James Cameron’s Titanic is getting another release in China, this one timed to the 25th anniversary of the original film. An April 3 launch date has been set. The version going out on that day will be a remastered 3D 4K HDR update, as was the version that was released elsewhere in February, and will include a premium large format component. (Check out the new poster below.)
China is a massive market for Cameron. Titanic originally released to about $44M in April 1998. In April 2012, the 3D version that sailed there grossed another $145M, setting opening records at the time — and this was just as the PRC was emerging as a major hub. The full cume to date in China is estimated at $189M. More recently, Cameron’s Avatar: The Way of Water swam to a $246M total there.
On a global basis, 20th Century Studios/Lightstorm/Disney’s Avatar: The Way of Water in late February surpassed Titanic to become the third-highest-grossing film ever worldwide. Way of Water’s global total currently stands at $2.298B, which means there is about $45M separating it from the big boat movie. Internationally, Way of Water overtook Titanic in that same month. There is currently a difference of about $38M separating the two offshore.
With the China reissue, could Titanic pull back ahead of Way of Water worldwide or overseas? The market can be unpredictable, and while release dates have been flowing more freely, audiences have been somewhat cold on Hollywood fare — save for Avatar. With both Cameron and Titanic’s enduring popularity in China, it will be one to keep an eye on.
The remastered Titanic rerelease from earlier this year grossed an estimated $61M globally.
Here’s the new China poster for Titanic:
