Titanic returning to Netflix divides viewers amid submarine tragedy

Titanic will return to Netflix this weekend, dropping on the streaming platform one week after the OceanGate Titan submarine tragedy that took the lives of five people.

The deep-sea submersible lost contact with its support ship on June 18, just shy of two hours into a dive to see the wreck of the Titanic. Its disappearance kicked off an intensive search, with the story becoming a worldwide sensation as the sub’s estimated oxygen levels depleted.

On June 22, the US Coast Guard announced it had discovered debris on the ocean floor near the iconic ship, and that all five people were killed in a “catastrophic implosion.” Human remains and the sub’s wreckage have since been recovered.

James Cameron, who’s claimed to have spent more time on the Titanic than its captain, likened the incident to the 1912 disaster. Now, his movie chronicling the sinking is coming to Netflix.

Titanic coming to Netflix in wake of OceanGate submarine tragedy

Titanic will arrive on Netflix on July 1. Its addition has attracted criticism from some users, who feel the streaming platform is trying to capitalize on the tragedy.

“Just cancelled my Netflix over this. So sick of the moral depravities these companies engage in for profit,” one wrote. “This is some real dirty sick work from Netflix,” another tweeted. “R-REALLY?! After what happened recently? This is terrible timing, Netflix,” a third wrote.

“Netflix is overstepping the boundaries of decency on this timing. People died in a tragic accident at the Titanic site and now to capitalize on the moment to garner viewers is beyond distasteful,” a fourth wrote.

However, sources close to the arrangement have said there’s no link between Titanic coming to Netflix and the recent events because licensing deals for streamers are sorted well in advance – we’re talking several months ahead of it being added to the platform.

“Damnnn bad timing, obviously this isn’t returning due to the recent stuff as the licensing and contracts involved many business meetings but very bad timing,” one user wrote. “Do you really think Netflix put Titanic after the accident on purpose? Mastering a film for a service takes weeks sometimes months, plus the licensing process takes time. There is no connection this is just a coincidence,” another tweeted.

You can find out how to watch the Titanic Sub: Lost at Sea documentary here.