Week-by-Week Domination
US domestic earnings — 20 weeks of record-breaking history
The Floating Door Debate
One of the greatest controversies in cinema history: could Jack have survived on that door with Rose?
The door clearly had enough buoyancy. Rose barely sank it. Basic physics says two people could have fit or at least clung to the sides.
The door couldn't support both their weights without sinking — as shown when Jack tried to get on and it dipped dangerously.
Technically possible with proper weight distribution and the life jacket trick, but survival in 28°F water was questionable regardless.
Which Titanic Character Are You?
The official (unofficial) Titanic personality quiz
Answer these 6 questions and discover your Titanic destiny. Will you draw the lucky hand, sip first-class champagne, or go down with the ship?
Leo DiCaprio: Teen Idol Phenomenon
Before Titanic, Leo DiCaprio was a respected young actor. After Titanic, he was the most screamed-at human being on the planet.
Gets his big break on Growing Pains as Luke Brower
Oscar nomination for What's Eating Gilbert Grape — critics are paying attention
Romeo + Juliet: the Shakespeare adaptation makes him a bonafide heartthrob
Titanic releases December 19 — Leo-mania officially goes global
Tiger Beat, Seventeen, and every teen magazine runs monthly Leo covers
Famously NOT nominated for an Oscar — fans riot (metaphorically)
Deliberately takes edgier roles to escape the heartthrob label
Begins one of Hollywood's most impressive career reinventions
Female fans would scream so loudly at premieres that interviews became impossible
Teen magazines sold out within hours of any Leo cover in 1998
His face was on lunchboxes, folders, posters, and notebooks across America
He was reportedly so embarrassed by the Titanic phenomenon that he avoided press for years
His 1998 Oscar snub for Best Actor is considered one of the all-time Academy snubs
The Making of a Legend
$200M, 160 days, real hypothermia, and one improvised line
Titanic cost approximately $200 million to produce — more than any film in history at that point. Fox and Paramount famously split the cost because neither wanted to risk it alone.
Principal photography lasted 160 days, making it one of the longest Hollywood shoots ever. Cast and crew regularly worked 19-hour days.
Actors who filmed in the water tank frequently suffered from hypothermia. Kate Winslet refused to wear a wetsuit for authenticity and ended up with pneumonia and a mild form of the condition.
The main water tank built for the production held 17 million gallons of water. The ship set built for the film was 775 feet long — 90% the size of the actual Titanic.
Leonardo DiCaprio improvised 'I'm the king of the world!' on the spot. James Cameron had only written 'Jack faces forward.' It became one of the most quoted movie lines of all time.
Celine Dion initially refused to record 'My Heart Will Go On,' thinking the film would be a disaster. Her husband/manager René Angélil convinced her. The song sold 18 million copies.
During filming, about 80 cast and crew members were hospitalized after someone laced the New England clam chowder with PCP. To this day, the culprit was never identified.
Titanic won 11 Oscars, tying the all-time record set by Ben-Hur (1959). It was nominated in every category except Best Original Screenplay — because Cameron didn't think it would win.