Ghosts of the Abyss (also known as Titanic 3D: Ghosts of the Abyss

Plot

Director James Cameron returns to the site of the 1912 wreck of the RMS Titanic, aboard the Russian research vessel Akademik Mstislav Keldysh with a team of history and marine experts, and his friend Bill Paxton. The production was announced in August 2001. The film was screened out of competition at the 2003 Cannes Film Festival. It was produced in three formats; the standard 45-minute IMAX version for theatrical release, a 90-minute extended cut for VHS and DVD, and a six-hour long television series formatted version.

Buena Vista Pictures Distribution handled distribution in the United States and Canada, where it was released under the Walt Disney Pictures banner. In February 2002, Summit Entertainment announced they had picked up foreign sales under a distribution agreement with Walden.

The feature film on the DVD is 90 minutes long and is available in a two-disc edition and as the fifth disc in the Titanic five-disc Deluxe Limited Edition. Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment released the film on a three-disc Blu-ray 3D, Blu-ray and DVD edition on September 11, 2012. Rolling Stone included the documentary in its 2012 list of the best 3D movies.

Reception

Box office

Ghosts of the Abyss grossed $17.1 million from a maximum release of 97 theaters in the United States. It also grossed $11.7 million internationally, for a total worldwide gross of $28.8 million. On Metacritic, the film has an average score of 67 out of 100 from 24 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.

Soundtrack

The score was composed and conducted by Joel McNeely, and the orchestrations were conducted by David Brown, Marshall Bowen, and Frank Macchia. The album was also recorded and mixed by Rich Breen, edited by Craig Pettigrew, and mastered by Pat Sullivan. The album was ultimately produced by James Cameron, Randy Gerston, and Joel McNeely and released by Disney's Hollywood Records label. Part of the film was filmed in St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada.

Toad the Wet Sprocket lead singer and songwriter Glen Phillips wrote the opening track, "Departure". Cameron loved the band's 1991 track "Nightingale Song", but found Columbia Records' licensing fee too high (it wanted over $5,000 for the one minute he wanted to use). In response, he contacted the band's management hoping they could re-record it for his film, only to find they had broken up in 1998. However, during the negotiations, Cameron asked if Phillips would be interested in writing a new track in the spirit of the older song, and "Departure" was created. It was produced, mixed, and all instruments played by Phillips in his garage studio, though this was not credited in the CD booklet. The closing track is "Darkness, Darkness" by Lisa Torban.

  • Ghosts of the Abyss Educator's Guide by Walden Media