25 Years Later, Titanic's Double-Sized VHS Remains A Cornerstone Of Popular Culture
Long before online streaming gave us the ability to upload videos of Barry Benson from "The Bee Movie" saying "Ya like jazz?" for 10 hours in high definition, we were beholden to the primitive storage accessibility of VHS tapes. At best, a VHS tape could hold roughly two and a half hours of footage, which meant films like "Gone With the Wind," "Lawrence of Arabia," and even "The Sound of Music" had to be split up across multiple tapes for home video release. Blu-ray, DVD, and streaming have made this storage limitation obsolete, but no other film perfected the cinematic equivalent of a double album quite like James Cameron's "Titanic."
"Titanic," which is nearly 20 minutes longer than "Avatar: The Way of Water," was split up into two tapes — the first ending just as Captain Edward John Smith (Bernard Hill) processes the inevitable horror that the Titanic will sink, uttering the line, "I believe you may get your headlines, Mr. Ismay." This line, while impactful, became definitively associated with the break between the two VHS tapes, and lionized the moment in the process. I've seen "Titanic" on the big screen in recent years, and it was legitimately jarring when the film ... just kept playing after the line's delivery. I anticipated a black screen like a built-in intermission that would never come, and I know I'm not alone. The double-sized VHS copy of "Titanic" was such a prevalent moment in pop culture, because it irreparably changed how a generation of movie lovers remember the film playing out.
Titanic was a sleepover staple
A majority of the films that necessitated double (or even triple) VHS tape releases aren't accessible for all ages. Sure, having Cool Parents™ meant that I was watching "The Godfather" and "Scarface" way too young, but I recognize I'm in the minority on this one. For a lot of people, "Titanic" wasn't just the first double-sized VHS release they'd ever actually watched, it was the only one. The VHS release came nine months after the theatrical run, selling over 25 million copies in the first three months, and becoming the best-selling live-action film in the history of VHS releases. "Titanic" is only surpassed in sales by Disney's "The Lion King," "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs," and "Aladdin," because there's power in appealing to all ages.
September 1, 1998: Titanic (1997) is released on VHS.
Much like its theatrical run, the film was a huge hit on home video, with over 25 million copies sold in its first three months and sales totaling $500 million, making it the best selling live-action VHS title of all time. pic.twitter.com/P4aRgSJ6WJ
— 🎄Home Video History ☃️ (@VhsHistory) September 1, 2020
My introduction to "Titanic" was watching the double-sized VHS copy at a sleepover. My friend's mother asked all of our parents for permission, not because she had concerns about a group of elementary schoolers watching people drown in agony, but because we would see a topless Kate Winslet. My aforementioned Cool Parents™ were thrilled I would be spending my night watching a quality film, and not staying up all night high on sugar. A few months later, another friend had her own birthday party complete with a late-night watch of "Titanic." After all, the party's theme was "Leonardo DiCaprio," complete with decorations made from magazines. I don't think I went to a single birthday party from 1998-1999 that didn't include at least the suggestion of watching "Titanic." Everyone owned a copy, everyone wanted to watch it, and it was perfectly timed.
The tapes are still popular
All of the romance between Jack and Rose takes place on tape one, with the tragedy reserved for tape two. Meaning, if someone wanted to check out before Leonardo DiCaprio became a frozen Jacksicle, they had a built-in break, which speaks to James Cameron's pacing ability as a storyteller. At the risk of sounding nostalgic for a time gone by, it's hard to think of another movie that has been as universally loved (and purchased) the way folks were with that double-sized VHS release of "Titanic." Sure, everyone and their mom has probably seen "Avengers: Endgame," by now, but how many of them own proudly own a physical copy?
VHS tapes are now considered relics of the past, but there's still a cultural obsession with them. As more and more films get metaphorically launched into the void, the interest in the permanency of physical media is thankfully becoming popular once again. While DVDs and Blu-rays have rightfully made VHS tapes obsolete, plenty of films have never "made the jump" past VHS. Tapeheads are still searching thrift stores and garage sales looking for lost treasure, and plenty of comedians have turned VHS tapes into works of art. Even those who weren't alive during the heyday of VHS tapes have a fascination with the medium. TikTok user @TitanicFan97 is currently in the process of owning the world's largest collection of double-sized VHS copies of "Titanic," and has amassed a huge following of fans on the app, many of whom were still in diapers when Hollywood stopped mass producing VHS tapes in 2005. The "Titanic" double-sized VHS tape is special, and a pop cultural artifact that lives on even today.
Alexa, play "My Heart Will Go On" by Celine Dion.