Netflix revives "Titanic" as worldwide streaming sensation
5:41 PM EDT, July 17, 2024
Streaming platform users are often criticized for not making their own choices when selecting movies and series, instead watching whatever the service suggests. In the case of "Titanic," this argument definitely cannot be used. The iconic film by James Cameron has become a hit on Netflix 27 years after its theatrical release.
On the day of its launch in 1911, the world press hailed the Titanic as the largest and most magnificent passenger ship ever built. It was also a very fast liner, able to sail at a maximum speed of 24 knots, which is approximately 28 mph. At least, it was claimed, the Titanic's mission during the maiden voyage was to break the speed record for crossing the Atlantic and win the Blue Riband.
In the competition for the Blue Riband, however, it was doomed to fail, and the whole affair was, in contemporary language, merely a marketing ploy. It couldn't have broken the record even if the Titanic had sailed at maximum speed for the entire voyage. The smaller and thus faster RMS Mauretania crossed the Atlantic in 1907 in 4 days, 22 hours, and 33 minutes. This means that the average speed was 26 knots. The Titanic did not reach such a speed.
Unfortunately, the assertion that the liner was unsinkable and completely safe also turned out to be a marketing ploy. After colliding with an iceberg, it stayed afloat for barely 3 hours. The Titanic sank on the night of April 14 to 15, 1912. Of approximately 2200 passengers, only 730 were saved. There were over 1100 spaces on the liner's lifeboats. Based on this story, James Cameron directed the highest-grossing film in cinema history.
On the list of the greatest hits of all time, "Titanic" ranks 4th – behind "Avatar" ($2.92 billion worldwide), "Avengers: Endgame" ($2.8 billion), and "Avatar: The Way of Water" ($2.32 billion). "Titanic" earned $2.26 billion, but it is by far the oldest film in this group, which means that when adjusted for inflation (in terms of attendance), it becomes the biggest hit in cinema history (over $4 billion in revenue).
