Too soon? Just weeks after sub incident, Titanic is back on Netflix

Netflix is facing backlash after the streaming giant announced that Titanic, James Cameron’s 1997 epic, will be back on the platform on July 1st – just days after the Titan submersible incident.

The award-winning film, starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet, is a beloved classic. However, bringing it back to Netflix doesn’t seem particularly smart in the wake of the famous shipwreck being struck with another tragedy.

On June 18th, OceanGate’s Titan submersible lost contact with its mother ship during its descent, and, after a frantic search, a debris field was found not far from the Titanic wreck some days later.

"Are they serious? James Cameron's Titanic will be added back to Netflix on July 1st after previously being removed last August. Love the movie, but this decision is really in very bad taste," one person tweeted.

Multiple others have called the decision inappropriate and insensitive. One user said she even canceled her Netflix account and ironically said: “Netflix marketing director: ‘You know how we could really capitalize on the tragic deaths of those people? Put the Titanic on Netflix for some easy cash because $31.6 billion a year in revenue isn’t enough.’”

What’s more, the streamer also put out a trailer for a freediving documentary called The Deepest Breath – this is also receiving backlash on social media.

Netflix is not commenting if it planned to add Titanic before the submersible’s tragic expedition.

But Deadline, The Los Angeles Times, and other outlets have reported the timing is actually a coincidence and the deal to bring the movie back was made months ago – dozens of other movies and shows will be added to the platform on July 1st too. Titanic had previously left Netflix in August 2022.

As for the documentary, Netflix first posted the trailer for The Deepest Breath last Tuesday — just after the submersible went missing but before its tragic outcome was revealed. The documentary isn’t about the Titanic or submersibles, however, but follows Alessia Zecchini, the current holder of the freediving world record.

On Thursday, the US Coast Guard said that presumed human remains have been found within the wreckage of the Titan submersible. Pieces from the imploded sub were unloaded in St John’s, Canada, the day before.