Movies of the 80s: 'Raise the Titanic' 10 Things to Know about this 1980' Flop

Here are 10 things to know about the famed 1980 box office bomb, Raise the Titanic starring Jason Robards, Sir Alec Guinness and Anne Archer and based on a novel by Clive Cussler.

10. Why was Jason Robards in Raise the Titanic? Money

In an interview with Louise Sweeney in the The Christian Science Monitor, Jason Robards told the truth about Raise the Titanic. Asked why he took the role of Retired Vice Admiral James Sandecker, Robards replied:

“Money… Money. The actors in this film don’t have much to do.”

9. Raise the Titanic cost $16 million dollars before any actors were cast.

From the same Louise Sweeney article in The Christian Science Monitor, the producers had spent 16 million of the then budgeted, 30 million dollars, before a single actor was cast in the movie. This will be important later.

8. Raise the Titanic made use of the two biggest water tanks in the world

To achieve the monumental sight of the legendary ship Titanic rising from the ocean floor, the producers of Raise the Titanic made use of what was the biggest water tank in the world at the time, located in Malta. But even the biggest tank in the world wasn’t quite big enough for Raise the Titanic. Thus, $2 million dollars was spent to make the second largest water tank in the world which was then used for underwater sequences in the movie. Note for reference, reporter Rex Reed - The Philadelphia Inquirer, January 4th, 1980.

7. Screenwriter Adam Kennedy was among those who were perhaps too honest about Raise the Titanic.

In an interview with reporter Larry Shumpert published January 6th, 1980, Raise the Titanic screenwriter, Adam Kennedy gave this less than confident quote about the movie:

“It could be good, they’re spending $30 million on it.”

Seems that everyone making Raise the Titanic could’ve used some P.R training.

6. Raise the Titanic was almost the last film in the legendary career of director Stanley Kramer.

Raise the Titanci was originally in development for legendary film director Stanley Kramer. From that same interview with screenwriter Adam Kennedy, we learned that Stanley Kramer, the legendary director of Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner and Inherit the Wind, had first developed the project with Clive Cussler and had even received Kennedy’s script for the film before plans were scuttled. Raise the Titanic was potentially seen as Kramer’s final movie. Instead, that became the 1979 drama, The Runner Stumbles.

5. The location of the Titanic wreckage was unknown when Raise the Titanic was made.

Did you know that when writer Clive Cussler wrote his bestselling novel and the movie Raise the Titanic went into production and was subsequently released on August 1st, 1980, no one knew where the wreckage of the Titanic was located? It wasn’t until 1985 when what remained of the Titanic was found 2 and a half miles below the surface of the ocean.

4. Star Jason Robards was busy while making Raise the Titanic

It’s a good thing that there wasn’t much for the actors to do on Raise the Titanic as Jason Robards had other projects going while he was making the film. An article in the San Francisco Examiner in 1980 indicated that the actor was splitting his time between Raise the Titanic and a documentary he was making with his wife about the dangers of marijuana for children. It’s unclear if the documentary was ever made.

3. There was a real attempt to Raise the Titanic?

While filmmakers were spending millions of dollars to dramatize raising the Titanic, one man was coming up with a plan to actually do the job. Diver turned inventor, Mike Forbes, known for rescue diving and recovering items from lost ships, floated the idea of raising the titanic just as the movie had gone into production. Forbes told the Atlanta Journal Constitution that a piece of equipment he’d invented could theoretically lift Titanic from the ocean floor. In the interview Forbes says of lifting the Titanic “Should be a piece of cake.” The article continues stating that all that Forbes needs is $60 to 70 million dollars. I couldn’t find much else about Forbes after this interview. Obviously he never got his chance to Raise the Titanic.

2. Star Anne Archer was among the all-too-honest-about-the-movie brigade.

The cast and crew of Raise the Titanic was always very honest, perhaps too honest. Asked about taking her role in Raise the Titanic, actress Anne Archer told the New York Daily News that she took the role for the chance to go to Greece where part of the film was being shot. Did anyone actually want to work on this movie?

1. Raise the Titanic went over budget and lost a lot of money

You know how we mentioned that Raise the Titanic cost 16 million dollars before it had even cast the actors? The film also went over budget by several million dollars and then sank like the Titanic at the box office, grossing a meager $7 million dollars on an estimated $40 million dollar budget, one of the biggest budgets in Hollywood history at the time. Today a $40 million dollar budget would translate to more than $152 million dollars.

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