Every Record Titanic Has Set Or Broken Since 1997
Listen up, y'all! Titanic, one of the Greatest Movies of Our Time, is turning the big 2-0, and I'm here to remind you just how life-changing this piece of art really was. It sparked intellectual debate (Could Jack have fit on that damn door? Yes.); it set unrealistic expectations for true love; it was an action-packed, emotional rollercoaster of cinematic perfection. And quite honestly, if you didn't have a crush on Leonardo DiCaprio or Kate Winslet, you were only lying to yourself. The movie also broke a ton of cinematic records. Herewith, a list of its accomplishments - and an update on where the movie stands today.
1. In 1998, it became the first movie ever to surpass a worldwide box office gross of $1 billion, sitting at $1,002,706,625 as of March 3.
Does it still hold the record? It did for 12 years until James Cameron beat his own record with the release of Avatar, which grossed at $1.858 billion in 39 days. (Keep in mind box-office records don't account for things like inflation of ticket prices.)
2. Gloria Stuart was nominated for Best Supporting Actress at the age of 87 for her role as Old Rose, making her the oldest person to ever be nominated for an Oscar.
Does it still hold the record? Yes.
3. Titanic was the number-one movie in North American theaters for 15 consecutive weekends.
Does it still hold the record? Yes.
4. It tied All About Eve (1950) for the highest number of Oscar nominations (14 noms out of 24 categories).
Does it still hold the record? Yes, but La La Land also joined the ranks last year.
5. Of its 14 Oscar nominations, the film won 11 awards, tying the 1959 film Ben-Hur for the most wins in Academy Awards history.
Does it still hold the record? Yes, but The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King (2003)also tied the record.
6. It was the first film to be nominated for all seven technical categories at the Oscars - Cinematography, Costume Design, Film Editing, Production Design/Art Direction, Sound Editing, Sound Mixing, and Visual Effects - and to win in every category.
Does it still hold the record. Four other films have been nominated in every technical category - Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (2003), Hugo (2011),Mad Max: Fury Road (2015), and another Leo movie, The Revenant (2015) - but Titanic still holds the record for winning every one.
7. At the time of its release, it was the most expensive movie ever made, with a hefty $200 million budget.
Does it still hold the record? No. The record stood for 12 years until Peter Jackson's King Kong (2005) was produced for $205 million. Movies have since been made for significantly more money, like Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (2011), which cost $378.5 million. (Again, you have to take inflation into account.)
8. It set the record for highest domestic grossing movie ever from its debut in December, 1997 to its close in October, 1998, making more than $650 million dollars.
Does it still hold the record? No. Avatar beat it in 2009, raking in more than $760 million, and Star Wars: The Force Awakens beat Avatar in 2015, earning more than $935 million.
Now if you ever meet Leo, you can drop some #facts to show him you truly appreciate his body of work. You're welcome.
Titanic turns 20 on December 19. Read more anniversary articles here.
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