Nothing on Earth should come between you and the re-release of Titanic this Valentine's Day. James Cameron's glorious romantic blockbuster sails back into Cineworld in a newly remastered 4K print, meaning that the highs and lows, romances and tragedies of this world-conquering epic gleam with even more luster than before.
Couple this with a new 3D presentation and the compelling story of Titanic promises to feel more immersive than ever. It's once again time to get on board with Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet as their fictional on-screen romance dovetails with one of the greatest maritime disasters on record.
In anticipation of Titanic's return, here are 25 facts that you may or may not have known already. Scroll down to discover the remarkable making of Cameron's historic movie.
1. Cameron originally pitched Titanic to studio 20th Century Fox as "Romeo & Juliet on the Titanic."
2. Cameron visited the actual wreck of the Titanic 12 times in 1995.
3. He aimed to use this footage to win over dubious studio executives and secure funding for the movie.
4. "The story could not have been written better," Cameron said. "The juxtaposition of rich and poor, the gender roles played out unto death (women first), the stoicism and nobility of a bygone age, the magnificence of the great ship matched in scale only by the folly of the men who drove her hell-bent through the darkness. And above all the lesson: that life is uncertain, the future unknowable...the unthinkable possible."
5. Cameron then spent six months researching the history of the Titanic for his screenplay, also leaving heavily on the classic 1958 film A Night To Remember that chronicled the disaster.
6. The original builders of the RMS Titanic, Harland and Wolff, granted production designer Peter Lamont and his crew access to their historic blueprints, allowing for a truly authentic recreation of the great ship.
7. The period-authentic interiors were designed using photos of the Titanic to get everything accurate down to the last detail.
8. This included the Grand Staircase although it was widened from the original design for the purposes of cinematography.
9. A 17-million-gallon tank in Mexico was used for exterior shots of the ship.
10. Cameron cast Leonardo DiCaprio after the actor's somewhat cocky attitude in the audition suggested he was perfect for the role of Jack.
11. Kate Winslet was so determined to claim the part of Rose that she rang Cameron on his car phone, later securing an audition.
12. She later sent Cameron a bunch of roses with the message, "From your Rose."
13. Cameron's hands are seen sketching Rose during the famous life-drawing sequence.
14. Two Titanic historians, Don Lynch and Ken Marschall, authenticated the historical detail in the film.
15. Principal photography started in July 1996 in Nova Scotia and the shoot was famously arduous, Cameron cementing his reputation as a famously demanding and iron-willed filmmaker.
16. The movie went over budget, meaning that Cameron had to forgo his $8 million salary to keep the production afloat.
17. So convinced was 20th Century Fox that the movie was going to fail, it split the distribution rights between itself (worldwide) and Paramount (US only).
18. The movie's pioneering CGI effects were designed by Digital Domain and Pacific Data Images who had worked with the filmmaker on 1991's Terminator 2: Judgment Day and 1989's The Abyss.
19. The terrifying moment where the ship breaks in half prior to eventually sinking involved a tilting full-sized set, 150 extras, and 100 stunt performers.
20. Several sequences were edited out of the finished film including a fight between Jack and valet Lovejoy (David Warner).
21. Late composer James Horner collaborated with Celine Dion in private, later presenting 'My Heart Will Go On' to a surprised Cameron.
22. Horner's Oscar-winning score would become the most successful classical film score of all time, and 'My Heart Will Go On' also picked up an Oscar for Best Original Song
23. Titanic became the first movie to pass the $1 billion mark at the box office.
24. Upon receiving Titanic's Best Picture Oscar, Cameron quipped: "Does this prove that size really does matter?"
25. In 2017, on the 20th anniversary of its release, the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".
Feel like the king of the world this Valentine's Day. Click here to book your tickets for Titanic, re-releasing at Cineworld on February 10th.
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