Jon Landau, the Oscar-winning producer behind both Titanic and the Avatar franchise, shared insights from his upcoming memoir, The Bigger Picture, released posthumously after his passing in 2024. He reflects on the critical phase leading up to the release of James Cameron’s 1997 epic, Titanic, a $200 million production that many in Hollywood feared would damage Cameron’s reputation and fail at the box office. Central to this high-stakes campaign was the release of the film’s trailer, which would prove crucial in shaping public perception.
The Challenge of Creating a Compelling Movie Trailer
In the film industry, the first trailer serves as a vital opportunity to captivate audiences. With only two and a half minutes to convey a movie’s essence, the task is often daunting. In the case of Titanic, condensing three hours and fourteen minutes of footage into a trailer took intense creative effort to strike the right balance. Landau and his team initially crafted a four-minute-and-two-second trailer, longer than typical studio standards, which was then submitted to both Fox and Paramount, the studios responsible for distribution.
Conflict Over Trailer Versions and Studio Politics
Shortly after submitting the extended trailer, Paramount’s marketing head Rob Friedman responded harshly, reportedly saying,
“and I’m throwing up all over my shoes.”
Friedman’s team had created their own trailer, dubbed the “John Woo trailer,” characterized by fast cuts, loud music, gunfire, and screams, which inaccurately portrayed Titanic as an action movie. This clashed with Cameron and Landau’s vision of a balanced, cinematic portrayal. The two sides engaged in a difficult back-and-forth negotiation, ranging from calm discussions to heated disputes.
Eventually, Landau and director James Cameron convinced Paramount’s CEO, Sherry Lansing, to override her own distribution team. Lansing agreed to allow the longer trailer to be tested at ShoWest, the trade convention for the National Association of Theatre Owners in Las Vegas. The theatre owners present at ShoWest held significant influence because they decided which films to book in their venues and on how many screens, making their approval essential for a wide release.
Winning Over Key Industry Influencers at ShoWest
The Titanic trailer’s runtime was unprecedented, but Landau argued it fit the scope of the epic story. During the ShoWest event, Paramount executives and industry insiders gathered, including actor Kurt Russell, known for his lead role in Paramount’s upcoming film Breakdown. As the trailer concluded, Russell declared loudly,
“I’d pay ten dollars just to see that trailer again.”
This unexpected show of enthusiasm helped secure a rare waiver from the Motion Picture Association, which typically limits trailers to 150 seconds. This exception permitted the release of the entire four-minute trailer worldwide.
The Trailer’s Impact on Titanic’s Public Reception
Following the release of the extended trailer, critical discourse surrounding Titanic began to shift. Despite early negative press, the trailer’s emotional depth and storytelling suggested the film had substantial merit. This marked a major turning point in the film’s promotional rollout, transforming skepticism into anticipation and ultimately contributing significantly to the film’s massive success at the box office and in popular culture.
