JD, the self-proclaimed titanicfan97 on TikTok with one 100K followers, has amassed an awe-inspiring collection of nearly 1,600 VHS copies of the blockbuster film.
How did this obsession begin, you ask? Well, it all started when he witnessed the cinematic masterpiece at the tender age of 6. JD’s collection journey had a humble beginning over a decade ago, but it skyrocketed in the past year.
“In 2012, we picked up a few copies,” he told Variety. “The shop had them on display on the top shelf, so it looked glorious. And I’m like, ‘I know no one’s ever going to buy these.’ They’re super cheap, so we got a box and filled it with all the ‘Titanics,’ and we slowly started collecting it for a few years.”
But JD’s fandom doesn’t end with VHS tapes alone. Enthusiastic fans from all corners of the globe have showered him with fan art and peculiar keepsakes. A crocheted Jack Dawson doll has become the holy grail of his collection, alongside a piece of a genuine deck chair from the ship — yes, authenticated and all –and even a Japanese VHS copy of the film.
And what’s next for this self-proclaimed Titanic connoisseur? Well, JD has set his sights on a monumental goal —to reach the legendary benchmark of 1,997 copies, symbolizing the year when James Cameron‘s masterpiece graced the silver screen. As for the future beyond that, JD believes the sky’s the limit. With a staggering 25 million copies produced, he’s confident he can recover at least a million of them.