Without a doubt, the epic period piece from James Cameron that launched Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet to fame is one of the greatest movies ever to hit the silver screen. However, Cameron’s epic disaster drama Titanic, released in 1997 despite being a cultural touchstone of the decade, turned out to face some obstacles during production.
Apart from the backstage drama, and accidents involved, Titanic was also considered to be a failure, way before it even hit the theaters. While it now sounds crazy, considering the paramount success of the movie, the press and media passionately stood in favor of the movie’s possibility to be a flop, during production.
Leonardo DiCaprio’s Titanic Was Predicted To Be A Flop
James Cameron’s ill-fated maiden voyage of the RMS Titanic, broke all records when it was released in the theaters in 1997. The epic disaster drama featuring Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet as starstruck lovers, Jack and Rose, set milestones for a generation to come. Turning out to be a cinematic spectacle, Titanic became the talk of Tinseltown for decades.
Even now, after more than 25 years, Titanic is still considered one of the greatest movies of all time. However, the response wasn’t quite the same, when the movie was being made. Apparently, Leonardo DiCaprio‘s 1997 movie was predicted to be a flop during production. Irrespective of the appreciation and accolades received by Titanic, the movie was considered to be a failure way before it hit the theatres.
Recalling his period piece after decades, James Cameron opened up to The Hollywood Reporter in 2017 about the drama surrounding the project early on in production. Disclosing the negativity, mistreatment, and hate that led up to the film’s premiere, Cameron mentioned how Paramount Pictures was forced to push back the release date.
Media Passionately Mistreated Titanic Before Its Release
According to Titanic‘s director James Cameron, Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet’s 1997 movie received immense hate and disrespect way before it was even released. Without a proper analysis of Titanic, Cameron mentioned how the movie was criticized during its production phase. However, there’s no denying that the entire crew successfully dodged all negativity to deliver the masterpiece.
The director shared with The Hollywood Reporter, “We were trying desperately to complete the visual effects in time for a summer release”. Amid such a grave deadline approaching times, Cameron addressed how Titanic was flooded with criticism from the press and media. “We were also being pummeled relentlessly in the press, — about epic cost overruns, set safety, delivery dates, and just about everything.” he disclosed.
“We were the biggest morons in Hollywood history and the press had the long knives out, sharpening them as we approached our summer release. It would have reached a crescendo of scorn just as we put the film in theaters.”
That’s when James Cameron personally came up with the idea of postponing the release date. Without giving in to the criticism, the director mentioned pitching the idea of taking a step back and not reacting. “I pitched the concept that the best way to deal with the negative press was to take a step back.” Cameron shared. Eventually, the director’s idea worked wonders and the critics fell on their faces when Leonardo DiCaprio’s movie grossed $2.2B worldwide.
Watch Titanic on Paramount+.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
