Titanic Frequently Asked Questions
by Joe Tracy, Publisher of Hollywood Lot Magazine

Q: Is the footage of the sunken Titanic at the beginning of the movie actual footage from Titanic’s grave?

A: Yes. The majority of the footage of Titanic’s grave seen in the movie is from several time-consuming and difficult dives made to the Titanic. Some elements of the footage, however, were enhanced or digitally recreated by Digital Domain.

Q: Were Jack and Rose real characters aboard the Titanic?

A: Jack, Rose, and their family and many acquaintances were not real passengers aboard the Titanic. They were fictional characters put aboard the ship in order to tell the story Cameron wanted to tell. The movie often blurs the lines between fiction and reality.

Q: When was the grave of the actual Titanic discovered?

A: Dr. Robert Ballard and his expedition team discovered Titanic’s final resting place in 1985. This is when the amazing discovery was made that the Titanic did not sink in one piece, but rather two separate pieces.

Q: How deep is the Titanic in the ocean?

A: 12,500 feet deep!

Q: What is Titanic rated?

A: Titanic is rated PG-13 for “disaster related peril and violence, nudity, sensuality and brief language.”

Q: How much money did Titanic make at the Box office?

A: Titanic is the highest grossing movie of all time, both in the Unites States and worldwide. It made over $600 million in the U.S. and over $1.8 billion worldwide. It is the only movie to make over $1 billion worldwide.

Q: How long is the movie?

A: Titanic is three hours and 23 minutes long, making its box office take even all the more impressive!

Q: Is it true that Titanic won more Academy Awards than any movie ever?

A: Titanic is tied with Ben Hur for the record of the most Academy Awards. Both movies won 11 Academy Awards.

Q: How many movies have been made about the Titanic disaster?

A: Over 15 movies have been made about the Titanic disaster. In addition, there have been several documentaries and TV series created. Some have been quite controversial, particularly a CBS mini-series that even the screenwriter disassociated himself with after CBS felt the need to sex it up, including a rape scene. While James Cameron’s Titanic is the most painstaking in visual details, it is far from the most accurate. Several other movies tell the story much more factually.

Q: Has anyone considered building an actual replica of the Titanic?

A: This has been considered on several occasions, but never to the point of construction taking place. The set built for the movie remains the closest replica to the actual ship. There was once serious consideration given to the building a casino in Las Vegas that was Titanic themed. The proposal for a Titanic casino first emerged in 1999 and was estimated to cost $300 million to build. It has serious backing. The plan hit several stumbling blocks however and was ultimately rejected by the Las Vegas City Council. The exterior was to be in the shape and design of the Titanic ship and was to include an “Iceberg Casino”.

Q: Did Rose die at the end of the movie?

A: This is heavily debated amongst those who have see the movie. And Cameron intended it to be this way. Even in the actual script it says, “She could be sleeping, or maybe something else.”