Rebirth of the Titanic

Fifteen years ago James Cameron steered the luxury liner Titanic on a historical voyage to the top of the Hollywood box office. In 1997, the film that began the illustrious careers of Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet brought in a worldwide gross of $1.8 billion. This was a milestone that remained untouched for 12 years until James Cameron himself topped it.

April 15, 2012 marked the centennial anniversary of the disaster that unexpectedly took the unsinkable ship to the depths of the Atlantic Ocean. To commemorate the anniversary, James Cameron announced a rerelease of the film in 3-D, a decision that sparked controversy. Many fans, ones that have not yet accepted the 3-D realm that has Hollywood intoxicated, were outraged at the announcement. They said producers should leave successful films alone. James Cameron, however, argued the release celebrates the 100-year anniversary of the sinking in way that is most significant.

The process of re-mastering Titanic in digital 3-D took 60 weeks to complete and cost roughly $18 million. It consisted of re-mastering the original as a 4K resolution, which is an industry standard resolution for computer graphics. Afterwards, it’s post-converted using a stereoscopic format, a technique that enhances the illusion of depth within the film, creating the magic of 3-D to the viewer. Besides the addition of 3-D, the only other alterations to the original that James Cameron made were minor details that the average viewer probably would not have noticed. Cameron redid the scene consisting of Rose’s view of the night sky on the morning of April 15, 1912. In the scene he replaced the sky with an accurate view, including the Milky Way, and the constellations were adjusted for the ship’s location in the Atlantic Ocean in 1912.

After the release of Titanic in 3-D on April 4, critics raved. Peter Travers of Rolling Stone wrote, “The 3-D intensifies Titanic. You are there. Caught up like never before in an intimate epic that earns its place in the movie time capsule.” In the first day of its release the film grossed roughly $4.4 million, and then another $17.3 million over Easter weekend. Titanic in 3-D took third on the United States box office charts behind The Hunger Games and American Reunion.

Despite speculation from fans, the re-release of Titanic in 3-D gained admiration throughout the industry and was deemed the perfect way to celebrate the 100-year anniversary of its famous voyage. Titanic in 3-D brings the perilous journey of the ship back to life in a crystal clear picture fans are sure to remember for years to come.