' is the [[List of highest-grossing films in Canada and the United States|fifth-highest-grossing film]] of all time in North America when adjusting for ticket price inflation.<ref>{{cite web|access-date=June 16, 2018|url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/alltime/adjusted.htm|title=All Time Box Office Adjusted for Ticket Price Inflation|website=Box Office Mojo|archive-date=April 7, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190407023310/https://www.boxofficemojo.com/alltime/adjusted.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> The site also estimates that the film sold over 128&nbsp;million tickets in the US in its initial theatrical run.<ref>{{cite web|access-date=May 31, 2016|url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=titanic.htm&adjust_yr=1&p=.htm|title=Titanic (1997)|website=Box Office Mojo|archive-date=June 29, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190629115730/https://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=titanic.htm&adjust_yr=1&p=.htm|url-status=live}}</ref>

''Titanic'' was the first foreign-language film to succeed in India, which claims to have the largest movie-going audience in the world.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1998/04/26/movies/why-titanic-conquered-the-world-new-delhi.html|title=Why 'Titanic' Conquered the World; New Delhi|date=April 28, 1998|last=Burns|first=John F.|access-date=May 20, 2018|work=[[New York Times]]|archive-date=May 21, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180521030224/https://www.nytimes.com/1998/04/26/movies/why-titanic-conquered-the-world-new-delhi.html|url-status=live}}</ref> A ''[[Hindustan Times]]'' report attributes this to the film's similarities and shared themes with most [[Bollywood]] films.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/more-lifestyle/to-titanic-the-most-bollywood-hollywood-movie-ever-made/story-LkO22T5Pa5Hl2rh6MKFX2H.html|title=To Titanic, the most Bollywood Hollywood movie ever made|date=December 24, 2017|last=Sharma|first=Sanjukta|access-date=May 20, 2018|work=[[Hindustan Times]]|archive-date=December 1, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201201043734/https://www.hindustantimes.com/more-lifestyle/to-titanic-the-most-bollywood-hollywood-movie-ever-made/story-LkO22T5Pa5Hl2rh6MKFX2H.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Initial theatrical run===
The film received steady attendance after opening in North America on Friday, December 19, 1997. By the end of that same weekend, theaters were beginning to sell out. The film earned $8,658,814 on its opening day and $28,638,131 over the opening weekend from 2,674 theaters, averaging to about $10,710 per venue, and ranking number one at the box office, ahead of ''[[Mouse Hunt]]'', ''[[Scream 2]]'' and the eighteenth [[James Bond]] film, ''[[Tomorrow Never Dies]]''. It would go on to surpass ''[[The Godfather Part III]]''{{'}}s record for having the highest Christmas Day gross, generating a total of $9.2&nbsp;million. For its second weekend, the film made $35.6&nbsp;million, making it the biggest December weekend gross, surpassing ''Scream 2''.<ref>{{cite news |last=Wilson |first=Jeff |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/102407881/scream-2-losing-its-voice-at-box/ |title='Scream 2' losing its voice at box office |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220613024916/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/102407881/scream-2-losing-its-voice-at-box/ |date=December 30, 1997 |access-date=June 13, 2022 |archive-date=June 13, 2022 |page=8 |work=Associated Press Writer |publisher=[[Lebanon Daily News|The Daily News]] |via=[[Newspapers.com]] |url-status=live}} {{Open access}}</ref> By New Year's Day, ''Titanic'' had made over $120&nbsp;million, had increased in popularity and theaters continued to sell out. In just 44 days, it became the fastest film to approach the $300&nbsp;million mark at the domestic box office, surpassing the former record held by ''Jurassic Park'', which took 67 days to do so.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/98884224/titanic-passes-300-million/ |title=Titanic passes $300 million |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220407171627/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/98884224/titanic-passes-300-million/ |date=February 2, 1998 |access-date=April 7, 2022 |archive-date=April 7, 2022 |page=8 |publisher=[[North Adams Transcript]] |via=[[Newspapers.com]] |url-status=live}} {{Open access}}</ref> ''Titanic'' would hold this record until 1999 when it was taken by ''[[Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace]]''.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/98512306/phantom-menace-pulls-another-fast-one/ |title='Phantom Menace' pulls another fast one |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220328165058/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/98512306/phantom-menace-pulls-another-fast-one/ |date=June 20, 1999 |access-date=March 28, 2022 |archive-date=March 28, 2022 |page=33 |publisher=[[Quad-City Times]] |via=[[Newspapers.com]] |url-status=live}} {{Open access}}</ref>

Its highest grossing single day was Saturday, February 14, 1998, on which it earned $13,048,711, more than eight weeks after its North American debut.<ref>{{cite web |title=Titanic (1997) – Daily Box Office Results |website=[[Box Office Mojo]] |url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?page=daily&id=titanic.htm |access-date=April 17, 2012 |archive-date=November 24, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201124110513/https://www.boxofficemojo.com/release/rl3698624001/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Titanic (1997) – Weekend Box Office Results |website=[[Box Office Mojo]] |url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?page=weekend&id=titanic.htm |access-date=April 17, 2012 |archive-date=October 18, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201018120301/https://www.boxofficemojo.com/release/rl3698624001/weekend/ |url-status=live }}</ref> On March 14, it surpassed [[Star Wars (film)|''Star Wars'']] as the highest-grossing film ever in North America.<ref>{{Cite web |date=1998-03-16 |title='Titanic' Refuses to Sink, Passes 'Star Wars' as Top Moneymaker |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1998-mar-16-me-29454-story.html |access-date=2023-01-17 |website=Los Angeles Times |language=en-US |archive-date=January 17, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230117190451/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1998-mar-16-me-29454-story.html |url-status=live }}</ref> It stayed at number one for 15 consecutive weeks in North America, a record for any film.<ref name="BOxofficemojo.com">{{cite web|title=BEST RANKING MOVIES by Weekend Rank, 1982–present|website=Box Office Mojo|access-date=January 19, 2010|url=https://boxofficemojo.com/alltime/weekends/bestranked.htm?page=WKNDSCAT1&p=.htm|archive-date=November 24, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201124115906/https://www.boxofficemojo.com/chart/top_opening_holiday_weekends/|url-status=live}}</ref> By April 1998, the film's number one spot would be overtaken by ''[[Lost in Space (film)|Lost in Space]]'', dropping into second place.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/107889012/titanic-had-lost-its-space/ |title='Titanic' had lost its space |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220819132405/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/107889012/titanic-had-lost-its-space/ |date=April 8, 1998 |access-date=August 19, 2022 |archive-date=August 19, 2022 |page=44 |publisher=[[The Philadelphia Inquirer]] |via=[[Newspapers.com]] |url-status=live}} {{Open access}}</ref> The film stayed in theaters in North America for almost 10 months before finally closing on Thursday, October 1, 1998, with a final domestic gross of $600,788,188,<ref>{{cite web |title=Titanic (1997) – Release Summary |website=[[Box Office Mojo]] |url=https://boxofficemojo.com/movies/?page=releases&id=titanic.htm |access-date=April 17, 2012 |archive-date=July 7, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190707114915/https://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?page=releases&id=titanic.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> equivalent to ${{Inflation|US|600.8|1997|r=1}}&nbsp;million in {{Inflation/year|US}}{{Inflation-fn|US}}. Outside North America, the film made double its North American gross, generating $1,242,413,080<ref>{{cite web |title=Titanic (1997) – Overseas Total |website=[[Box Office Mojo]] |url=https://boxofficemojo.com/movies/?page=intl&country=00&id=titanic.htm |access-date=April 17, 2012 |archive-date=October 18, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201018120316/https://www.boxofficemojo.com/releasegroup/gr4195045893/ |url-status=live }}</ref> and accumulating a grand total of $1,843,201,268 worldwide from its initial theatrical run.<ref>{{cite news |title=The Billion Dollar film club |work=[[The Daily Telegraph]] |date=August 1, 2012 |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/harry-potter/8674770/The-Billion-Dollar-film-club.html |access-date=April 16, 2012 |location=London |archive-date=December 1, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201201043625/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/harry-potter/8674770/The-Billion-Dollar-film-club.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Commercial analysis===
Before ''Titanic''{{'}}s release, various film critics predicted the film would be a [[Box office bomb|significant disappointment at the box office]], especially since it was the most expensive film ever made at the time.<ref name="entertainment.timesonline.co.uk" /><ref name="Bbc.co.uk">{{cite news | first=Jason | last=Davis | title=Love story that won the heart of the Academy: The love story that stole the world's hearts | work=BBC News | access-date=September 11, 2007 | url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/special_report/1998/03/98/oscars/69009.stm | date=March 24, 1998 | archive-date=December 1, 2020 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201201043739/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/special_report/1998/03/98/oscars/69009.stm | url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="www.guardian.co.uk">{{cite news|first=David|last=Thomson|title=Titanic achievement at the box office|work=[[The Guardian]]|date=December 10, 2007|access-date=January 8, 2010|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2007/dec/10/titanicachievementatthebox|location=London|archive-date=December 1, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201201043744/https://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2007/dec/10/titanicachievementatthebox|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="www.dvdactive.com">{{cite web|first=Benjamin|last=Willcock|title=Benjamin Willcock takes a look at the long-awaited special edition of Titanic|publisher=dvdactive.com|access-date=January 19, 2010|url=http://www.dvdactive.com/reviews/dvd/titanic-special-edition-2-disc.html|archive-date=October 10, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081010114337/http://www.dvdactive.com/reviews/dvd/titanic-special-edition-2-disc.html}}</ref> When it was shown to the press in autumn of 1997, "it was with massive forebodings", since the "people in charge of the screenings believed they were on the verge of losing their jobs – because of this great [[Albatross (metaphor)|albatross]] of a picture on which, finally, two studios had to combine to share the great load of its making".<ref name="www.guardian.co.uk" /> Cameron also thought he was "headed for disaster" at one point during filming. "We labored the last six months on ''Titanic'' in the absolute knowledge that the studio would lose $100&nbsp;million. It was a certainty," he stated.<ref name="entertainment.timesonline.co.uk" /> As the film neared release, "particular venom was spat at Cameron for what was seen as his hubris and monumental extravagance". A film critic for the ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'' wrote that "Cameron's overweening pride has come close to capsizing this project" and that the film was "a hackneyed, completely derivative copy of old Hollywood romances".<ref name="entertainment.timesonline.co.uk" />

{{Quote box |salign=center |width=250px |align=right | quote = It's hard to forget the director on the stage of the [[Shrine Auditorium]] in LA, exultant, pumping a golden Oscar statuette into the air and shouting: "I'm the king of the world!" As everyone knew, that was the most famous line in ''Titanic'', exclaimed by Leonardo DiCaprio's character as he leaned into the wind on the prow of the doomed vessel. Cameron's incantation of the line was a giant "eff off", in front of a television audience approaching a billion, to all the naysayers, especially those sitting right in front of him.|source=—Christopher Goodwin of ''[[The Times]]'' on Cameron's response to ''Titanic''{{'s}} criticism<ref name="entertainment.timesonline.co.uk" />}}

