According to the L.A. Times, Captain America: The First Avenger is getting re-titled in certain countries for marketing purposes. Those countries are South Korea, Russia and Ukraine. In those countries, the film will be titled The First Avenger. Huh? Hit more to check out my thoughts on this change and some additional details…
Well I understand the film industry is an international business and all, but it’s hard to take a character who typically looks like this…
…and try to hide the fact that he’s American and represents America. The LA Times article adds:
Those involved in the decision are being careful to frame the move as a matter of brand management and consumer awareness and not as a decision tilted by cultural or political winds.
Which is probably the best way the studio can approach it, although even they have to know they’ll get some very negative response to this. There was some minor huff when Warner Bros. allegedly took out Perry White’s “…and the American Way” part from Superman’s slogan (“Truth, Justice, and the American Way”) and replacing it with “…and all that stuff” for similar reasons from Superman Returns. But this is a bit more dastardly — after all, the hero has the word “America” in his name, so it’s essentially luring these international fans into the theater under a false pretense if they’re really as anti-American as the “consumer awareness” seems to think so. In fact, I don’t even think this is a patriotic issue (as some commentators have tried to frame it), I just think it’s dishonest, and in a world of international communication it’s rather silly to think people in South Korea, Russia and the Ukraine have never heard of Captain America before.
I mean, will Ryan Reynolds sing “It’s Not Easy Being Green” in Green Lantern to prevent insulting international Lanterns of other colors? Yikes!
The film, under whatever title it comes out under in your country, is set for a July release and is directed by Joe Johnston. It stars Chris Evans, Hugo Weaving, Hayley Atwell, Sebastian Stan, Stanley Tucci, and, of course, Mr. Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury.
Let us know your thoughts on the title change of Captain America: The First Avenger in the comments below!
Recent Comments