Could the Titanic Rerelease Score Even More Oscars? Or Beat Avatar's Box Office Record?

That big leaky boat is coming again, in 3-D! But what are the chances of more Academy Awards and a new box-office record?

By Leslie Gornstein Apr 01, 2012 4:15 PMTags
Titanic, Kate Winslet, Leonardo DiCaprio20th Century Fox

Can Kate, Leo or Titanic be nominated for Oscars again? Can the gross be added to 1997 gross to perhaps top Avatar?
—M.C. Braswell, via Twitter

You speak of the upcoming overblown rerelease of a bloated laughable drama reprise from filmmaker James Cameron.

Yes, Titanic, that Oscar-winning iceberg crash from 1997 is set to weigh anchor once again this week, and in blooming 3-D at that.

So will the rerelease garner a second round of Oscar love, or just more money for Cameron?

No way on the Oscar front, contacts tell this B!tch. A rereleased film is not eligible for fresh consideration for Academy Awards, so do not look for Kate Winslet to broadcast her disappointment all over again next February.

But there's nothing stopping anybody from adding any fresh income to the movie's current grosses. After all, that's just compiling a bunch of number to determine how much a film has earned over time.

"Yes, rereleases are routinely added to a film's total gross, whenever a new incarnation is distributed theatrically," Exhibitor Relations Co. Senior Box Office Analyst Jeff Bock tells this B!tch. "This has been going on for years—films like E.T., The Exorcist and Star Wars: The Special Edition."

In fact, Bock points out, thanks to a recent 3-D re-release "retrofit," Star Wars: The Phantom Menace became just the 11th film to cross the $1 billion mark worldwide thanks to the additional $100 million it raked in. And yes, this latest iteration had Jar Jar in it and everything.

Now, about Titanic and Avatar specifically: Those two currently hold the No. 1 and No. 2 positions on the domestic and worldwide box office chart. Titanic is No. 2 with $1.8 billion globally, but it's a distant No. 2. Avatar boasts a current pimp wad of $2.7 billion. 

So how much more does the Titanic rerelease stand to rake in? Don't hope for a another billion for Mr. Cameron.

"There's as much a chance of that happening as James Cameron green-lighting Titanic 2," Bock cracks. "But, that said, look for a worldwide total of over $150-plus million, and possibly closer to $200 million."

In other words, Rose DeWitt Bukater's heart will go on and on, and so will James Cameron's bank account.

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