Netizens furious after Netflix announces Titanic return, shortly after submersible disaster

Less than a week after the fate of the Titan submersible was revealed, Netflix announced the return of the James Cameron's 'Titanic' to the platform on July 1 in the US and Canada. The Titan submersible went missing during a tour of the Titanic shipwreck on Sunday, June 19.

However, on Thursday, June 22, it was discovered that the Titan submersible imploded during its 13,000 feet dive to explore the shipwreck of the passenger liner Titanic. Cameron also weighed in on the disaster, citing the flouting of several safety norms as the catalyst of the Titan debacle.

Netizens say it's too soon!

Shortly after Netflix announced its decision to bring the 1997 Oscar-winning film back to the platform, several netizens took to social media to criticize Netflix's decision to bring the film back, only days after five people lost their lives in the disaster.

One user tweeted, "We are still grieving recent loss." Another tweeted, "I love Titanic but I kind of think it's rude and insensitive that they're doing adding it back on Netflix NOW." "Read the room for once, capitalism," a third tweeted.

Titan Tragedy: Who was to blame?

Last week, we learnt that all five passengers onboard the Titan submersible had died after underwater robots found seafloor debris, which was "consistent with a catastrophic implosion." Among the passengers were Stockton Rush, Hamish Harding, Paul-Henri Nargeolet, Shahzada Dawood, and his son, Suleman Dawood.

Rush was the CEO of OceanGate Expeditions, the company responsible for the expedition. After the submersible went missing, several reports had emerged of Rush's incompetency leading up to the disaster.

The CEO and company were heavily criticized for ignoring industry norms and side-stepping regulations to cut cost, which was cited as a possible reason for the tragedy. Moreover, one report also showed how customers were made to sign waivers that a possible consequence of the expedition onboard the Titan could be "death".

A Greater Tragedy Unfolding

However, the media has also been heavily criticized for its reporting on the tragedy that unfolded on the coast of Greece. On June 14, a ship with over 700 migrants, stranded in deep waters, had capsized off southern Greece. Of the over 700 migrants, only 104 men have been rescued, while 82 bodies were retrieved.

Despite much higher odds of survival and significantly less resources required in their rescue; the tragedy took a back seat with locating the passengers aboard the Titan submersible made a top priority. The missing submersible also stole much of the headlines in the past week, with media outlets dedicating their front pages to the Titan.