When the film became a success, with an unprecedented box-office performance, it was credited for being a love story that captured its viewers' emotions.<ref name="Bbc.co.uk" /> The film was playing on 3,200 screens ten weeks after it opened,<ref name="www.guardian.co.uk" /> and out of its fifteen straight weeks on top of the charts, jumped 43% in total sales in its ninth week of release. It earned over $20 million for each of its first 10 weekends,<ref name="www.mtv.com">{{cite news|first=Eric|last=Ditzian|title=Will 'Avatar' Top James Cameron's 'Titanic' Box-Office Record?|publisher=MTV|date=January 4, 2010|access-date=January 8, 2010|url=http://www.mtv.com/movies/news/articles/1628991/story.jhtml|archive-date=December 1, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201201043754/http://www.mtv.com/news/movies/|url-status=dead}}</ref> and after 14 weeks was still bringing in more than $1 million on weekdays.<ref name="www.guardian.co.uk" /> 20th Century Fox estimated that seven percent of American teenage girls had seen ''Titanic'' twice by its fifth week.<ref name="busch19980306">{{cite magazine | url=https://ew.com/article/1998/03/06/leonardo-dicaprio-robbed-titanic-nomination/ | title=Was Leonardo Robbed? | magazine=Entertainment Weekly | date=March 6, 1998 | access-date=November 23, 2013 | author=Busch, Anita M. | archive-date=November 9, 2014 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141109162757/http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,282088,00.html | url-status=live }}</ref> Although young women who saw the film several times and subsequently caused "[[Leo-Mania]]" were often credited with having primarily propelled the film to its all-time box office record,<ref name="www.people.com">{{cite news|first=Anne-Marie|last=O'Neill|title=Riding the Wave|work=[[People (American magazine)|People]]|date=January 26, 1998|access-date=January 8, 2010|url=http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20124329,00.html|archive-date=October 18, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201018120500/https://people.com/archive/cover-story-riding-the-wave-vol-49-no-3/|url-status=live}}</ref> other reports have attributed the film's success to positive [[word of mouth]] and repeat viewership due to the love story combined with the ground-breaking special effects.<ref name="www.mtv.com" /><ref name="www.rottentomatoes.com">{{Cite Rotten Tomatoes|title=Titanic (1997)|id=titanic|type=m|access-date=March 20, 2024}}</ref> ''[[The Hollywood Reporter]]'' estimated that after a combined production and promotion cost of $487&nbsp;million, the film turned a net profit of $1.4&nbsp;billion, with a modern profit of as much as $4&nbsp;billion after ancillary sources.<ref name="THRprofit">{{cite web|access-date=April 26, 2020|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/what-is-profitable-movie-ever-1269879|title=What Is the Most Profitable Movie Ever?|website=[[The Hollywood Reporter]]|date=January 18, 2020|author=Stephen Galloway|archive-date=November 16, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201116040628/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/what-is-profitable-movie-ever-1269879|url-status=live}}</ref>

''Titanic''{{'}}s impact on men has also been especially credited.<ref name="msnbc.msn.com">{{cite news|first=Ian|last=Hodder|title=Sniff, sniff{{nbsp}}... 7 movies that make guys cry|publisher=[[NBC News]]|date=March 6, 2007|access-date=January 8, 2010|url=http://www.today.com/id/17474383/|archive-date=April 19, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160419193835/http://www.today.com/id/17474383/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Finlo Rohrer">{{cite news|last=Rohrer|first=Finlo|title=A new type of tear-jerker|work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-10636511|date=July 16, 2010|access-date=August 5, 2010|quote=Over the years misty eyes have been generated by the death of Bambi's mother, the killing of the kestrel in Kes, the ending of Titanic, or Jenny's death in Love Story.|archive-date=December 1, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201201043822/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-10636511|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Meslow">{{cite magazine|first=Scott|last=Meslow|title=Boys Can Love 'Titanic,' Too|magazine=[[The Atlantic]]|date=April 6, 2012|access-date=October 22, 2015|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2012/04/boys-can-love-titanic-too/255532/|archive-date=December 1, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201201043825/https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2012/04/boys-can-love-titanic-too/255532/|url-status=live}}</ref> It is considered one of the films that make men cry,<ref name="msnbc.msn.com" /><ref name="Finlo Rohrer" /> with [[MSNBC]]'s Ian Hodder stating that men admire Jack's sense of adventure and his ambitious behavior to win over Rose, which contributes to their emotional attachment to Jack.<ref name="msnbc.msn.com" /> The film's ability to make men cry was briefly parodied in the 2009 film ''[[Zombieland]]'', where character Tallahassee ([[Woody Harrelson]]), when recalling the death of his young son, states: "I haven't cried like that since ''Titanic''."<ref name="Www.mtv.com">{{cite news|first=Kurt|last=Loder|author-link=Kurt Loder|title=Woody Harrelson brings the laughs in a high-spirited monster mow-down.|website=[[MTV]]|date=October 2, 2009|access-date=December 6, 2010|url=http://www.mtv.com/news/1622859/zombieland-road-kill-by-kurt-loder/|archive-date=December 1, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201201043828/http://www.mtv.com/news/1622859/zombieland-road-kill-by-kurt-loder/|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Scott Meslow of ''[[The Atlantic]]'' stated while ''Titanic'' initially seems to need no defense, given its success, it is considered a film "for 15-year-old girls" by its main detractors. He argued that dismissing ''Titanic'' as fodder for teenage girls fails to consider the film's accomplishment:『that [this] grandiose, 3+ hour historical romantic drama is a film for everyone—including teenage boys.』Meslow stated that despite the film being ranked high by males under the age of 18, matching the ratings for teenage boy-targeted films like ''[[Iron Man (2008 film)|Iron Man]]'', it is common for boys and men to deny liking ''Titanic''. He acknowledged his own rejection of the film as a child while secretly loving it.『It's this collection of elements—the history, the romance, the action—that made (and continues to make) ''Titanic'' an irresistible proposition for audiences of all ages across the globe,』he stated. "''Titanic'' has flaws, but for all its legacy, it's better than its middlebrow reputation would have you believe. It's a great movie for 15-year-old girls, but that doesn't mean it's not a great movie for everyone else too."<ref name="Meslow"/>

Quotes in the film aided its popularity. ''Titanic''{{'s}} catchphrase "I'm the king of the world!" became one of the film industry's more popular quotations.<ref name="WWW.afi.com">{{cite web| title=AFI's 100 Years{{nbsp}}... 100 Movie Quotes|publisher=American Film Institute|access-date=January 19, 2010|url=http://connect.afi.com/site/DocServer/quotes100.pdf?docID=242|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110716070844/http://connect.afi.com/site/DocServer/quotes100.pdf?docID=242|archive-date=July 16, 2011}}</ref><ref name="www.cnn.com">{{cite web|first=A|last=Pawlowski|title=You talkin' to me? Film quotes stir passion|website=[[CNN]]|date=March 9, 2009|access-date=January 21, 2010|url=http://edition.cnn.com/2009/SHOWBIZ/Movies/03/09/film.quotes/index.html|archive-date=December 1, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201201043908/http://edition.cnn.com/2009/SHOWBIZ/Movies/03/09/film.quotes/index.html|url-status=live}}</ref> According to Richard Harris, a psychology professor at [[Kansas State University]], who studied why people like to cite films in social situations, using film quotations in everyday conversation is similar to telling a joke and a way to form solidarity with others. "People are doing it to feel good about themselves, to make others laugh, to make themselves laugh", he said.<ref name="www.cnn.com"/>

Cameron explained the film's success as having significantly benefited from the experience of sharing. "When people have an experience that's very powerful in the movie theatre, they want to go share it. They want to grab their friend and bring them, so that they can enjoy it," he said. "They want to be the person to bring them the news that this is something worth having in their life. That's how ''Titanic'' worked."<ref name="cnn.com">{{cite web|first=Jason |last=Carroll |title=CNN's Jason Carroll interviews director James Cameron about his new film "Avatar." (Video.) |website=[[CNN]] |date=November 23, 2009 |access-date=December 20, 2009 |url=http://edition.cnn.com/video/data/2.0/video/showbiz/2009/11/22/int.cameron.carroll.long.cnn.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091128125635/http://edition.cnn.com/video/data/2.0/video/showbiz/2009/11/22/int.cameron.carroll.long.cnn.html |archive-date=November 28, 2009}}</ref> [[Media Awareness Network]] stated, "The normal
repeat viewing rate for a blockbuster theatrical film is about 5%. The repeat rate for ''Titanic'' was over 20%."<ref name="www.media-awareness.ca" /> The box office receipts "were even more impressive" when factoring in "the film's 3-hour-and-14-minute length meant that it could only be shown three times a day compared to a normal movie's four showings". In response to this, "[<span class="ltr">m</span>]any theatres started midnight showings and were rewarded with full houses until almost 3:30&nbsp;am".<ref name="www.media-awareness.ca" />

''Titanic'' held the record for box office gross for 12 years.<ref name="www.slate.com">{{cite web|first=Josh|last=Levin|title=Here Come the Cats With Human Boobs. Is Avatar destined to flop?|work=[[Slate (magazine)|Slate]]|date=December 10, 2009|access-date=December 20, 2009|url=http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/movies/2009/12/here_come_the_cats_with_human_boobs.html|archive-date=October 3, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181003011526/http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/movies/2009/12/here_come_the_cats_with_human_boobs.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Cameron's follow-up film, ''[[Avatar (2009 film)|Avatar]]'', was considered the first film with a genuine chance at surpassing its worldwide gross,<ref name="www.marketwatch.com">{{cite web|first=Russ|last=Britt|title=Can Cameron break his own box-office record? 'Avatar' unprecedented in staying power, international sales|website=[[MarketWatch]]|date=January 4, 2010|access-date=January 4, 2010|url=http://www.marketwatch.com/story/can-avatar-director-break-his-box-office-record-2010-01-04|archive-date=October 31, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201031113341/https://www.marketwatch.com/story/can-avatar-director-break-his-box-office-record-2010-01-04|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="moviesblog.mtv.com">{{cite news|first=Brian|last=Jacks|title=EXCLUSIVE: James Cameron Says 'Avatar' Will Beat 'Titanic' To Become Biggest Of All Time|website=[[MTV]]|date=January 16, 2010|access-date=January 17, 2010|url=http://moviesblog.mtv.com/2010/01/16/james-cameron-weighs-in-on-whether-avatar-will-outsell-titanic/|archive-date=January 22, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210122224239/http://www.mtv.com/news/movies/2010/01/16/james-cameron-weighs-in-on-whether-avatar-will-outsell-titanic/|url-status=dead}}</ref> and did so in 2010.<ref name="newsday" /> [[Avatar (2009 film)#Commercial analysis|Various explanations]] for why the film was able to successfully challenge ''Titanic'' were given. For one, "Two-thirds of ''Titanic''{{'s}} haul was earned overseas, and ''Avatar'' [tracked] similarly{{nbsp}}... ''Avatar'' opened in 106 markets globally and was no. 1 in all of them" and the markets "such as Russia, where ''Titanic'' saw modest receipts in 1997 and 1998, are white-hot today" with "more screens and moviegoers" than ever before.<ref name="www.newsweek.com">{{cite news|first=Sarah|last=Ball|title=How 'Avatar' Can Beat 'Titanic'|work=[[Newsweek]]|date=January 6, 2010|access-date=January 9, 2010|url=http://www.newsweek.com/how-avatar-can-beat-titanic-71031|archive-date=January 26, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210126184858/http://www.newsweek.com/how-avatar-can-beat-titanic-71031|url-status=live}}</ref> Brandon Gray, president of [[Box Office Mojo]], said that while ''Avatar'' may beat ''Titanic''{{'s}} revenue record, the film is unlikely to surpass ''Titanic'' in attendance. "Ticket prices were about $3 cheaper in the late 1990s."<ref name="www.marketwatch.com" /> In December 2009, Cameron had stated, "I don't think it's realistic to try to topple ''Titanic'' off its perch. Some pretty good movies have come out in the last few years. ''Titanic'' just struck some kind of chord."<ref name="www.mtv.com" /> In a January 2010 interview, he gave a different take on the matter once ''Avatar''{{'s}} performance was easier to predict, saying "It's gonna happen. It's just a matter of time,".<ref name="moviesblog.mtv.com" />

