Leonardo DiCaprio as Jack and Kate Winslet as Rose in Titanic

Are you ready to go back to Titanic?” Prepare to hear that famous line repeatedly as Titanic, the 1997 epic romance about the doomed luxury liner that made box-office history and tied the record for Oscar wins with 11 awards, is relaunched into theatres — complete with a 3D makeover.

And expect the second-highest-grossing film of all time, with $600.8 million domestic — runner-up to another title directed by James Cameron, 2009’s Avatar ($760.5 million) — to make a valiant go at reclaiming the top spot.

But for many of the film’s devotees, the line that best describes their feelings about Titanic is the promise uttered by Kate Winslet’s Rose to Leonardo DiCaprio’s Jack as they float in the treacherous water: “I’ll never let go.”

Responses to a request for fan reactions to the movie’s re-release often express an unwavering emotional connection to the big-screen account of the tragic encounter with an iceberg a century ago.

If anyone has heard it all, it is Cameron himself, who rarely turns down a chance to interact with “Titaniacs”, as they are known, as well as with “rivet counters”, as he calls those history buffs who question the accuracy of his semi-fictionalised depiction of true-life events.

“I always like to hear about what it was they liked about it and how it affected them,” says the filmmaker, whose office is instructed to answer any letter it receives, whether a photo request or a question related to the movie. “Sometimes their stories are like, ‘My father had not seen a movie in 20 years and we went together and had a bonding experience.’ Or, ‘My husband and I were in a fight, and it reminded us why we cared about each other.’ I love to hear those personal stories.”

And no, it’s not just those now-grown 14-year-old girls, who back then fed their fixation for heartthrob Leo with multiple visits to the theatre and helped keep the movie at No. 1 at the box office for 15 weeks straight, still a record.

“They were a very strong core segment for us, and they had the highest repeat numbers,” Cameron says. “But people were coming back from all ages and genders. They wanted to re-experience the movie with someone else. That sharing psychology was a really big part of the movie’s success and completely overlooked by the media.”

‘TWO GIRLS BEHIND ME WERE SQUEALING OVER LEO, WHICH WAS ANNOYING IN 1997 AND STILL IS ’

Brooke Davis, 32, of West Chester, Pa., has been hooked on the lore of the Titanic ever since the seventh grade, when she saw A Night to Remember, the 1958 British docudrama based on Walter Lord’s best-seller. Because of her obsession, “my friends make fun of me all the time.” No surprise that she took off from work on December 19, 1997 — the opening day of Titanic. “It affected me so much,” Davis says. “I was going through some personal issues, and it was a good outlet.”

She would see it in a theatre seven more times, including a special showing of the 3D version on Valentine’s Day this year. “It’s on TV all the time but I had to experience it on the big screen again,” she says. Emotions ran as high as they did 15 years before. “People were crying, and two girls behind me were going crazy over Leo. They were squealing, which was annoying in 1997 and still is.”

Davis would meet two of her best friends online in a Titanic chat room. For her 30th birthday, she took a cruise to Nova Scotia to visit the Titanic memorial that honours the more than 1,500 who lost their lives. “The maritime museum there is a sombering experience,” she says. But for the 100th anniversary, she will be kicking up her heels a bit, Rose-style, and has even bought a vintage dress for the occasion. Eventually, Davis hopes to put together a Titanic room to display all her ship- and film-related souvenirs. “When I love something,” she says, “I stick with it for life.”

As a teen, Lewis Vinci was interested in Titanic lore. Still, his wife Carolyn had to drag him to see the film based on the ill-fated ship. It was a “chick flick”, or so he thought. By the time old Rose tossed her necklace into the sea, the retiree, now 49, felt tears rolling down his face. His critical assessment once he dried his eyes: “I thought James Cameron did a heck of a job. I was impressed with the attention to detail — although the script could have been better.” Still, he wound up seeing it three more times in a theatre.

rose’S SINKING COAT FOR $10,000, JUMP DRESS FOR $35,000

However, what really caught his attention was a 1998 segment done by Katie Couric on the Today show about Titanic props and costumes being sold through the upscale J. Peterman catalogue. But when he checked out what was available, “The catalogue items were all sold out.” He did learn that the pink wool “sinking coat” worn by Winslet’s Rose, who tosses it off in the swelling waters before using an axe to rescue DiCaprio’s Jack, was coming up for sale. He quickly made a deal over the phone. Price: $10,000, complete with seawater stain. Turns out a gown was available as well, and it was a doozy: the red silk “jump dress”, worn by Rose when Jack stops her from committing suicide. Price: $35,000.

He also accumulated several secondary film items along the way, such as life vests, silverware and dinnerware, through J. Peterman and other sources. His collection includes up to 30 pieces, including the blue dangle earrings that Winslet wore with the red gown. Price: $25,000, even though they are costume jewellery. His wife also has a replica of the Heart of the Ocean necklace. With the tide of interest in Titanic on the rise again, Vinci is negotiating with auction houses to sell his wares.

