Titanic

James Cameron's directorial masterpiece, Titanic, set all sorts of box office records. The movie was put together as a joint project by 20th Century Fox and Paramount Pictures in 1997. It was originally scheduled for release during the summer; however, Cameron hadn't finished putting his film together by that time.

The studios were extremely worried by Cameron's delay. After all, at that time, Titanic was one of the most costly films ever made. The price tag was $200 million and counting. Fortunately for Paramount and Fox, after a rather tepid opening weekend, in which the film only made $28 million, it broke the bank. It stayed at the top of the box office for almost 16 weeks and ended up grossing $1.8 billion worldwide.

James Cameron earned the Oscar for Best Director, and the film netted a total of 11 Academy Awards, including Best Picture. Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio starred in the film about the ill-fated voyage of the cruise ship, RMS Titanic. Celine Dion's famous vocal score and DiCaprio and Winslet's unforgettable performances delivered power and passion.

Cameron's version of the Titanic story wasn't Hollywood's first attempt to tell the epic tale. In 1953, a much lower budget version of Titanic hit the theatres. In 1996, one year prior to Cameron's Titanic, a made-for-TV version of the story met with general success. The timeless nature of the Titanic's tragic story and wealth politics no doubt contributed to this film's appeal. But thanks to the epic blockbuster success of Cameron's film, Titanic memorabilia is widely sought after by film fans and history buffs alike.