Author Alexandra Keller, when analyzing ''Titanic''{{'}}s success, stated that scholars could agree that the film's popularity "appears dependent on contemporary culture, on perceptions of history, on patterns of [[consumerism]] and [[globalization]], as well as on those elements experienced filmgoers conventionally expect of juggernaut film events in the 1990s&nbsp;– awesome screen spectacle, expansive action, and, more rarely seen, engaging characters and epic drama."<ref name="Keller">{{cite book|first=Alexandra|last=Keller|title=James Cameron|publisher=[[Routledge]]|location=London, England|isbn=978-1-134-70021-9|year=2014|pages=73–76|access-date=October 25, 2014|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UGd9AwAAQBAJ&pg=PA73|archive-date=April 16, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150416105119/http://books.google.com/books?id=UGd9AwAAQBAJ&pg=PA73|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Critical reception==
===Initial===
''Titanic'' garnered mostly positive reviews from film critics, and was positively reviewed by audiences and scholars, who commented on the film's cultural, historical, and political impacts.<ref name="Keller" /><ref name="Rosenstone">{{cite book|author=Robert A. Rosenstone|title=Lights, Camera, History: Portraying the Past in Film|publisher=[[Texas A&M University Press]]|isbn=978-1-60344-503-0|year=2007|pages=115–117|access-date=October 25, 2014|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nlVlcwhpNXsC&pg=PA115|archive-date=April 16, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150416110345/http://books.google.com/books?id=nlVlcwhpNXsC&pg=PA115|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Kidder">{{cite book|author1=David S. Kidder|author2=Noah D. Oppenheim|title=The Intellectual Devotional Modern Culture: Revive Your Mind, Complete Your Education, and Converse Confidently with the Culturati|publisher=[[Rodale, Inc.]]|isbn=978-1-60529-793-4|year=2008|page=361|access-date=October 25, 2014|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9KOHEPbBBbIC&pg=PA361|archive-date=April 16, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150416125243/http://books.google.com/books?id=9KOHEPbBBbIC&pg=PA361|url-status=live}}</ref> On [[review aggregator]] website [[Rotten Tomatoes]], the film has an approval rating of 88% based on 255 reviews, with an average rating of 8.1/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "A mostly unqualified triumph for James Cameron, who offers a dizzying blend of spectacular visuals and old-fashioned melodrama."<ref name="www.rottentomatoes.com"/> [[Metacritic]], which assigned a weighted average score of 75 out of 100, based on 35 critics, reports the film has "generally favorable reviews".<ref>{{cite Metacritic |title=Titanic (1997) |id=titanic |type=movie |access-date=February 15, 2021}}</ref> Audiences polled by [[CinemaScore]] gave the film a rare "A+" grade, one of fewer than 60 films in the history of the service from 1982 to 2011 to earn the score.<ref name="CinemaScore">{{Cite web |first=Pamela |last=McClintock |title=Why CinemaScore Matters for Box Office |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/why-cinemascore-matters-box-office-225563/ |website=[[The Hollywood Reporter]] |date=August 19, 2011 |access-date=July 19, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210719145918/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/why-cinemascore-matters-box-office-225563/ |archive-date=July 19, 2021 |url-status=live}}</ref>

With regard to the film's overall design, [[Roger Ebert]] stated: "It is flawlessly crafted, intelligently constructed, strongly acted, and spellbinding{{nbsp}}... Movies like this are not merely difficult to make at all, but almost impossible to make well." He credited the "technical difficulties" with being "so daunting that it's a wonder when the filmmakers are also able to bring the drama and history into proportion" and "found [himself] convinced by both the story and the sad saga".<ref>{{cite news|last=Ebert|first=Roger|title=Titanic Movie Review & Film Summary (1997)|url=https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/titanic-1997|website=Ebert Digital LLC|date=December 19, 1997|access-date=December 7, 2006|author-link=Roger Ebert|archive-date=October 6, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141006125018/http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/titanic-1997|url-status=live}}</ref> He named it his ninth-best film of 1997.<ref>{{cite episode|title=The Best Films of 1997|date=January 3, 1998|series=Siskel & Ebert|season=12|number=18}}</ref> On the television program ''[[At the Movies (1986 TV program)|Siskel & Ebert]]'', the film received "two thumbs up" and was praised for its accuracy in recreating the ship's sinking; Ebert described the film as "a glorious Hollywood epic" and "well worth the wait," and [[Gene Siskel]] found Leonardo DiCaprio "captivating".<ref name="bventertainment.go.com">{{cite episode|url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3q_rNZVuOQ4|title=Titanic (1997) Review|series=Siskel & Ebert|date=December 6, 1997|season=12|number=14|website=YouTube|access-date=February 11, 2014|archive-date=June 30, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140630074928/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3q_rNZVuOQ4|url-status=live}}</ref>

[[James Berardinelli]] stated: "Meticulous in detail, yet vast in scope and intent, ''Titanic'' is the kind of epic motion picture event that has become a rarity. You don't just watch ''Titanic'', you experience it."<ref name="www.reelviews">{{cite web|first=James|last=Berardinelli|title=A Film Review by James Berardinelli|publisher=ReelViews|access-date=January 19, 2010|url=http://preview.reelviews.net/movies/t/titanic.html|archive-date=November 16, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181116091024/http://preview.reelviews.net/movies/t/titanic.html|url-status=live}}</ref> It was named his second best film of 1997.<ref name="Www.reelviews">{{cite web|first=James|last=Berardinelli|title=James Berardinelli Top 10 of 1997|publisher=ReelViews|access-date=January 19, 2010|url=http://preview.reelviews.net/movies/SPECIAL/97list.html|archive-date=November 16, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181116093546/http://preview.reelviews.net/movies/SPECIAL/97list.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Joseph McBride of ''Boxoffice Magazine'' concluded: "To describe ''Titanic'' as the greatest disaster movie ever made is to sell it short. James Cameron's recreation of the 1912 sinking of the 'unsinkable' liner is one of the most magnificent pieces of serious popular entertainment ever to emanate from Hollywood."<ref name="rogerebert.suntimes.com" />

The romantic and emotionally charged aspects of the film were equally praised. Andrew L. Urban of ''Urban Cinefile'' said: "You will walk out of ''Titanic'' not talking about budget or running time, but of its enormous emotive power, big as the engines of the ship itself, determined as its giant propellers to gouge into your heart, and as lasting as the love story that propels it."<ref name="WWW.rottentomatoes.com">{{cite web|first=Jeff|last=Giles|title=Total Recall: James Cameron Movies. We take a look at the career of the visionary director of Avatar|website=[[Rotten Tomatoes]]|date=December 16, 2009|access-date=January 19, 2010|url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/avatar/news/1860969/total_recall_james_cameron_movies|archive-date=December 24, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091224104453/http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/avatar/news/1860969/total_recall_james_cameron_movies|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Owen Gleiberman]] of ''[[Entertainment Weekly]]'' described the film as "a lush and terrifying spectacle of romantic doom. Writer-director James Cameron has restaged the defining catastrophe of the early 20th century on a human scale of such purified yearning and dread that he touches the deepest levels of popular moviemaking."<ref name="rogerebert.suntimes.com">{{cite news|title=Titanic (1997) Critical Debates |work=[[Chicago Sun-Times]] |access-date=January 19, 2010 |url=http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20000101/CRITICALDEBATE/40308080 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130311072339/http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=%2F20000101%2FCRITICALDEBATE%2F40308080 |archive-date=March 11, 2013 }}</ref> [[Janet Maslin]] of ''The New York Times'' commented that "Cameron's magnificent ''Titanic'' is the first spectacle in decades that honestly invites comparison to ''[[Gone with the Wind (film)|Gone With the Wind]]''."<ref name="rogerebert.suntimes.com" /> Adrian Turner of ''[[Radio Times]]'' awarded it four stars out of five, stating "Cameron's script wouldn't have sustained [[Clark Gable]] and [[Vivien Leigh]] for 80 minutes, but, somehow, he and his magical cast revive that old-style studio gloss for three riveting hours. ''Titanic'' is a sumptuous assault on the emotions, with a final hour that fully captures the horror and the freezing, paralysing fear of the moment. And there are single shots, such as an awesome [[albatross]]-like swoop past the steaming ship, when you sense Cameron hugging himself with the fun of it all."<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-zxcmgb/titanic/ | title=Titanic | work=Radio Times | first=Adrian | last=Turner | access-date=November 20, 2021 | archive-date=November 20, 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211120054235/https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-zxcmgb/titanic/ | url-status=live }}</ref>

