In today’s not-surprising-at-all news: this summer’s Captain America: The First Avenger will simply be titled “The First Avenger” in South Korea, Russia and the Ukraine, according to the LA Times.
A degree of this has been expected all along, given questions of name recognition and the character’s overt patriotic qualities in a time when America’s overseas reputation isn’t always stellar. Yet the Times article states that Marvel Studios experienced “pleasant surprise” when discovering through market research that Cap had enough awareness worldwide to justify releasing the movie with the full title in many international markets. Except, evidently, in those three countries.
The move has several precedents — 2007′s Live Free or Die Hard was released as Die Hard 4.0 internationally, due to foreign countries not being quite so familiar with New Hampshire’s state motto.
Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige did not provide comment to the Times, but his spokesperson didn’t deny the report. We’d try to reach out to Teon Savko, the Ukrainian co-star of Generation Hope, but he is apparently fictional.
January 21st, 2011 at 5:45 pm
So, will they change Cap’s name in the overdubs and/or captions?
January 22nd, 2011 at 7:21 pm
Yes, thank him for the fact that if it wasn’t for him there would easily be about a dozen more countries in the world where they’d need to leave “America” out of the title.
Tool.
January 23rd, 2011 at 11:16 am
I think it’s horrible that they’d take an obvious core part of the character’s identity and remove it to pacify anybody. It’s not some secondary part of his personality; Cap was created to defend America. Geez.
Ed, what’s the basis for your figures? I voted for Obama, but I have to be realistic and realize that he didn’t change any other countries’ attitudes in the slightest. Those who sneered at us under Bush and refused to help did not give any further help under Obama.
January 23rd, 2011 at 3:32 pm
No “figures”; just a conversational estimate based on general attitudes.
Read a news source from somewhere outside the U.S. now and then; the attitudes of the general public all over the world became notably more positive towards your country under Obama.
The difference between “enraged hostility even among people traditionally well disposed towards Americans” under Bush and the “still often exasperated and frustrated but generally warm except from the people who hate you all the time anyway” feeling under Obama is notable.
Certainly, to say “thanks Obummer” as though trying to blame him for damaging America’s rep to the degree that he’s the reason there would be any problem with releasing a movie with the word “America” in the title is jaw-droppingly ignorant and delusional.
It’s especially absurd considering that he follows an administration which is just about the all-time champion at fomenting hostility toward America abroad.
Also, by “help” I’m not even sure what you’re referring to, or what it has to do with the response of any country’s general public to the release title of this movie.
January 23rd, 2011 at 4:57 pm
And now they’ve deleted the troll’s comment, so that none of this makes much sense.
January 24th, 2011 at 3:17 am
I think that they are also avoiding the use of the terms “Nazi” or Germany. Like the Avengers cartoon he fights against the Red Skull and the legions of Hydra. I hope I’m wrong but that’s the idea I’ve been getting from articles about the movie.