Titanic Trailer's 4-Minute Epic Won Over Skeptical Studios

According to the memoirs of the late Titanic producer Jon Landau, set to be published next month, the film's first trailer faced significant challenges before becoming a blockbuster success. When the 4-minute trailer was initially sent to the studios, Fox and Paramount, it was not well-received, as Landau relates.

However, the team behind Titanic was unable to shorten the trailer further without losing crucial elements that were needed to convey the scope of the film. Alternate cuts were attempted, but they made the movie appear more like an action film. Ultimately, they were able to secure the approval of Paramount's CEO to test the trailer at SHOWest, the precursor to the modern CinemaCon event in Las Vegas.

Surprisingly, the trailer's approval came from an unlikely source: actor Kurt Russell, who was there to promote his own Paramount thriller, Breakdown. Landau describes how Russell's words helped sway the consensus, leading theater owners to approve the 4-minute trailer, even though it required a special dispensation from the MPA as it exceeded the standard trailer length at the time.

Despite concerns about the trailer giving away the entire plot, Titanic went on to become the highest-grossing movie ever made for years, proving that the epic trailer did not deter audiences from flocking to theaters to experience the film.