''Titanic'' suffered backlash in addition to its success. Some reviewers felt that while the visuals were spectacular, the story and dialogue were weak.<ref name="Kidder" /> [[Richard Corliss]] of ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'' magazine wrote a mostly negative review, criticizing the lack of interesting emotional elements.<ref>{{cite magazine |first=Richard |last=Corliss |author-link=Richard Corliss |magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]] |url=http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,987509,00.html |title=Down, Down to a Watery Grave |date=December 8, 1997 |access-date=July 22, 2008 |archive-date=September 29, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130929015522/http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,987509,00.html |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Kenneth Turan]]'s review in the ''Los Angeles Times'' was particularly scathing. Dismissing the emotive elements, he stated, "What really brings on the tears is Cameron's insistence that writing this kind of movie is within his abilities. Not only is it not, it is not even close."<ref>{{cite news |last=Turan |first=Kenneth |title='Titanic' Sinks Again (Spectacularly) |newspaper=Los Angeles Times |date=December 19, 1997 |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1997-dec-19-ca-39-story.html |access-date=September 15, 2019 |archive-date=December 19, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191219072503/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1997-dec-19-ca-39-story.html |url-status=live }}</ref> He later argued that the only reason that the film won Oscars was because of its box office total.<ref>Lubin, pp. 8–9</ref> Barbara Shulgasser of ''[[The San Francisco Examiner]]'' gave ''Titanic'' one star out of four, citing a friend as saying, "The number of times in this unbelievably badly written script that the two [lead characters] refer to each other by name was an indication of just how dramatically the script lacked anything more interesting for the actors to say."<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/TALK-ABOUT-DISASTERS-3084709.php |title=Talk about disasters |work=The San Francisco Examiner |last=Shulgasser |first=Barbara|date=December 19, 1997 |access-date=February 19, 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131019054324/http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/TALK-ABOUT-DISASTERS-3084709.php|archive-date=October 19, 2013}}</ref>

===Retrospective===
According to Dalin Rowell of ''[[/Film]]'', "With complaints about its lengthy runtime, observations that certain characters could have easily fit onto pieces of floating furniture, and jokes about its melodramatic nature, ''Titanic'' is no stranger to modern-day criticism."<ref name="rowell">{{cite web | url=https://www.slashfilm.com/617886/every-james-cameron-film-ranked-from-worst-to-best/ | title=Every James Cameron Film Ranked From Worst To Best | work=[[/Film]] | first=Dalin | last=Rowell | date=September 28, 2021 | access-date=November 20, 2021 | archive-date=October 27, 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211027075000/https://www.slashfilm.com/617886/every-james-cameron-film-ranked-from-worst-to-best/ | url-status=live }}</ref> In 2002, filmmaker [[Robert Altman]] called it "the most dreadful piece of work I've ever seen in my entire life".<ref>{{cite news|last=Friedman|first=Roger|title=Altman: Titanic Worst Movie Ever|publisher=[[Fox News Channel]]|date=March 23, 2002|url=https://www.foxnews.com/story/altman-titanic-worst-movie-ever|access-date=December 2, 2008|archive-date=December 19, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191219072506/https://www.foxnews.com/story/altman-titanic-worst-movie-ever|url-status=live}}</ref> Similarly, [[French New Wave]] director and former ''[[Cahiers du Cinéma]]'' editor [[Jacques Rivette]] referred to it as "garbage" in a 1998 interview with [[Frédéric Bonnaud]] and was particularly critical of Winslet's performance, who he said was "unwatchable, the most slovenly girl to appear on the screen in a long, long time."<ref>{{cite web |last1=Bonnaud |first1=Frédéric |title=The Captive Lover – An Interview with Jacques Rivette |url=https://www.sensesofcinema.com/2001/jacques-rivette/rivette-2/ |website=Senses of Cinema |date=October 28, 2004 |access-date=18 August 2022 |archive-date=August 18, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220818042449/https://www.sensesofcinema.com/2001/jacques-rivette/rivette-2/ |url-status=live }}</ref> In 2003, the film topped a poll of "Best Film Endings",<ref>{{cite news | title = Titanic voted 'best' film ending | work = BBC News | date = October 15, 2003 | url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/3194176.stm | access-date = June 15, 2007 | archive-date = March 17, 2007 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070317035318/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/3194176.stm | url-status = live }}</ref> but it also topped a poll by ''[[Film 2003]]'' as "the worst movie of all time".<ref>{{cite news | title = ''Titanic'' sinks in worst film poll | work = BBC News | date = November 5, 2003 | url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/3242607.stm | access-date = June 15, 2007 | archive-date = March 2, 2007 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070302082215/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/3242607.stm | url-status = live }}</ref>

In his 2012 study of the lives of the passengers on the ''Titanic'', historian [[Richard Davenport-Hines]] said, "Cameron's film diabolized rich Americans and educated English, anathematizing their emotional restraint, good tailoring, punctilious manners and grammatical training, while it made [[romantic hero]]es of the poor Irish and the unlettered."<ref>{{cite book|last=Davenport-Hines|first=Richard|title=Titanic Lives: Migrants and Millionaires, Conmen and Crew|year=2012|publisher=HarperCollins|location=UK}}</ref> The British film magazine ''[[Empire (film magazine)|Empire]]'' reduced their rating of the film from the maximum five stars and an enthusiastic review, to four stars with a less positive review in a later edition, to accommodate its readers' tastes, who wanted to disassociate themselves from the hype surrounding the film, and the reported activities of its fans, such as those attending multiple screenings.<ref>{{cite journal |doi=10.5204/mcj.2423 |doi-access=free |last=Stephenson |first=John-Paul |date=October 2005 |title=Reviewing Symbolic Capital |journal=M/C Journal: A Journal of Media and Culture |volume=8 |issue=5 |url=http://journal.media-culture.org.au/0510/06-stephenson.php |access-date=September 11, 2009 |archive-date=October 7, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091007172335/http://journal.media-culture.org.au/0510/06-stephenson.php |url-status=live  | issn = 1441-2616 }}</ref> In addition to this, positive and negative parodies and other such spoofs of the film abounded and were circulated on the internet, often inspiring passionate responses from fans of various opinions of the film.<ref>{{cite news | title = Clash of the Titanic | url = http://www.ericdsnider.com/snide/clash-of-the-titanic | access-date = October 14, 2007 | archive-date = October 17, 2007 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20071017020427/http://www.ericdsnider.com/snide/clash-of-the-titanic | url-status = live }}</ref> Benjamin Willcock of DVDActive.com did not understand the backlash or the passionate hatred for the film. "What really irks me{{nbsp}}...," he said, "are those who make nasty stabs at those who do love it." Willcock stated, "I obviously don't have anything against those who dislike ''Titanic'', but those few who make you feel small and pathetic for doing so (and they do exist, trust me) are way beyond my understanding and sympathy."<ref name="www.dvdactive.com" />

In 1998, Cameron responded to the backlash, and Kenneth Turan's review in particular, by writing "''Titanic'' is not a film that is sucking people in with flashy hype and spitting them out onto the street feeling let down and ripped off. They are returning again and again to repeat an experience that is taking a 3-hour and 14-minute chunk out of their lives, and dragging others with them, so they can share the emotion." Cameron emphasized that people from all ages (ranging from 8 to 80) and from all backgrounds were "celebrating their own essential humanity" by seeing it. He described the script as earnest and straightforward, and said it intentionally『incorporates universals of human experience and emotion that are timeless – and familiar because they reflect our basic emotional fabric』and that the film was able to succeed in this way by dealing with [[archetype]]s. He did not see it as pandering.『Turan mistakes archetype for cliché,』he said. "I don't share his view that the best scripts are only the ones that explore the perimeter of human experience, or flashily pirouette their witty and cynical dialogue for our admiration."<ref name="articles.latimes.com">{{cite news|title=He's Mad as Hell at Turan. James Cameron Gets the Last Word on Our Critic's 'Titanic'|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|date=March 28, 1998|access-date=February 22, 2010|url=https://articles.latimes.com/1998/mar/28/entertainment/ca-33428|archive-date=March 26, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100326202354/http://articles.latimes.com/1998/mar/28/entertainment/ca-33428|url-status=live}}</ref>

In 2000, Almar Haflidason of the [[BBC]] wrote that "the critical knives were out long before James Cameron's ''Titanic'' was complete. Spiralling costs that led to it becoming the most expensive motion picture of the 20th Century, and a cast without any big stars seemed to doom the film before release. But box office and audience appreciation proved Cameron right and many critics wrong." He added that "the sinking of the great ship is no secret, yet for many exceeded expectations in sheer scale and tragedy" and that "when you consider that [the film] tops a bum-numbing three-hour running time, then you have a truly impressive feat of entertainment achieved by Cameron".<ref>{{cite web|title=Titanic (1997)|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/films/2000/12/19/titanic_1997_review.shtml|publisher=BBC|last=Haflidason|first=Almar|date=August 2007|access-date=December 26, 2008|archive-date=January 2, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090102212402/http://www.bbc.co.uk/films/2000/12/19/titanic_1997_review.shtml|url-status=live}}</ref> ''Empire'' eventually reinstated its original five-star rating of the film, commenting: "It should be no surprise[,] then[,] that it became fashionable to bash James Cameron's ''Titanic'' at approximately the same time it became clear that this was the planet's favourite film. Ever."<ref>{{cite web|last=Smith|first=Adam|title=Review of Titanic|date=January 2000 |url=https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/empire-essay-titanic-review/|publisher=Bauer Consumer Media|access-date=September 15, 2019|archive-date=December 19, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191219074005/https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/empire-essay-titanic-review/|url-status=live}}</ref>

The film's climax has sparked many debates over the years on whether both Jack and Rose should have been able to fit on the floating door and survive, becoming among the most talked about aspects of the film.<ref>{{Cite magazine |date=2019-07-16 |title=A Timeline of the 'Could Jack Have Fit on the Titanic Door' Debate |url=https://time.com/5627345/titanic-door-scene-debate/ |access-date=2024-03-23 |magazine=TIME |language=en |archive-date=March 23, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240323041635/https://time.com/5627345/titanic-door-scene-debate/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Cameron has stated he often gets asked about the scene and has spoken about and tested it numerous times; one early test said they could not,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Stevenson |first=Gabi |title=James Cameron said a forensic analysis concluded that 'only one could survive' during the door scene between Jack and Rose in 'Titanic' |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/james-cameron-had-forensic-analysis-done-on-titanic-door-scene-2022-12 |access-date=2024-03-23 |website=Business Insider |language=en-US |archive-date=March 23, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240323041635/https://www.businessinsider.com/james-cameron-had-forensic-analysis-done-on-titanic-door-scene-2022-12 |url-status=live }}</ref> while another in advance of the film's 25th anniversary, said it was possible but unlikely and depended on numerous variables.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Watch James Cameron recreate 'Titanic' floating door scene to see if Jack fit with Rose |url=https://ew.com/movies/james-cameron-recreates-titanic-floating-door-scene-jack-fit-with-rose/ |access-date=2024-03-23 |website=EW.com |language=en |archive-date=March 23, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240323041635/https://ew.com/movies/james-cameron-recreates-titanic-floating-door-scene-jack-fit-with-rose/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

