Why do movies get different titles around the world?

Yes it is just a term and as such isn't copyrightable. But - if there is also another film called Joyride then it could be argued that the title was used to nick business away - it's rare that it happens, but it does happen! A quote from a legal website:

"...Another possible method of legally protecting a title could arise under the legal doctrine of Unfair Competition. To establish that Unfair Competition has occurred an author would have to prove that another author was trying to "Pass Off" his or her work as the work of the original author..."



My bad :D :)
 
Erm...actually that's true; the post did mention that it was renamed 'both sides of the Atlantic'.
It's the same reason why the bond film 'License Revoked' was renamed 'License to Kill' - through fear that Americans wouldn't understand.
Oh and it's not about anti-American bigotry - it's just foolish US producers and executives that assume that an audience is too dumb IE their fellow countrymen assuming the worst from their own...Hmm...
 
Probably - or the makers of the UK film Road Kill didn't mind. Either way, the point I was trying to explain is that there is also a legal factor when it comes to changing names of movies...
 
My favourite was the movie "The Madness Of King George", about King George III. They decided to drop the III on both sides of the Atlantic as they feared the Americans would ask what happened to the first 2 films!
 
'The Madness Of Kind George' was the only reason why Nigel Hawthorn agreed to make 'Demolition Man' y'know; in his autobiography he said that both Sly Stalone and Wesley Snipes were a bunch of Prima Donnas.
 
Sometimes the name is changed depending on how the film is received on one side of the Atlantic. I have heard that some films (can't remember which one offhand) that have been complete flops in the US have been renamed when released over here so that audiences aren't so aware how crap it will be.....
 
Just more anti-American bigotry, I'm afraid. There was no "III" in the title of that film when released in the UK, so they could hardly have dropped it when it was distributed in the USA. It had exactly the same title in the UK and the USA - "The Madness of King George"
 
LOL, surely you meam MORE so!

We (in England) speak English or txtish if you're 17 or under.

In the US...dunno, a kind of English but there's certainly a language barrier there!
 
Deception/Reindeer Games - title was changed for the UK as the film wasn't released until months after xmas.

Roadkill/Joyride - changed because of the UK's use of the word "joyride"

Howard the Duck/A New Breed of Hero - Actually titled Howard the Duck in both the US and UK, it later re-released without an adualt themed condom scene as Howard-A New Breed of Hero

Welcome to the Jungle/The Rundown - was originally titled The Rundown in the UK and certified 15 - studio later decided they wanted a lower certificate and due to the BBFC rules they had to re-name the film in order for it to get a new certificate (12A)
 
It also had that disturbing hint of possible sexual action between the duck and Marty McFly's mother which gave whole new meaning to the term "ew".
 
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