James Cameron directed, co-produced, and wrote the screenplay for the 1997 American romantic film Titanic. Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio headline the cast as Rose DeWitt Bukater and Jack Dawson. The main characters and the romance between them are fictional, but Cameron used the love story to engage the audience with the real-life tragedy.
At the time, Titanic was the most expensive movie ever made; it nearly bankrupted Paramount Pictures and 20th Century Fox. Post-production delays caused the film to be released five months after its original release date. Rumors that Titanic would sink Paramount Pictures and 20th Century Fox began to swirl. Titanic was released to low expectations on December 19, 1997. The movie achieved critical and commercial success. The movie earned fourteen Academy Award nominations, and won a record eleven. Titanic also became the highest-grossing film of all time; the worldwide gross is $1.8 billion. The film debuted at the top spot at the box office and remained there for fifteen consecutive weeks.