According to Fox, seven copies of the gown were made, but Vinci has the only one that is privately owned. One other is in the studio’s archives. For insurance purposes, his dress has been appraised at about $300,000. Adding to its worth: a hand-written letter and signed photo sent by Winslet in 2004, in which she talks about wearing the outfits. Says Vinci, touched by her thoughtfulness: “I would love to have the opportunity to meet her.”

For an aspiring actress, it started with a song .“When I was two, I used to make my mom replay My Heart Will Go On over and over again so I could sing along to it in my car seat while she was driving me to preschool,” says Delaney Daly, 16, a high school junior. “I watched it with my parents, and they made me cover my eyes during the ‘inappropriate scenes’.”

Daly figures she has seen it at least 50 times since. She was particularly taken with the character of Rose, a 17-year-old society beauty who rebels against being pushed into marriage, as well as with Winslet, the then-22-year-old Brit who played her. “Rose is the only character ever in a film that I believe I had a true connection with.”

‘I felt things were different over the course of watching the movie. As corny as it sounds, I felt us growing back together’

Titanic might be about one of the deadliest maritime disasters ever, but it is most of all a tale about two people finding love against all odds.

Stephen Fair, attorney, 41, and currently a stay-at-home dad caring for year-old Patrick, credits Titanic with solidifying his relationship with Aleyna, his wife of nearly 14 years. “The day I first saw it was December 30, 1997. A day that will live in infamy and is the third most important day of my life, next to the births of my two sons.”

Although Fair proposed to his future spouse in the spring of 1997, they had second thoughts. They called off the engagement but remained a couple. Their relationship continued to have its ups and downs, and Aleyna felt indecisive about the situation — even after Fair proposed for a second time on Christmas Eve and she accepted. They ended up breaking up shortly after. Trouble is, they had a date to see Titanic together, which they decided to keep. Then the magic happened.

“I felt things were different over the course of watching the movie,” he says. “As corny as it sounds, I felt us growing back together. By the end, it was the first time I felt she was completely there with me. On April 4, the following year, I proposed a third time, and we were married on August 1.” Of course, My Heart Will Go On was part of the celebration of their union. “It makes me bawl like a baby,” he says.

Now, the couple has made a tradition out of an annual viewing of Titanic on December 30. This year, they will mark the occasion of Fair’s third and final proposal by going to see the 3D version with their first son, Alex, 7. “I can’t wait,” says Fair, who starts to tear up at the thought. “To have him sitting between me and his mother. I told Alex that he should send James Cameron a gift basket on his birthday each year to thank him for making the movie that resulted in his eventual birth.”

TITANIC TRIVIA

The studios wanted Matthew McConaughey for the role of Jack Dawson, but director James Cameron insisted on Leonardo DiCaprio. Macaulay Culkin was also considered for the role.

James Cameron with Leonardo DiCaprio on the sets of Titanic

Before announcing the development of this film, Cameron shot footage of icebergs off the coast of Nova Scotia under the pretence of making a film titled Planet Ice.

The scene in which Rose meets Jack to thank him for saving her life was improvised by the two actors at Cameron’s request, and the spitting scene was almost all ad-lib. Cameron also credits Kate Winslet with writing the “This is where we first met” line during the final sinking.

At the departure scene, the extras were filmed on a green screen in a parking lot. Most of the ocean which extras were jumping into was three feet deep.

Cameron was adamant about not including any song in the film. Composer James Horner secretly arranged with lyricist Will Jennings and singer Celine Dion to write My Heart Will Go On and record a demo tape which he then presented to Cameron, who responded very favourably and included the song over the closing credits. It went on to win the Academy Award for Best Original Song.

At $200 million, the movie cost more than the Titanic itself. The cost to construct the ship in 1910-1912 was £1.5 million, equivalent to $7.5 million at the time and about $120 to $150 million in 1997 dollars.

Titanic is the most Oscar-nominated film (with 14 nominations) not to win in any acting category. It’s one of three films to win 11 Academy Awards, the others being Ben-Hur and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King.

Leonardo DiCaprio cringed in embarrassment when he saw a bit of Titanic in 3D with Cameron. “He couldn’t believe it. He said to me, ‘I’m such a young punk. Look at me.’ He was practically crawling under the seat. It was a good moment.”

Kate Winslet couldn’t bear to watch herself naked in that famous portrait seen in 3D. Asked how she would feel seeing herself nude, she said: “Terrible, wouldn’t you? I’m not going to look, I’ll be in the bar by that point.” She added it would be strange to see herself back when she was younger. “It is like being forced to go through a photo album of your former self for three-and-a-half hours solidly. It’s quite strange but the film is still wonderful and it looks incredible.... But it’s a whole different me and we look much younger and our acting was different, hopefully not as good as now.”