In 2017, on the 20th anniversary of its release, the film was selected for preservation in the United States [[National Film Registry]] by the [[Library of Congress]] as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".<ref name="NFR">{{Cite news|url=https://www.loc.gov/item/prn-17-178/|title=2017 National Film Registry Is More Than a 'Field of Dreams'|work=The Library of Congress|access-date=December 13, 2017|language=en|archive-date=December 13, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171213180919/https://www.loc.gov/item/prn-17-178/|url-status=live}}</ref> It was listed among the 100 best films in an ''Empire'' poll and in a later poll of members of the film industry.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.empireonline.com/movies/features/best-movies/|title=The 100 Greatest Movies|date=March 20, 2018|website=Empire|access-date=April 25, 2019|archive-date=October 13, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181013202030/https://www.empireonline.com/movies/features/best-movies/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/lists/100-best-films-ever-hollywood-favorites-818512/item/vertigo-hollywoods-100-favorite-films-818447|title=Vertigo – Hollywood's 100 Favorite Films|website=[[The Hollywood Reporter]]|date=June 25, 2014|access-date=April 25, 2019|archive-date=April 25, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190425060530/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/lists/100-best-films-ever-hollywood-favorites-818512/item/vertigo-hollywoods-100-favorite-films-818447|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2021, Dalin Rowell of ''/Film'' ranked it the third-best film of Cameron's career, stating that it is "easily one of his best films, simply because it defied the odds", and considering it "a legitimately remarkable achievement — one that, despite its large budget, has a humble, earnest center. Even with all of the jokes the Internet loves to throw its way, ''Titanic'' demonstrates that Cameron is truly capable of everything he can imagine."<ref name="rowell"/>

==Accolades==
{{main|List of accolades received by Titanic|l1=List of accolades received by ''Titanic''}}
At the [[Golden Globe Award|Golden Globes]], ''Titanic'' won [[Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture – Drama|Best Motion Picture – Drama]], [[Golden Globe Award for Best Director|Best Director]], [[Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score|Best Original Score]], and [[Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song|Best Original Song]].<ref>{{cite news | title = ''Titanic'' sweeps Golden Globes | work = BBC News | date = January 19, 1998 | url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/48591.stm | access-date = February 19, 2007 | archive-date = December 1, 2020 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20201201044101/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/48591.stm | url-status = live }}</ref> Winslet and Stuart were also nominated.<ref>{{cite news | title = Nominations for the 55th Golden Globe Awards | publisher = BBC | date = January 17, 1998 | url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/47182.stm | access-date = February 19, 2007 | archive-date = November 9, 2020 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20201109141238/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/47182.stm | url-status = live }}</ref> The film garnered fourteen [[Academy Awards|Academy Award]] nominations, tying the record set in 1950 by [[Joseph L. Mankiewicz]]'s ''[[All About Eve]]''<ref>{{cite news | title = Can Anything Stop the Raising of Titanic on March 23? | work = The New York Observer | date=February 22, 1998 | url = http://www.observer.com/node/40199 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080725153001/http://www.observer.com/node/40199 | archive-date = July 25, 2008| access-date=December 1, 2010}}</ref> and won eleven: [[Academy Award for Best Picture|Best Picture]] (the second film about the ''Titanic'' to win that award, after 1933's ''[[Cavalcade (1933 film)|Cavalcade]]''), [[Academy Award for Best Director|Best Director]], [[Academy Award for Best Art Direction|Best Art Direction]], [[Academy Award for Best Cinematography|Best Cinematography]], [[Academy Award for Best Visual Effects|Best Visual Effects]], [[Academy Award for Best Film Editing|Best Film Editing]], [[Academy Award for Best Costume Design|Best Costume Design]], [[Academy Award for Best Sound|Best Sound]] ([[Gary Rydstrom]], [[Tom Johnson (sound engineer)|Tom Johnson]], [[Gary Summers]], [[Mark Ulano]]), [[Academy Award for Best Sound Editing|Best Sound Effects Editing]], [[Academy Award for Best Original Score|Best Original Dramatic Score]], [[Academy Award for Best Original Song|Best Original Song]].<ref name="Oscars1998">{{cite web |url=http://www.oscars.org/awards/academyawards/legacy/ceremony/70th-winners.html |title=The 70th Academy Awards (1998) Nominees and Winners |access-date=November 19, 2011 |publisher=Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences |archive-date=October 1, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141001073921/https://www.oscars.org/awards/academyawards/legacy/ceremony/70th-winners.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Winslet, Stuart and the make-up artists were nominated, but lost to [[Helen Hunt]] in ''[[As Good as It Gets]]'', [[Kim Basinger]] in ''[[L.A. Confidential (film)|L.A. Confidential]]'' and ''[[Men in Black (1997 film)|Men in Black]]''.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/108612896/titanic-ties-oscar-record-with-11/ |title='Titanic' ties Oscar record with 11 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220903173143/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/108612896/titanic-ties-oscar-record-with-11/ |date=March 24, 1998 |access-date=September 3, 2022 |archive-date=September 3, 2022 |page=2 |publisher=[[Daily Press (Virginia)|Daily Press]] |via=[[Newspapers.com]] |url-status=live}} {{Open access}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Garner |first=Chris |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/iowa-city-press-citizen-a-titanic-winn/109932077/ |title=A 'Titanic' winner |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230506152141/https://www.newspapers.com/article/iowa-city-press-citizen-a-titanic-winn/109932077/ |date=March 24, 1998 |access-date=May 6, 2023 |archive-date=May 6, 2023 |page=17 |work=Gannett News Service |publisher=[[Iowa City Press-Citizen]] |via=[[Newspapers.com]] |url-status=live}} {{Open access}}</ref> ''Titanic'' was the second film to receive eleven Academy Awards, after ''[[Ben-Hur (1959 film)|Ben-Hur]] (1959).''<ref>{{cite web|title='Titanic' vs. 'Ben-Hur'|work=[[The New York Times]]|date=March 27, 1998|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1998/03/27/opinion/l-titanic-vs-ben-hur-218022.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160308064304/http://www.nytimes.com/1998/03/27/opinion/l-titanic-vs-ben-hur-218022.html|archive-date=March 8, 2016|url-status=live|access-date=March 8, 2016}}</ref> ''[[The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King]]'' matched the record in 2004.<ref>{{cite news |last=Germain |first=David |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/108613871/rings-ties-record-with-its-11-oscars/ |title='Rings' ties record with its 11 Oscars |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220903173100/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/108613871/rings-ties-record-with-its-11-oscars/ |date=March 1, 2004 |access-date=September 3, 2022 |archive-date=September 3, 2022 |page=2 |work=The Associated Press |publisher=[[Corpus Christi Caller-Times]] |via=[[Newspapers.com]] |url-status=live}} {{Open access}}</ref>

''Titanic'' won the [[70th Academy Awards|1997]] [[Academy Award for Best Original Song]], as well as four [[Grammy Award]]s for [[Grammy Award for Record of the Year|Record of the Year]], [[Grammy Award for Song of the Year|Song of the Year]], [[Grammy Award for Best Song Written for Visual Media|Best Song Written Specifically for a Motion Picture or Television]], and [[Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance|Best Female Pop Vocal Performance]].<ref name="www.grammy.org">{{cite web|title=Past Winners Search – 1998 – 41st Annual Grammy Awards|publisher=The Recording Academy|access-date=February 10, 2014|url=http://www.grammy.com/nominees/search?year=1998|archive-date=November 25, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201125060943/https://www.grammy.com/grammys/awards?year=1998|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=41st Annual GRAMMY Awards|url=http://www.grammy.com/awards/41st-annual-grammy-awards|publisher=The Recording Academy|access-date=February 11, 2014|archive-date=November 9, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201109141332/https://www.grammy.com/grammys/awards/41st-annual-grammy-awards-1998|url-status=live}}</ref> The soundtrack became the best-selling primarily orchestral soundtrack of all time, spending sixteen weeks at number-one in the United States, and was certified diamond for over eleven million copies sold in the United States alone.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://riaa.com/goldandplatinumdata.php?table=SEARCH_RESULTS |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070626051113/http://www.riaa.com/goldandplatinumdata.php?table=SEARCH_RESULTS |archive-date=June 26, 2007 |title=Gold & Platinum – July&nbsp;28, 2009 |publisher=Recording Industry Association of America |access-date=July 28, 2009}}</ref> It was also the best-selling album of 1998 in the US.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.billboard.com/charts/year-end/1998/the-billboard-200 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080208083930/http://www.billboard.com/charts/year-end/1998/the-billboard-200 |archive-date=February 8, 2008 |magazine=Billboard |title=The Billboard 200: 1998}}</ref> "[[My Heart Will Go On]]" won the [[Grammy Award]]s for Best Song Written Specifically for a Motion Picture or for Television.

''Titanic'' also won various awards outside the United States, including the [[Japan Academy Prize (film)|Awards of the Japanese Academy]] as the Best Foreign Film of the Year.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://mubi.com/awards-and-festivals/ajas?year=1998|title=Awards of the Japanese Academy 1998|access-date=April 10, 2021|publisher=[[Mubi (streaming service)|MUBI]]|archive-date=April 11, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210411013124/https://mubi.com/awards-and-festivals/ajas?year=1998|url-status=live}}</ref> It eventually won nearly ninety awards and had an additional forty-seven nominations from various award-giving bodies around the world. The book about the making of the film was at the top of ''The New York Times''{{'}} bestseller list for several weeks, "the first time that such a tie-in book had achieved this status".<ref name="www.media-awareness.ca" />

''Titanic'' has appeared on the [[American Film Institute]]'s award-winning [[AFI 100 Years... series|100 Years{{nbsp}}... series]] six times.

{| class="wikitable"
|- style="background:#e0e0e0;"
! | AFI's 100 Years{{nbsp}}... 100
! | Rank
! | Source
! | Notes
|- style="background:#f9f9f9;"
! [[AFI's 100 Years...100 Thrills|Thrills]]
! 25
!<ref name="www.afi.com">{{cite web| title=AFI's 100 Years{{nbsp}}... 100 Thrills|publisher=American Film Institute|access-date=January 19, 2010|url=http://www.afi.com/Docs/tvevents/pdf/thrills100.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121119133158/http://www.afi.com/Docs/tvevents/pdf/thrills100.pdf|archive-date=November 19, 2012}}</ref>
| A list of the top 100 thrilling films in American cinema, compiled in 2001.
|- style="background:#f9f9f9;"
! [[AFI's 100 Years...100 Passions|Passions]]
! 37
!<ref name="Www.afi.com">{{cite web| title=AFI's 100 Years{{nbsp}}... 100 Passions|publisher=American Film Institute|access-date=January 19, 2010|url=http://connect.afi.com/site/DocServer/passions100.pdf?docID=248|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110716072352/http://connect.afi.com/site/DocServer/passions100.pdf?docID=248|archive-date=July 16, 2011}}</ref>
| A list of the top 100 love stories in American cinema, compiled in 2002.
|- style="background:#f9f9f9;"
! [[AFI's 100 Years...100 Songs|Songs]]
! 14
!<ref name="WWw.afi.com">{{cite web|title=AFI's 100 Years{{nbsp}}... 100 Songs |publisher=American Film Institute |access-date=January 19, 2010 |url=http://connect.afi.com/site/DocServer/songs100.pdf?docID=244 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110716072059/http://connect.afi.com/site/DocServer/songs100.pdf?docID=244 |archive-date=July 16, 2011 }}</ref>
| A list of the top 100 songs in American cinema, compiled in 2004. ''Titanic'' ranked 14th for Céline Dion's "My Heart Will Go On".
|- style="background:#f9f9f9;"
! [[AFI's 100 Years...100 Movie Quotes|Movie quotes]]
! 100
!<ref name="WWW.afi.com" />
| A list of the top 100 film quotations in American cinema, compiled in 2005. ''Titanic'' ranked 100th for Jack Dawson's yell of "''I'm the king of the world!''"
|- style="background:#f9f9f9;"
! [[AFI's 100 Years...100 Movies (10th Anniversary Edition)|Movies]]
! 83
!<ref name="WWW.Afi.com">{{cite web|title=AFI's official PDF of the 1998 and 2007 rankings (registration required) |publisher=American Film Institute|access-date=January 19, 2010|url=http://connect.afi.com/site/DocServer/100Movies.pdf?docID=301|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110721205639/http://connect.afi.com/site/DocServer/100Movies.pdf?docID=301|archive-date=July 21, 2011}}</ref>
| A 2007 (10th anniversary) edition of 1997's list of the 100 best films of the past century. ''Titanic'' was not eligible when the original list was released.
|- style="background:#f9f9f9;"
! [[AFI's 10 Top 10]]
! 6
!<ref name="WWW.AFi.com">{{cite web|title=AFI's Top Ten Epic|publisher=[[American Film Institute]]|access-date=January 19, 2010|url=http://connect.afi.com/site/DocServer/TOP10.pdf?docID=441|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110716071851/http://connect.afi.com/site/DocServer/TOP10.pdf?docID=441 |archive-date= July 16, 2011}}</ref>
| The 2008 poll consisted of the top ten films in ten different genres. ''Titanic'' ranked as the sixth-best epic film.
|}

