The sinking of the Titanic in 1912 claimed the lives of six Chinese, who were probably students, a newspaper reported yesterday.
The Oscar-winning film has taken Beijing by storm, grossing six million yuan (HK$5.6 million) from late showings at 18 cinemas even though it does not open officially until tomorrow.
Bookshops and street stalls overflow with magazines and photographs connected with the film, and advertising is flooding the media.
Beijing Youth Daily said the six Chinese had purchased the cheapest US$30 third-class tickets for the voyage from Britain to the United States. The section suffered by far the highest number of fatalities.
Few Chinese were working as businessmen at that time, so the six were likely to have been students on their way to college in the US, the report said.
Despite the hefty ticket price, relentless advertising and Titanic's 11 Oscars have sparked unprecedented interest among moviegoers.