Overview
- An excerpt from Landau’s posthumous memoir The Bigger Picture, published by Variety, recounts how the unusually long trailer reversed negative buzz around Titanic.
- Landau describes a clash with Paramount over a shorter, action‑heavy “John Woo” style cut before CEO Sherry Lansing cleared a test of the filmmakers’ version at ShoWest in Las Vegas.
- Kurt Russell’s enthusiastic reaction at the exhibitor event helped pave the way for a special MPA dispensation to exceed the then‑standard 150‑second trailer limit.
- Following the trailer’s rollout, coverage shifted in tone as the film went on to open at No. 1, lead the box office for 15 weeks, become the top global grosser of its era, and win 11 Oscars from 14 nominations.
- Outlets note the episode as an industry precedent that loosened strict trailer‑length norms for later blockbusters, reframing the 150‑second cap as a guideline rather than a hard rule.