Jon Landau Reveals ‘Titanic’ Nearly “Sank” Even Before It Hit Theaters

by

Jon Landau, who produced the blockbuster film *Titanic*, recently shared details about how nearly derailed the production of the movie.

I just finished reading The Bigger Picture, and wow! Landau really pulls back the curtain on everything that almost went wrong during the making of the film. He details all the struggles, close calls, and just plain chaos that nearly prevented it from ever reaching the big screen. It’s coming out on November 4th, published by Hyperion Avenue, and it’s a fascinating read for anyone who loves movies.

James Cameron remembers that the biggest challenge while making *Titanic* wasn’t shooting the romance between Jack and Rose, but actually deciding how and where to construct the ship in the first place.

I was amazed to learn how much James Cameron wanted everything to feel authentic! It wasn’t just about building the Titanic itself, but also the entire ocean environment. The team actually spent a whole year traveling the globe trying to find the perfect location to film. They looked at all sorts of places, even a quarry in Poland, but ultimately they chose Rosarito, Mexico – it was a really unexpected choice!

The location initially felt off – it was sunny and warm, a stark contrast to the cold North Atlantic where the Titanic actually sank. However, Landau recognized the possibilities. He describes how, with a little imagination, you could almost picture the ship being built and sailing through an icy sea.

He drew out his vision on a napkin and planned to convince Cameron to come see it.

This created a new problem. Cameron wouldn’t go to the location until the studio gave the okay, but the studio wouldn’t give that okay until a location was actually secured.

The film production was stalled and going nowhere. Finally, Fox gave in and allowed Landau to show Cameron the location they’d chosen. However, Cameron wasn’t happy with it. He immediately protested, exclaiming, “Landau! What were you thinking? There are lights and a hill – how can this possibly look like the middle of the ocean?”

Landau wasn’t surprised by the initial reaction. But after some minor changes, Cameron completely changed his opinion, enthusiastically stating, “This is perfect! There’s nowhere else we could possibly film this movie!”

After that, filming became much larger in scope. The movie’s budget quickly ballooned, with costs eventually doubling the original amount. The press seized on this, and rumors began circulating that *Titanic* was in trouble. Some journalists even compared it to famous box office failures like *Waterworld* and *Cleopatra*, predicting it would be a similar disaster.

Things were super tense back at the studio, too. The execs were really stressing about the film’s length and how much it was costing. I heard a funny story about producer Landau and James Cameron bumping into Rupert Murdoch, who owned Fox back then, during editing. Landau actually joked, “I guess we’re probably the two people you dislike the most right now!” Murdoch just coolly replied, “Let me see the finished movie, *then* I’ll tell you how I feel.” Talk about pressure!

The first major test came during a preview screening in Minnesota. The audience didn’t know what movie they were about to watch. When *Titanic* started, the room was completely silent, leading Landau to believe the film wasn’t working. However, the atmosphere quickly changed. By the end, the audience was deeply moved, with people crying and cheering.

You wouldn’t believe the initial reaction! Apparently, someone told the test audience they were seeing *Great Expectations*, another movie Fox had made. So, when *Titanic* started, they all thought it was just a trailer! Once it dawned on them that they were actually watching the whole film, everything finally made sense – the gasps, the tears, the whole shebang. It was a crazy misunderstanding, but ultimately, it proved how powerful the movie was.

Following its release, *Titanic* became a massive hit, winning 11 Academy Awards and grossing over $2 billion globally.

Read More

2025-10-14 20:14