People all over the world were stunned by the tragic loss of the five people aboard the OceanGate Titan submersible, which imploded after descending into the Atlantic Ocean en route to explore the wreckage of the Titanic. As news continues to unfold regarding the vessel and details surrounding the trip, Netflix announced that the 1997 movie Titanic starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet would be arriving on the streamer July 1, which understandably caused some raised eyebrows at the timing of it all. But sources who are reportedly close to the situation have spoken out to explain how this happened.
Netflix Accused Of Capitalizing On The OceanGate Titan Tragedy
The Titan submersible lost communication hours after descending into the North Atlantic Ocean on June 18 and was later said to have suffered a “catastrophic implosion” — instantly killing Pakastani businessman Shahzada Dawood and his 19-year-old son Suleman; British businessman Hamish Harding; French diver Paul-Henri Nargeolet; and Stockton Rush, the CEO of OceanGate Expeditions, according to reports. Netflix’s announcement that James Cameron’s Oscar-winner would soon be available to stream came just days later.
While several people in the comments of Netflix’s Facebook post about the movie’s return were simply excited for the chance to revisit the old classic, several thought the timing was a bit suspect, and accused the streamer of trying to capitalize on the recent disastrous event.
- Never let a tragedy waste the opportunity to make a buck. – Richard Naquin
- Opportunity to grab a few bucks off a tragedy. Slick move. – Phillip Caldwell
- Now that's terrible Netflix 🤣. Omg – Nadine Cumberland
- Woooow. They really didn't want to miss the opportunity here. – Tegan Hawkins
- Netflix is tryna take that hype over titan submersible into some moneyyyyy lol 😂 – Raena Etang
The backlash continued on Twitter, with one person writing:
Netflix is overstepping the boundaries of decency on this timing. People died in a tragic accident [at] the Titanic site and now to capitalize on the moment to garner viewers is beyond distasteful.
However, the big question is whether Netflix made the decision to release Titanic before or after the submersible’s fate was learned, and some sources claim to have that answer.
Insiders Say The Timing Of Titanic’s Arrival On Netflix Was A Coincidence
Sources who are reportedly familiar with the Netflix arrangement agree the optics are bad in terms of Titanic’s release to streaming falling so soon after the Titan crew’s deaths, Variety reports. However, the insiders allege those licensing deals take “more than a few months” to iron out. With the big-budget movie hitting the streamer on July 1, that means the decision would have apparently been made long before the submersible’s descent.
The timing of Titanic’s upcoming arrival on Netflix may be coincidental, but the famed movie’s director James Cameron did find some tragic similarities between the two incidents. Cameron — who has dived to the Titanic wreckage himself several times — said:
I’m struck by the similarity of the Titanic disaster itself, where the captain was repeatedly warned about ice ahead of his ship, and yet he steamed at full speed into an ice field on a moonless night and many people died as a result. For us, it’s a very similar tragedy where warnings went unheeded. To take place at the same exact site with all the diving that’s going on all around the world, I think it’s just astonishing. It’s really quite surreal.
It was a horrifying event, to be sure, and our condolences go out to the friends and family of those who were lost, as well as everyone affected by the OceanGate Titan tragedy.
