The door frame that divided Titanic viewers about the hypothetical fate of Leonardo DiCaprio‘s Jack Dawson has sold for $718,750 at Heritage Auctions’ Treasures from Planet Hollywood event. The item, as noted in a description from the auction house, was “based on the most famous complete piece of debris salvaged from the 1912 tragedy,” which director James Cameron had recreated for the film.
The prop, broken off from the door to the first-class lounge on the ship, was one of a number of Titanic memorabilia items sold at the auction. The ship’s helm wheel, ceiling chandelier, interior furnishings, emergency fire axe box, engine room speed register, and more have also been purchased. DiCaprio’s Jack Dawson costume and Kate Winslet‘s chiffon dress sold alongside other clothing items from the film.
The door frame alone sold for more than iconic items from Indiana Jones: Temple of Doom, which brought in $525,000 for Harrison Ford’s whip and $100,000 for three Sankara stones. Jack Nicholson’s ax from The Shining and Tobey McGuire’s black suit from Spider-Man 3 sold for $125,000 each, while Bill Murray’s Kingpin bowling ball racked up $350,000.
Last year, coinciding with the 25th anniversary of Titanic, Cameron shut down popular theories that Jack and Rose would have both been able to survive on the auctioned door piece once and for all. In the documentary Titanic: 25 Years Later, the director shared research found during a scientific study with stunt coordinators and hypothermia experts.
“He got into a place where if we projected that out, he just might’ve made it until the lifeboat got there. Jack might’ve lived, but there’s a lot of variables,” Cameron said. “I think his thought process was, ‘I’m not going to do one thing that jeopardized her,’ and that’s 100 percent in character.”
During an appearance on the Happy Sad Confused podcast in 2022, Winslet picked her side in the debate, saying: “I have to be honest: I actually don’t believe that we would have survived if we had both gotten on that door. I think he would have fit, but it would have tipped and it would not have been a sustainable idea. Yes, he could have fit on that door, but it would not have stayed afloat. It wouldn’t.”
