Why I Never Became an Audience Member of Titanic: How Blockbusters and Advertising Shape Preconceptions

This paper examines why the author never became an audience member of the globally successful film Titanic, despite its enormous popularity. Rather than evaluating the film itself, the paper focuses on the role of advertising in shaping expectations before audiences encounter a work. Repeated exposure to the famous bow scene featuring Jack and Rose created a particular image of Titanic in the author's mind. After learning that their romance was central to the story, the author lost interest in watching the film. The paper argues that advertising does more than attract audiences. By repeatedly presenting selected scenes without the context of the full narrative, advertising can shape preconceptions about an entire work. A scene intended to make people want to watch a film may therefore have the opposite effect on some potential viewers. The paper explores this phenomenon through a personal case study and considers the broader relationship between promotional images, narrative context, and audience formation.