Box Office Gold Will Go On and On; Titanic 3D Release May Beat Hunger Games

"Once more you open the door" to movie-goers nationwide, and the fictitious version of the R.M.S. Titanic will set sail, crash and sink again before the eyes of thousands who saw the original version in 1997. James Cameron's movie re-release in 3D has opened up a slew of possibilities for the film to once again smash box office records and chip away at the competition's earnings. The 15-year-old classic, revamped for the big screen, was not originally released in 3D or IMAX

theatres, as these forms of movie-viewing were not popularized until the early 2000s. Allowing the younger generation to watch Titanic for the first time across these technologically advanced mediums, while simultaneously enticing generations to view it differently than they had long ago is sure to work out in the box office's favor. What's even more rousing about the re-release of one of the highest grossing films of all time is that it may once again knock the top movie off its throne. “The Hunger Games has already been seen—and presumably reseen—enough to speed past the $250 million mark domestically, and, in its day, Titanic was the king of over-and-over-again business, running in theaters for eight months , and grossing a then-record $600.9 million,”

reported today. “BoxOffice.com, for one, is calling for the 1997 Leonardo DiCaprio-Kate Winslet classic to post a $44 million opening, a figure that would set a new high mark for a 3-D rerelease.” So will investors stay aboard the Lions Gate Films

boat, jump to the 20th Century Fox

ship, or wade in the waters between with IMAX? According to a research report published today by Canaccord, IMAX's scheduled April 29th quarterly results are sure to be positive, which is somewhat dependent upon this coming weekends result. “Having tracked the overall performance of the IMAX titles since [Feb. 23] we estimate that the total Q1/12 box office is now positioned to comfortably double year over year. Based on our calculations we expect the final total would be within the range of $125 MM – 135 MM,” Canaccord said in the report. Regardless of which film takes the top earnings slot, neither 20th Century nor Lions Gate will be devastated by the massive revenue from each respective blockbuster. Titanic 3D is in playing in theatres today. IMAX is currently trading at $23.59, down -25.37% YoY. LGF is currently trading at $13.24, up +109.49%. NWSA is currently trading at $19.45, up +7.94% YoY.