A 'Titanic' super-fan has collected 2,100 VHS tapes of the movie thanks to his loyal TikTok followers. He won't stop until he hits 1 million.

• A mega-fan of the 1997 blockbuster "Titanic" shared his already extensive VHS collection on TikTok.
• Then viewers started sending him hundreds more in the mail.

JD's passion for the movie "Titanic" started on December 19, 1997, the day it was released in US theaters. He was just 6 years old when his parents took him to see it, and he was immediately hooked.

"It forever changed the way I viewed cinema," he told Insider in an email exchange, and said his dreams came true a year later when it was released on VHS, as he was able to "take the voyage home" via a hefty double-cassette edition which he described as "gloriously thick and delicious."

Now, he's turned his passion for the movie — and for VHS — into a TikTok presence where over 100,000 followers watch along as he documents his quest to collect 1 million copies.

The TikToker's passion gained him a dedicated online following

By April 2022, JD, who does not share his full name due to privacy concerns, had collected 100 copies, which prompted the now 31-year-old from Largo, Florida, to show off the unusual collection on TikTok.

"I decided to make a few videos to show the world just how cool owning so many copies of 'Titanic' on VHS was," he said. "Luckily the people liked it and joined in on the journey."

Going by the TikTok moniker @titanicfan97, JD shared videos for fellow fans of the film, which he dubbed "Titanians," that featured close-ups of unopened copies, memorabilia, and cameos from a dummy of Jack, the character played by Leonardo DiCaprio in the movie, made from a mannequin, a wig, and a paper cutout of the actor's face.

He also filmed himself searching thrift stores and flea markets for more videotapes, as his followers watched and egged him on.

His videos on the topic gained traction, as viewers insisted on sending in their own to add to his treasure trove. Now his shelves are bursting with thousands of tapes, but he has no plans to stop.

"I wish I had half the dedication to literally anything in my life," one viewer wrote in a comment beneath one of JD's most popular videos, which received 2.1 million views, in which he stitched a TikToker asking if "Titanic" on VHS was "any good," and responded by showing his room stacked with tapes. "It's more than good, it's a lifestyle," he replied.

Nostalgic viewers are getting involved in his mission

JD works as a freelance video editor, but also makes some money from his social-media presence, most of which goes to fund his hobby, buying not just the tapes, but TVs, VCRs, and shelving.

He updates the number of VHS he has in his possession in his TikTok bio, which currently sits at over 2,100 copies. He said he bought around 400 himself at an average cost of $2 each, which means he's personally spent about $800 so far. The rest came from his followers.

"The game changer was when we opened up our PO box," he told Insider. "It gave the viewers a chance to send in Titanic on VHS, artwork, letters, and other Titanic goodies. Not only can they watch our videos, they could be a part of them now!"

The address is included in JD's TikTok bio too, and he regularly uploads unboxing videos where he opens the plethora of packages sent in by viewers.

He thinks people are into the project because the movie is "such an iconic piece of the 90s" and hits a "soft spot for the nostalgia seekers."

JD's place is already packed with VHS but he won't stop until he hits seven figures

The tapes aren't just for show, JD said he watches them too, on three VCR players he has hooked up and ready to go, but choosing which one to slot into the machine can be tricky.

"The VHS is stacked from the ceiling to the floor in 'Titanic' galore, so you can't just pick any copy to watch or else the whole wall will fall down," he said. "It's a big responsibility to choose your copy wisely in our house."

A video posted on July 10 showed the scale of his current collection, with a tour of a shrine-like room committed to the franchise that consists of multiple Jack dummies, several TVs playing the movie, and a sub-collection of over 100 CDs featuring the "Titanic" soundtrack, alongside walls jammed with the VHS tapes.

No one doubts JD's enthusiasm, but some viewers have questioned if he's playing a character, or simply an exaggerated version of himself for the camera.

"There's a conspiracy theory that I haven't seen the movie at all and my plan is to wipe the movie off the face of the Earth," JD told Insider. "But the truth is that my passion is genuine. I truly love this 1997 cinematic masterpiece."

Luckily, he said, his loved ones are totally on board with this. His parents are fully behind him "even though they don't fully understand it" and his partner "is my biggest supporter and helps me out so much," which is just as well, because he told Insider he has no plans to slow down.

His ultimate goal? "I'd love to obtain at least 1 million," he said.

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