==Home media==
''Titanic'' was released worldwide in [[widescreen]] and [[pan and scan]] formats on [[VHS]] on September 1, 1998.<ref name="www.amazon.com">Titanic [VHS] (1997). {{ISBN|0-7921-5171-2}}</ref> More than $50&nbsp;million was spent to market the home video release of the film.<ref>{{cite web|first=Adam|last=Sandler|url=https://www.variety.com/article.asp?articleID=1117471669|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19980610030915/http://www.variety.com/article.asp?articleID=1117471669|title='Titanic' sets sale|magazine=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|archive-date=June 10, 1998|date=June 9, 1998|access-date=October 5, 2019}}</ref> Both VHS formats were also made available in a deluxe boxed gift set with a mounted filmstrip and six lithograph prints from the movie. In the first 3 months, the film sold 25&nbsp;million copies in North America with a total sales value of $500&nbsp;million, becoming the [[List of best-selling films in the United States#VHS|best selling live-action video]], beating ''[[Independence Day (1996 film)|Independence Day]]''.<ref name=VHS>{{cite magazine|title='Titanic' tide tumbles o'seas video records|magazine=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|date=January 11, 1999|page=7|first=Marc|last=Graser}}</ref> In that time, it sold 58&nbsp;million copies worldwide, outselling ''[[The Lion King]]'' for a total worldwide revenue of $995&nbsp;million.<ref name=VHS/> By March 2005, the film has sold 8&nbsp;million [[DVD]] and 59&nbsp;million VHS units.<ref>{{cite web|first=Jessica|last=Wolf|url=http://www.hive4media.com/news/html/breaking_article.cfm?article_id=7290|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050318182746/http://www.hive4media.com/news/html/breaking_article.cfm?article_id=7290|title=Titanic' Resurfaces for Special Edition DVD|website=[[Hive4media.com]]|archive-date=March 18, 2005|date=March 16, 2005|access-date=September 28, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> In the United Kingdom, the film sold 1.1&nbsp;million copies on its first day of release, making it the country's fastest-selling home video release. It would hold this record until it was surpassed by ''[[Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (film)|Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone]]'' in May 2002 when that film sold 1.2&nbsp;million home video units during its first day.<ref>{{Cite news |date=May 13, 2002 |title=Potter breaks another UK record |publisher=BBC |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/1984071.stm |access-date=August 23, 2022 |archive-date=August 23, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220823154618/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/1984071.stm |url-status=live }}</ref> Within the first week of release, ''Titanic'' quickly beat ''[[The Full Monty]]'', selling a total of 1.8&nbsp;million home video copies.<ref>{{Cite news |date=October 26, 1998 |title=Titanic steams past video sales record |publisher=BBC |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/201604.stm |access-date=August 23, 2022 |archive-date=August 23, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220823154455/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/201604.stm |url-status=live }}</ref>

[[NBC]] acquired the US television broadcast rights for $30 million, which was considered a bargain.<ref name=VHS/>

A DVD version was released on August 31, 1999, in a widescreen-only (non-[[anamorphic format|anamorphic]]) single-disc edition with no special features other than a [[trailer (promotion)|theatrical trailer]]. Cameron stated at the time that he intended to release a special edition with extra features later. This release became the best-selling DVD of 1999 and early 2000, becoming the first DVD ever to sell one million copies.<ref name="www.usatoday.com">{{cite news|first=Thomas K|last=Arnold|title=Special editions go full steam ahead|work=[[USA Today]]|date=March 28, 2005|access-date=January 19, 2010|url=http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/life/movies/news/2005-03-28-dvd-special-editions_x.htm|archive-date=January 25, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210125102914/https://usatoday30.usatoday.com/life/movies/news/2005-03-28-dvd-special-editions_x.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> At the time, less than 5% of all U.S. homes had a DVD player. "When we released the original ''Titanic'' DVD, the industry was much smaller, and bonus features were not the standard they are now," said Meagan Burrows, Paramount's president of domestic home entertainment, which made the film's DVD performance even more impressive.<ref name="www.usatoday.com" />

''Titanic'' was re-released to DVD on October 25, 2005, when a three-disc ''Special Collector's Edition'' was made available in the United States and Canada. This edition contained a newly restored transfer of the film, a 6.1 [[DTS (company)|DTS-ES Discrete]] surround sound mix and various special features. In [[PAL]] regions, two-disc and four-disc variants were released, marketed as the ''Special Edition'' and ''Deluxe Collector's Edition'' respectively. They were released in the United Kingdom on November 7, 2005. A limited 5-disc set of the film, under the title ''Deluxe Limited Edition'', was also only released in the United Kingdom with only 10,000 copies manufactured. The fifth disc contains Cameron's documentary ''[[Ghosts of the Abyss]]'', which was distributed by [[Walt Disney Pictures]]. Unlike the individual release of ''Ghosts of the Abyss'', which contained two discs, only the first disc was included in the set.<ref name="www.dvdactive.com" /> In 2007, for the film's tenth anniversary, a ''10th Anniversary Edition'' was released on DVD, which consists of the first two discs from the three-disc 2005 set containing the movie and the special features on those discs.<ref>Rich, Jamie S. (December 26, 2007). [https://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/31834/titanic-10th-anniversary-edition/ "Titanic - 10th Anniversary Edition."] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201109141427/https://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/31834/titanic-10th-anniversary-edition/ |date=November 9, 2020 }} ''DVDTalk.com''. Retrieved December 3, 2020.</ref>

The film was released by [[Paramount Home Entertainment]] on [[Blu-ray]] and [[Blu-ray#Blu-ray 3D|Blu-ray 3D]] on September 10, 2012.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Titanic#tab=video-sales|title=Titanic (1997) – Financial Information|access-date=April 16, 2020|archive-date=December 1, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201201044247/https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Titanic-(1997)#tab=video-sales|url-status=live}}</ref> The 3D presentation of the film is split over two discs and is also [[THX]]-certified. Special features on another disc included many of those featured on the 2005 ''Special Collector's Edition'' DVD along with two new documentaries titled "Reflections on Titanic" and "Titanic: The Final Word with James Cameron."<ref>{{cite web |title=Titanic Blu-ray, Blu-ray 3D, and DVD Press Release - DVDizzy.com |url=https://www.dvdizzy.com/titanic-pressrelease-0914.html |website=DVDizzy.com |access-date=23 August 2022 |date=1 June 2012 |archive-date=August 23, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220823135907/https://www.dvdizzy.com/titanic-pressrelease-0914.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The latter aired on [[National Geographic (American TV channel)|National Geographic]] on April 9, 2012, and was executively produced by Cameron.<ref>{{cite web |title=National Geographic Channel's Titanic: The Final Word with James Cameron Makes Ratings Splash Leading to 100th Anniversary of Titanic's Sinking |url=https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/national-geographic-channels-titanic-the-final-word-with-james-cameron-makes-ratings-splash-leading-to-100th-anniversary-of-titanics-sinking-146696065.html |website=PR Newswire |access-date=23 August 2022 |language=en |date=9 April 2012 |archive-date=August 23, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220823142657/https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/national-geographic-channels-titanic-the-final-word-with-james-cameron-makes-ratings-splash-leading-to-100th-anniversary-of-titanics-sinking-146696065.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

A [[4K resolution|4K]] release of the film was released on December 5, 2023, on both digital and [[Ultra HD Blu-ray]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Faulkner |first=Cameron |date=2023-10-16 |title=The prettiest version of Titanic is coming on Dec. 5 |url=https://www.polygon.com/deals/23919518/titanic-4k-blu-ray-pre-order-buy |access-date=2023-11-05 |website=Polygon |language=en-US |archive-date=November 5, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231105111212/https://www.polygon.com/deals/23919518/titanic-4k-blu-ray-pre-order-buy |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Nash |first=Anthony |date=2023-10-17 |title=Titanic 4K Blu-ray Release Date Set, Limited Edition Box Set Announced |url=https://www.comingsoon.net/movies/news/1370053-titanic-4k-blu-ray-release-date-set-limited-edition-box-set-announced |access-date=2023-11-05 |website=ComingSoon.net - Movie Trailers, TV & Streaming News, and More |language=en-US |archive-date=November 5, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231105111213/https://www.comingsoon.net/movies/news/1370053-titanic-4k-blu-ray-release-date-set-limited-edition-box-set-announced |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Hunt |first=Bill |date=2023-03-04 |title=It's official: Paramount sets James Cameron's TITANIC (1997) for 4K Ultra HD & 4K Collector's Edition on 12/5! |url=https://thedigitalbits.com/columns/my-two-cents/101723-0900 |access-date=2023-11-05 |website=thedigitalbits.com |language=en-gb |archive-date=November 5, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231105112715/https://thedigitalbits.com/columns/my-two-cents/101723-0900 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Archer |first=John |date=November 15, 2023 |title=Disney Reveals Full Details Of 'Aliens', 'The Abyss', 'True Lies' And 'Titanic' 4K Blu-Ray Releases |work=[[Forbes]] |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/johnarcher/2023/11/15/disney-reveals-full-details-of-aliens-the-abyss-true-lies-and-titanic-4k-blu-ray-releases/?sh=26de93527eb9 |access-date=November 16, 2023 |archive-date=November 16, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231116052037/https://www.forbes.com/sites/johnarcher/2023/11/15/disney-reveals-full-details-of-aliens-the-abyss-true-lies-and-titanic-4k-blu-ray-releases/?sh=26de93527eb9 |url-status=live }}</ref>

