Friday, Feb. 27, 1998

Titanic still reeling in profits

By ELENA SUH
Collegian Arts Writer

It would be more than three hours long, cost more than $200 million dollars and have a cast devoid of box-office stars.

These are the elements writer and director James Cameron had to sell to executives at 20th Century Fox in order to get approval to make Titanic.

Hundreds of people wait outside Cinema 6, 501 Benner Pike, at 11:15 a.m. last Saturday for tickets to Titanic. Consistently breaking box-office records since its opening weekend, the movie is predicted to soon surpass Star Wars as the nation's top-grossing box-office hit of all-time.(Collegian Photo/Andrea Elizabeth Kohler - click for full size image)

The risk paid off; the most expensive movie in film history has grossed more than $400 million domestically and almost $1 billion worldwide for both Fox, the film's overseas distributor, and Paramount Pictures, which co-financed the film and controls the film's rights in the United States and Canada.

Industry experts predict Titanic will soon surpass Star Wars to become the No.1 box-office hit of all time.

The sinking of the Titanic, an unlikely setting for a love story, has captivated the nation's movie-goers.

For the tenth straight week, the film has reached No. 1 in the box office. Cinema 6, 501 Benner Pike, the only local movie theater playing Titanic, has been overflowing with long lines on the weekends since the movie's release.

"Basically, it's been sold out every weekend," said Steve Gillespie, Cinema 6 theater manager. "I haven't seen anything do this kind of business."

The underlying success of Titanic may lie within the simplicity of its storyline. The Romeo and Juliet-esque story about a young socialite named Rose (Kate Winslet) who falls in love with a poor young artist named Jack (Leonardo DiCaprio), has emotionally gripped the nation.

Last weekend, Jenny Brinker (freshman-psychology) spent part of her Saturday contributing to Titanic's success. This was her fourth time watching the film.

"The three hours goes by really quickly because of the story," she said. "I was crying my eyes out."

Even with rising stars DiCaprio and Winslet headlining the movie, Brinkler said the plot steered the film. To her, the cast was just an enhancement, she said.

Titanic seems to know no gender differences; it continues to draw women as well as men back in time to 1912, on the grand cruise-liner.

Howard Yuan (sophomore-electrical engineering) said in an E-mail he was "drained emotionally," after watching the movie. Attempting to see the film for the second time, he was faced with the now infamous "Sold Out" sign, which has appeared on the theater's doors each weekend since the movie opened.

Although romance is not his favorite genre of movies to see, Matthew Miller (freshman-computer science), has also seen the movie four times because he was fascinated with the storyline.

"I don't see romantic movies often, but this was definitely one I made a point to see," Miller said in an E-mail message. "I think this movie was different because it portrayed the type of love everyone wants, but can't have."