Girl Sinks Into Romantic Story

Twelve-year-old Gloria goes to the movies every day. Same time, same place, same movie: “Titanic.”

So far, the girl has seen the hit film about 50 times, leading the pack of Italy’s fervent “Titanic” fans. And she’s still not tired of it.

She even has cats named Jack and Rose.

The budding movie buff was discovered by the newspaper La Repubblica.

“She comes to the 9 o’clock feature every night,” said Giancarlo Malferrari, the owner of the only movie theater in Castelfranco Emilia, a town of 11,000 in central Italy. “And every weekend, she watches two shows in a row.”

Now the theater has started saving her favorite seat and even letting her in free.

Neither he nor La Repubblica used the girl’s last name, citing Italy’s privacy law.

Gloria told La Repubblica it isn’t heartthrob Leonardo Di Caprio that attracts her, but the character he plays: Jack Dawson, a struggling artist who wins his passage on the Titanic in a poker game.

“Jack is cuter than Leo,” she said. “And it’s for real, it’s a true story. That’s what makes it so beautiful.”

Gloria’s mother, a cleaning woman who works at night, hasn’t seen “Titanic” yet, but she’s not worried about her daughter’s obsession.

“She’s not doing anything bad,” she said, adding that Gloria has to do her homework first.