== Re-releases ==

===3D conversion<span class="anchor" id="3D re-release"></span>===
A 2012 3D re-release was created by [[Master recording|re-mastering]] the original to 4K resolution and [[2D to 3D conversion|post-converting]] to [[Stereoscopy|stereoscopic]] [[3D film|3D]] format. The ''Titanic'' 3D version took 60 weeks and $18&nbsp;million to produce, including the 4K restoration.<ref>{{cite news|title=Coming in 60 weeks: 'Titanic' in 3D version|url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/Coming-in-60-weeks-Titanic-in-3D-version/articleshow/10537468.cms?referral=PM|access-date=March 27, 2012|newspaper=The Times of India|date=October 30, 2011|archive-date=May 8, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140508062013/http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/Coming-in-60-weeks-Titanic-in-3D-version/articleshow/10537468.cms?referral=PM|url-status=live}}</ref> The 3D conversion was performed by Stereo D.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2012/03/29/movies/titanic-3d-conversion.html | work=The New York Times | title=Inside the 3-D Conversion of 'Titanic' | date=March 30, 2012 | access-date=February 20, 2017 | archive-date=August 6, 2017 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170806140243/http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2012/03/29/movies/titanic-3d-conversion.html | url-status=live }}</ref> Digital 2D and in 2D [[IMAX]] versions were also struck from the new [[4K resolution|4K]] [[Master recording|master]] created in the process.<ref>{{cite web |last=Douglas |first=Edward |date=October 12, 2011 |title=A Preview of James Cameron's Titanic 3D Rerelease |publisher=[[ComingSoon.net]] ([[CraveOnline]]) |url=https://www.comingsoon.net/news/movienews.php?id=83123 |access-date=November 18, 2011 |archive-date=November 20, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111120090226/http://www.comingsoon.net/news/movienews.php?id=83123 |url-status=live }}</ref> The only scene entirely redone for the re-release was Rose's view of the night sky at sea on the morning of April 15, 1912. The scene was replaced with an accurate view of the night-sky star pattern, including the [[Milky Way]], adjusted for the location in the North Atlantic Ocean in April 1912. The change was prompted by the astrophysicist [[Neil deGrasse Tyson]], who had criticized the unrealistic star pattern. He agreed to send Cameron a corrected view of the sky, which was the basis of the new scene.<ref name="DN">{{cite news |last=O'Neill |first=Ian |date=April 2, 2012 |title='Titanic' Accuracy Tightened by Neil deGrassee Tyson |work=[[Discovery News]] |url=http://news.discovery.com/space/astronomy/neil-degrasse-tyson-tightens-titanic-accuracy-120402.htm |access-date=December 19, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140430034527/http://news.discovery.com/space/astronomy/neil-degrasse-tyson-tightens-titanic-accuracy-120402.htm|archive-date=April 30, 2014}}</ref>
[[Image:ESO-VLT-Laser-phot-33a-07.jpg|left|thumb|An accurate view of the [[Milky Way]] was used to replace Rose's view of the moonless night sky at sea, as in this photo from [[Paranal Observatory]]. The view was adjusted to match the North Atlantic at 4:20&nbsp;am on April 15, 1912.]]

The 3D version of ''Titanic'' premiered at the [[Royal Albert Hall]] in London on March 27, 2012, with [[James Cameron]] and [[Kate Winslet]] in attendance,<ref>{{cite news|title=Titanic: Kate Winslet and James Cameron at 3D premiere|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-17526845|access-date=February 11, 2014|work=BBC News|date=March 28, 2012|archive-date=April 10, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140410160125/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-17526845|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Kate Winslet, James Cameron at Titanic 3D premiere|url=https://news.yahoo.com/kate-winslet-james-cameron-titanic-3d-premiere-183110163.html|access-date=February 11, 2014|work=[[Yahoo! News]]|date=March 27, 2012|archive-date=March 2, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140302012851/http://news.yahoo.com/kate-winslet-james-cameron-titanic-3d-premiere-183110163.html|url-status=live}}</ref> and entered general release on April 4, 2012, six days before the centenary of ''Titanic'' embarking on her maiden voyage.<ref name="official site">{{cite web|title=Titanic Official Movie Site|publisher=Paramount Pictures|access-date=February 7, 2012|url=http://www.titanicmovie.com/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120210233040/http://www.titanicmovie.com/|archive-date=February 10, 2012}}</ref><ref name="April 4">{{cite magazine |last=Semigran |first=Aly |title='Titanic' in 3-D gets earlier release date |date=February 8, 2012 |url=https://ew.com/article/2012/02/08/titanic-3d-release-date/ |magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]] |access-date=December 18, 2019 |archive-date=December 19, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191219050025/https://ew.com/article/2012/02/08/titanic-3d-release-date/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite press release|url=http://www.paramount.com/news/press-releases/paramount-pictures-twentieth-century-fox-and-lightstorm-entertainment-to-set-sail-again-with-james-c|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110721133852/http://www.paramount.com/news/press-releases/paramount-pictures-twentieth-century-fox-and-lightstorm-entertainment-to-set-sail-again-with-james-c|archive-date=July 21, 2011|title=Paramount Pictures, Twentieth Century Fox and Lightstorm Entertainment to Set Sail Again with James Cameron's Oscar-Winning "Titanic" with a Worldwide 3D Re-release on April 6, 2012|publisher=Paramount Pictures|date=May 19, 2011|access-date=May 19, 2011}}</ref>

''[[Rolling Stone]]'' film critic [[Peter Travers]] rated the reissue {{frac|3|1|2}} stars out of 4, explaining he found it "pretty damn dazzling". He said, "The 3D intensifies ''Titanic''. You are there. Caught up like never before in an intimate epic that earns its place in the movie time capsule."<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Travers|first=Peter|title=Movie Reviews – Titanic 3D|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/movies/reviews/titanic-3d-20120405|magazine=[[Rolling Stone]]|access-date=April 6, 2012|date=April 5, 2012|archive-date=February 14, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180214073515/https://www.rollingstone.com/movies/reviews/titanic-3d-20120405|url-status=live}}</ref> Writing for ''[[Entertainment Weekly]]'', [[Owen Gleiberman]] gave the film an A grade. He wrote, "For once, the visuals in a 3-D movie don't look darkened or distracting. They look sensationally crisp and alive."<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Gleiberman|first=Owen|title=Titanic 3D Review|url=https://ew.com/article/2012/04/12/titanic-3d/|magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]]|access-date=April 6, 2012|date=April 4, 2012|archive-date=April 14, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150414203210/http://www.ew.com/article/2012/04/12/titanic-3d|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Richard Corliss]] of ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'', who was very critical in 1997, remained in the same mood: "I had pretty much the same reaction: fitfully awed, mostly water-logged." In regards to the 3D effects, he noted the "careful conversion to 3D lends volume and impact to certain moments{{nbsp}}... [but] in separating the foreground and background of each scene, the converters have carved the visual field into discrete, not organic, levels."<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Corliss|first=Richard|title=Titanic, TIME and Me|url=http://entertainment.time.com/2012/04/04/titanic-time-and-me/|magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]]|access-date=April 6, 2012|date=April 4, 2012|archive-date=January 2, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140102191147/http://entertainment.time.com/2012/04/04/titanic-time-and-me/|url-status=live}}</ref> Ann Hornaday for ''[[The Washington Post]]'' found herself asking "whether the film's twin values of humanism and spectacle are enhanced by Cameron's 3-D conversion, and the answer to that is: They aren't." She added that the "3-D conversion creates distance where there should be intimacy, not to mention odd moments in framing and composition."<ref>{{cite news|last=Hornaday|first=Ann|title='Titanic 3-D' review |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/goingoutguide/titanic-3d-movie-review/2012/04/05/gIQAfaezxS_story.html |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|access-date=April 6, 2012|date=April 4, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305202515/http://www.washingtonpost.com/gog/movies/titanic-3d,1208575.html|archive-date=March 5, 2016}}</ref>

The film grossed an estimated $4.7&nbsp;million on the first day of its re-release in North America (including midnight preview showings) and went on to make $17.3&nbsp;million over the weekend, finishing in third place behind ''[[The Hunger Games (film)|The Hunger Games]]'' and ''[[American Reunion]]''.<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Young|first=John|title='Titanic 3D' leaves port with $4.4&nbsp;million on Wednesday, so was the 3-D conversion worth it?|date=April 5, 2012|magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]]|url=https://ew.com/article/2012/04/05/titanic-3d-box-office-opening/|access-date=April 8, 2012|archive-date=October 22, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151022092534/http://www.ew.com/article/2012/04/05/titanic-3d-box-office-opening|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/news/?id=3412&p=.htm|title=Weekend Report: 'Hunger Games' Three-peats, Passes $300 Million Over Easter|first=Ray|last=Subers|date=April 8, 2012|website=[[Box Office Mojo]]|access-date=April 17, 2012|archive-date=April 19, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120419040021/http://boxofficemojo.com/news/?id=3412&p=.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> Outside North America it earned $35.2&nbsp;million, finishing second,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/news/?id=3414&p=.htm|title=Around-the-World Roundup: 'Titanic 3D' Can't Stop 'Wrath'|first=Ray|last=Subers|date=April 10, 2012|website=[[Box Office Mojo]]|access-date=April 17, 2012|archive-date=April 14, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120414025947/http://www.boxofficemojo.com/news/?id=3414&p=.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> and it improved on its performance the following weekend by topping the box office with $98.9&nbsp;million.<ref name="second_weekend">{{cite web|title=Around-the-World Roundup: 'Titanic 3D' Opens to Record-Setting $67 Million in China|url=https://boxofficemojo.com/news/?id=3421&p=.htm|access-date=April 15, 2012|website=[[Box Office Mojo]]|date=April 16, 2012|archive-date=April 19, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120419012124/http://www.boxofficemojo.com/news/?id=3421&p=.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> China has proven to be its most successful territory, where it earned $11.6&nbsp;million on its opening day,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/news/?id=3416&p=.htm|title='Titanic 3D' Has Huge Opening Day in China|first=Ray|last=Subers|date=April 10, 2012|website=[[Box Office Mojo]]|access-date=April 17, 2012|archive-date=April 14, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120414025953/http://www.boxofficemojo.com/news/?id=3416&p=.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> going on to earn a record-breaking $67&nbsp;million in its opening week and taking more money in the process than it did in the entirety of its original theatrical run.<ref name="second_weekend" />

