‘Never let go': Controversial ‘Titanic' movie prop sells for more than $700,000 at auction

I'll never let go, Jack...certainly not after paying more than $700,000.

That's what it cost the winning bidder to take hold of a piece of "Titanic" movie memorabilia that sold at auction on Saturday. The buyer paid $718,750 for the floating wood panel debris that, in the blockbuster film, Kate Winslet's character Rose climbed atop of to escape the icy waters after the Titanic sank.

Leonardo DiCaprio's character Jack remained in the water rather than climb aboard the panel, which many argued seemed large enough to fit and support two people. The controversy caused a Hollywood debate that, to quote Celine Dion's love ballad from the movie, will go on and on.

"The iconic prop has caused much debate from fans, many of whom have argued that the floating wood panel could have supported both Jack and Rose -- making his fateful decision to stay in the frigid water an empty gesture," read the item's listing on Heritage Auctions.

The balsa wood prop with floral accents and scrolling curves -- commonly mistaken by movie viewers for a door -- was modeled after the most famous complete piece of debris salvaged from the 1912 tragedy, according to Heritage.    

The original panel -- located at the Maritime Museum in Nova Scotia, which "Titanic" director James Cameron visited while doing research for the film -- is believed to have been part of the door frame above the Titanic's first-class lounge entrance.

The replica used in the movie was listed at auction as the "Hero Floating Wood Panel" with an opening price of $60,000. 

A plaque on the back of the panel reads: "Leonardo DiCaprio / Kate Winslet / 'Titanic' / Twentieth Century Fox / Paramount Pictures, 1997 / Floating panel that he uses to save her life in the sinking sequence of the film, in their roles as 'Jack Dawson' and 'Rose DeWitt Bukater''. Courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox."

The intentionally-distressed wood measures eight-feet long and 41 inches in width at its widest point -- You couldn't scoot over a little, Rose?! 

For the 25th anniversary of the movie's release, Cameron attempted to debunk the decades-long debate of whether both movie characters could have survived had they shared the panel. He conducted a scientific study on the National Geographic documentary "Titanic: 25 Years Later with James Cameron" by using stunt doubles with similar body types to Winslet and DiCaprio to simulate the scene in a New Zealand pool.

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Marking the anniversary of the film, Titanic: 25 Years Later with @JimCameron will settle the debate once and for all: could Jack have survived? Find out Sunday, February 5 at 9/8c on National Geographic. pic.twitter.com/2SKx5cUagf

— National Geographic TV (@NatGeoTV) January 14, 2023

Four rounds of tests were conducted to demonstrate that both Rose and Jack couldn’t have survived on the floating panel.

Still, the panel's controversial role in the movie's heartbreaking ending likely only added to its value -- and the winning bidder can now conduct their own research on how many people can float on it.

The panel was the most expensive item at the four-day Treasures From Planet Hollywood auction in Dallas, topping other screen-used memorabilia once displayed at Planet Hollywood venues worldwide. The next priciest item was Harrison Ford’s bullwhip from "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom," which sold for $525,000.

Other top-selling props from "Titanic" include the ship's helm wheel, which sold for $200,000, and Winslet's "swim dress" used in the final scenes, which had light water staining and sold for $118,750.