Titanic takes Netflix by storm 27 years after its release
Streaming platform users are often criticised for not making their own choices when selecting films and series, instead watching whatever the service suggests. In the case of "Titanic," this argument definitely cannot be used. The iconic movie by James Cameron has become a hit on Netflix 27 years after its theatrical release.
17 July 2024 13:17
On the day of its launch in 1911, the world press hailed Titanic as the largest and most magnificent passenger ship ever built. It was also a very fast liner. It could sail at a maximum speed of 24 knots, approximately 28 mph (45 km/h). At least, it was claimed that its mission during the maiden voyage was to break the speed record for crossing the Atlantic and winning the Blue Riband.
However, the competition for the Blue Riband 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. Titanic sank on the night of 14-15 April 1912. Of approximately 2,200 passengers, only 730 were saved. There were over 1,100 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 fourth – 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).
On the Netflix platform, "Titanic" appeared on 15 July. The next day, it became the second most popular title worldwide. It is currently number one in twenty countries.