The reissue earned $343.4&nbsp;million worldwide, with $145&nbsp;million coming from China and $57.8&nbsp;million from Canada and the United States.<ref>{{cite web |title=Titanic 3D (2012) – International Box Office results |website=[[Box Office Mojo]] |url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?page=intl&id=titanic3d.htm |access-date=May 23, 2012 |archive-date=November 9, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141109084054/http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?page=intl&id=titanic3d.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> With a worldwide box office of nearly $350&nbsp;million, the 3D re-release of ''Titanic'' remains the highest grossing re-released film of all time, ahead of ''[[The Lion King]]'', ''[[Star Wars (film)|Star Wars]]'', and ''Avatar''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/releasegroup/gr4211823109/|title=Titanic 2012 3D Release|website=Box Office Mojo|access-date=April 16, 2020|archive-date=April 11, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200411132731/https://www.boxofficemojo.com/releasegroup/gr4211823109/|url-status=live}}</ref>

The 3D conversion of the film was also released in the [[4DX]] format in selected international territories, which allows the audience to experience the film's environment using motion, wind, fog, lighting and scent-based special effects.<ref>{{cite news|last=Gilchrist|first=Todd|title='Titanic' Fans Get to Go Down with the Ship in '4DX' – The Hollywood Reporter|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/titanic-3d-4dx-hunger-games-james-cameron-308391|access-date=October 28, 2013|newspaper=The Hollywood Reporter|date=April 4, 2012|archive-date=August 2, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200802090101/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/titanic-3d-4dx-hunger-games-james-cameron-308391|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Keegan|first=Rebecca|title='Titanic 4DX': Foreign audiences to smell, feel ship's sinking.|url=http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/movies/2012/04/titanic-4dx-foreign-audiences-to-experience-sinking-in-five-senses.html|access-date=October 28, 2013|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|date=April 4, 2012|archive-date=January 19, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140119075408/http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/movies/2012/04/titanic-4dx-foreign-audiences-to-experience-sinking-in-five-senses.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite press release|title=TITANIC to be Re-released in 4DX™|url=http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/titanic-to-be-re-released-in-4dx-145899195.html|access-date=October 28, 2013|agency=PR Newswire|date=April 3, 2012|archive-date=October 29, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131029195706/http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/titanic-to-be-re-released-in-4dx-145899195.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

===20th anniversary===
For the 20th anniversary of the film, ''Titanic'' was re-released in cinemas in [[Dolby Vision]] (in both 2D and 3D) for one week beginning December 1, 2017.<ref>{{cite news|last=Evans|first=Greg|title=James Cameron's 'Titanic' Floats Again in 2D & 3D December Rerelease|url=https://deadline.com/2017/11/james-cameron-titanic-rerelease-2d-3d-dolby-1202208882/|website=[[Deadline Hollywood]]|access-date=November 18, 2017|date=November 15, 2017|archive-date=November 15, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171115220452/https://deadline.com/2017/11/james-cameron-titanic-rerelease-2d-3d-dolby-1202208882/|url-status=live}}</ref>

===25th anniversary===
''Titanic'' was re-released in theaters by Paramount domestically and [[Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures]] (through the [[20th Century Studios]] and [[Buena Vista International]] labels) internationally on February 10, 2023, in a remastered 3D [[4K resolution|4K HDR]] render, with [[high frame rate]], as part of the film's 25th anniversary. For this version, the international prints update 20th Century's logo with the studio's current name, as a result of [[The Walt Disney Company|Disney]]'s [[Acquisition of 21st Century Fox by Disney|2019 acquisition of the studio]].<ref>{{cite web|last=Tartaglione|first=Nancy|url=https://deadline.com/2022/06/titanic-rerelease-date-remastered-version-james-cameron-1235050212/|title='Titanic': Remastered Version Set For Theatrical Release In Time For Valentine's Day 2023|work=Deadline Hollywood|date=June 22, 2022|access-date=June 23, 2022|archive-date=June 23, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220623002938/https://deadline.com/2022/06/titanic-rerelease-date-remastered-version-james-cameron-1235050212/|url-status=live}}</ref>

==''Titanic Live''==
''Titanic Live'' was a live performance of James Horner's original score by a 130-piece orchestra, choir and Celtic musicians, accompanying a showing of the film.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.titanic-live.com/titanic-live-the-event/|title=Titanic Live – The Event|website=Titanic Live|access-date=December 22, 2016|archive-date=December 18, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161218210146/http://www.titanic-live.com/titanic-live-the-event/|url-status=live}}</ref>{{primary source inline|date=June 2023}} In April 2015, ''Titanic Live'' premiered at the [[Royal Albert Hall]], London, where the 2012 3D re-release had premiered.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.entertainment-focus.com/film-section/film-news/titanic-live-sets-sail-for-the-royal-albert-hall/|title=Titanic Live sets sail for the Royal Albert Hall|last1=Palmer|first1=Jason|date=July 12, 2016|website=Entertainment Focus|access-date=December 22, 2016|archive-date=November 16, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181116064843/https://www.entertainment-focus.com/film-section/film-news/titanic-live-sets-sail-for-the-royal-albert-hall/|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Other media==
* In 1998, an official tie-in [[Video game|computer game]] was released, titled ''James Cameron's Titanic Explorer''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://ew.com/article/1998/12/11/james-camerons-titanic-explorer/|title=James Cameron's Titanic Explorer|author=Lisa Schwarzbaum|work=GeekyHobbies|date=December 11, 1998|access-date=May 1, 2023|archive-date=May 1, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230501075255/https://ew.com/article/1998/12/11/james-camerons-titanic-explorer/|url-status=live}}</ref> The educational game covered the history of the vessel's construction, maiden voyage and sinking, as well as the discovery and exploration of the wreck. The game included deleted footage from the film and extensive [[360-degree video]] footage of the film's sets.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/library/tech/99/04/circuits/articles/08libe-came.html|title=James Cameron's Titanic Explorer|work=The New York Times|date=April 8, 1999|access-date=May 1, 2023|archive-date=May 1, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230501075255/https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/library/tech/99/04/circuits/articles/08libe-came.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
* In 2020, a [[board game]] based on the film, titled ''Titanic: The Game'', was released by Spin Master Games.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.geekyhobbies.com/titanic-2020-board-game-review-and-rules/|title=Titanic (2020) Board Game|author=Eric Mortensen|work=GeekyHobbies|date=May 3, 2021|access-date=August 7, 2021|archive-date=August 7, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210807203234/https://www.geekyhobbies.com/titanic-2020-board-game-review-and-rules/|url-status=live}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[List of Academy Award records]]
* [[List of films by box office admissions]]
* ''[[Titanic: Music from the Motion Picture]]''
* [[List of films about the Titanic]]

==Notes==
{{reflist|group=Note}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Further reading==
{{refbegin}}
* {{cite book |last=Ballard |first=Robert |year=1987 |title=The Discovery of the Titanic |publisher=Grand Central Publishing |location=Canada |isbn=978-0-446-67174-3 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/discoveryoftitan00ball }}
* {{cite book |last=Cameron |first=Stephen |title=Titanic: Belfast's Own |year=1998 |publisher=Wolfhound Press |location=Ireland |isbn=978-0-86327-685-9}}
* {{cite book |last=Frakes |first=Randall |title=Titanic: James Cameron's Illustrated Screenplay |year=1998 |publisher=Harper |location=New York |isbn=978-0-06-095307-2}}
* {{cite book |last=Lubin |first=David M. |year=1999 |title=Titanic |series=BFI Modern Classics |publisher=BFI Publishing |location=London |isbn=978-0-85170-760-0}}
* {{cite book |last=Lynch |first=Donald |year=1992 |title=Titanic: An Illustrated History |publisher=Madison Press Books |location=New York |isbn=978-0-7868-6401-0}}
* {{cite book |last=Majoor |first=Mireille |author2=James Cameron |title=Titanic: Ghosts of the Abyss |url=https://archive.org/details/titanicghostsofa00_0 |url-access=registration |year=2003 |publisher=Scholastic |location=New York |isbn=978-1-895892-31-4 }}
* {{cite book |last1=Marsh |first1=Ed W. |last2=Kirkland |first2=Douglas |url=https://archive.org/details/jamescameronstit0000mars |title=James Cameron's Titanic |publisher=Boxtree |year=1998 |location=London |oclc=43745407 |url-access=registration |isbn=978-0-7522-2404-6 }}
* {{cite book |last=Molony |first=Senan |title=Titanic: A Primary Source History |year=2005 |publisher=Gareth Stevens |location=Canada |isbn=978-0-8368-5980-5}}
* {{cite book |last=Parisi |first=Paula |title=Titanic and the Making of James Cameron |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7A9ws0inw4YC&pg=PP1 |year=1998 |publisher=Orion |location=London |isbn=978-0-7528-1799-6 |access-date=October 29, 2020 |archive-date=September 20, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230920145057/https://books.google.com/books?id=7A9ws0inw4YC&pg=PP1 |url-status=live }}
* {{cite book |editor1-last=Sandler |editor1-first=Kevin S. |editor2-first=Gaylyn |editor2-last=Studlar |title=Titanic: Anatomy of a Blockbuster |publisher=Rutgers University Press |year=1999 |location=Piscataway, NJ |isbn=978-0-8135-2669-0 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/titanicanatomyof0000unse }}
{{refend}}

==External links==
{{commons category|Titanic (1997 film)}}
{{wikiquote}}
* {{Official website|https://www.paramountpictures.com/movies/titanic}}
* {{IMDb title|id=0120338|title=Titanic}}
* {{TCMDb title|id=454250|title=Titanic}}
* {{AllMovie title|158894|Titanic}}
* [https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Titanic#tab=summary ''Titanic''] at [[The Numbers (website)|The Numbers]]
* [https://www.imsdb.com/scripts/Titanic.html Screenplay of ''Titanic''] at The Internet Movie Script Database
* [https://www.paramountmovies.com/movies/titanic Paramount Movies - ''Titanic'']
* {{YouTube|id=WOoVjzjGKSg|title=YouTube video detailing model construction}}

{{Yearly highest-grossing US films}}
{{RMS Titanic}}
{{James Cameron}}
{{Navboxes
|title = [[List of accolades received by Titanic|Awards for ''Titanic'']]
|list =
{{AcademyAwardBestPicture 1981-2000}}
{{Academy Award Best Sound Editing}}
{{Academy Award Best Visual Effects}}
{{Blue Ribbon Award for Best Foreign Film}}
{{Empire Award for Best Film}}
{{Florida Film Critics Circle Award for Best Film}}
{{GoldenGlobeBestMotionPictureDrama 1981-2000}}
{{Japan Academy Film Prize for Outstanding Foreign Language Film}}
{{Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Award for Favorite Movie}}
{{MTV Movie Award for Best Movie}}
{{Producers Guild of America Award for Best Theatrical Motion Picture}}
{{Satellite Award Best Motion Picture}}
}}
{{Portal bar|Film|United States|1990s}}
{{Authority control|state=expanded}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Titanic (1997 Film)}}
[[Category:Titanic (1997 film)| ]]
[[Category:1990s adventure films]]
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