LOS ANGELES — The floating piece of wood that kept Titanic's Rose alive has been sold for $718,750 (£569,739) at auction.

Ever since the release of the 1997 film, fans have wondered whether the panel was big enough to fit her love interest Jack as well, saving him from an icy death.

The listing noted the prop "has caused much debate from fans".

The sale was made during an auction of props and costumes owned by restaurant and resort chain Planet Hollywood.

In the blockbuster, the fictional Jack, played by Leonardo Di Caprio, insists the panel — part of a door frame — was only big enough for his lover Rose, played by Kate Winslet. He later died in the freezing Atlantic, with his body falling into the depths of the ocean.

In a 2012 episode of Mythbusters, Titanic director James Cameron revealed he receives dozens of emails a day calling Rose "selfish" and Jack an "idiot" over the scene.

But he put an end to the debate, saying Jack had to die according to the script.

"Maybe we screwed up and the board should have been a tiny bit smaller, but the dude's going down," he said.

The prop, often mistaken for a door, was based on a complete piece of debris salvaged from the 1912 tragedy, according to auctioneers Heritage Auctions.

And addressing the debate over whether the panel could have accommodated both, the listing states: "The prop measures approx. 8' long (2.4m) and 41" (1m) wide."

Other props featured in the auction included the whip from Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, which sold for $525,000.

A Spiderman suit worn by Toby Maguire sold for $125,000, while an axe used by Jack Nicholson in The Shining to hack through a bathroom door while announcing "Here's Johnny!" attracted the same amount.

The auction, which ended on Sunday evening, raised $15.68m, making it one of the most successful sales of a prop and costume collection, Heritage Auctions said.

"There were countless bidding wars... so many we lost track," Joseph Maddalena, of Heritage, said. — BBC