A Record-Breaking Streak of ‘Titanic’ Proportions

In sports, there are certain record-setting achievements that, at the time they occur, not only confound the experts but place the athlete in a realm all his own: Bob Beamon’s long jump of 29 feet, 2 1/2 inches is one example; the 63-yard field goal by Tom Dempsey is another.

In Hollywood, there are now similar analogies being made about “Titanic” and its remarkable box-office run.

Costing more than $200 million, many in the film industry questioned whether “Titanic” would ever break even. This week, however, the three-hour epic love story set aboard history’s famously ill-fated ocean liner became the first movie to pass $1 billion in worldwide theatrical box office.

At $1.01 billion, “Titanic” has surpassed the previous record of $913 million in worldwide grosses set by “Jurassic Park” in 1993.

After only its 11th week in release, the box office for “Titanic” is so off the charts that those who tabulate the results for a living won’t hazard a guess as to how much higher it can climb.

“That’s the amazing part of it,” said Tom Borys, chief operating officer of ACNielsen EDI, the industry’s overnight box-office tracking service. “It’s breaking all these records with momentum. It’s not just squeaking to the next record, it’s zooming past all the records.

“You have to ask yourself, how high is up, and we don’t know yet,” Borys added. “There is no end in sight yet for this film.”

Nominated for 14 Academy Awards, director James Cameron’s film starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet is expected to get an added boost when the Oscars are handed out on March 23. As it was, the film saw ticket sales jump 43% over the Presidents Day holiday weekend last month after the Oscar nominations were announced.

According to Paramount Pictures, which co-financed the movie with 20th Century Fox, “Titanic” has taken in $428 million to date in North America, trailing only “Star Wars,” which has taken in $461.1 million since its 1977 debut. When foreign territories are added in, the film has gone over $1 billion.

But some experts point out that it’s nearly impossible to rank Hollywood’s top-grossing films across the decades.

“There are usually questions surrounding grosses and records because accurate records were seldom kept--in some cases, they were lost, misplaced or destroyed,” said John Krier, who heads the box-office tracking firm Exhibitor Relations Co.

“In some instances, we have found that even the studio records are not complete, and we differ,” Krier added. “And there have been two or three times when big companies have called to check their records saying they needed them.”

Only with the advent of computers, Krier explained, did reasonably accurate domestic record-keeping become possible. And, he noted, accurate records are still not always possible in some foreign countries.

While “Titanic” may currently reign as No. 2 on the all-time domestic charts, its ranking changes when the figures are adjusted for inflation.

Using a 1997 average ticket price of $4.48, Exhibitor Relations found that the top-grossing film of all time, when adjusted for inflation, is “Gone With the Wind.” Over six decades, the 1939 Civil War saga starring Vivien Leigh and Clark Gable has taken in $885.2 million domestically. Coming in at No. 2 is “Star Wars” at $797.9 million.

With its current domestic box office now at $428 million, “Titanic” ranks No. 11 when the figures are adjusted for inflation, the firm said.

Still, it should be noted that “Gone With the Wind” had a 60-year life span to get where it is today, while “Titanic” has only been in release since Dec. 19.

Indeed, the film’s performance from one weekend to the next has been so stunning that some people immersed in the minutia of box office note that the film took in $19.6 million domestically on its 11th weekend, while the next closest film was 1982’s “E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial,” which took in $7.6 million on its 11th weekend.

“Titanic” has been equally impressive overseas as in the United States.

Now in 48 territories overseas, it finished last weekend with $45 million for the seventh consecutive weekend and is already the top-grossing movie in 22 countries, including Brazil, Germany, Indonesia, Italy and Mexico. It is also the third-highest grossing movie in Britain behind “The Full Monty” and “Jurassic Park,” according to Fox.

The studio said “Titanic” has taken in $380.7 million in Europe, $137.6 million in Asia and $61.9 million in Latin America.

There are only nine territories--primarily in Eastern Europe--where the film has not yet been released, according to Fox. “Titanic” will debut in India this weekend, although it is not considered a strong market for American films, and on April 10 the film will open in China.

“It’s not only a domestic phenomenon, it’s a worldwide phenomenon,” said Rob Friedman, who heads marketing and distribution at Paramount, which released the film domestically. “It’s fun to watch.”