Alternative Title

All you want to know about Alternative Title

An alternative title is a film distribution device. Films are commonly released under a different title when they are screened or sold in a different country. This can vary from small alteration to the title, such as the addition of The, to wholesale changes. Film titles are also often changed when they are relesed on DVD or VHS.

Reasons

The reasons for this are varied, but usually point towards marketable, linguistic or cultural differences. Some titles may not be easily understood in other parts of the world, and may even be considered offensive. Most title changes are commercial. An example is Italian Director's Sergio Leone's 1971 film initially released as Duck, You Suckers, as he was convinced this was a well-known English saying. When the film sold poorly, it was subsequently rebranded as A Fistful of Dynamite, similar in name to his 1964 film A Fistful of Dollars, part of the successful Dollars Trilogy.