SETTLE DOWN, TEA BAGGERS. Despite some early rumblings to the contrary, Captain America: The First Avenger is going to keep the "Captain America" in its title when it plays overseas. There was some talk it'd just be called The First Avenger in foreign markets, seeing as how everyone outside of America's borders hates America's guts. Via The Hollywood Reporter:
Though it is common for American blockbusters to feature less US-focused titles in foreign markets, Paramount largely decided against the alterations for Captain America, and instead gave foreign countries the choice of two titles, Captain America: The First Avenger or The First Avenger.Interestingly, most international distributors believed the franchise name was so identifiable that not using "Captain America" in the title could risk losing ticket sales.
The exceptions are Russia, Ukraine, and South Korea, where it'll either be called The First Avenger or Imperialist Dog. Probably The First Avenger. The New York Times has the not-too-surprising explanation why:
The cold war kept the comic book version of Captain America from putting down roots in Russia and Ukraine as he did elsewhere in the world, these people said. But anti-American sentiment was also a factor....South Korea is another story. Although that country is one of Hollywood’s top-performing territories, resentment about the continued presence of the United States military runs deep. Marvel and Paramount worry that those feelings are particularly strong among younger South Koreans, the ones who powered Iron Man 2 to $27 million in ticket sales in that country last year.
I'm a bit surprised that isn't happening in more countries, but I still think it's a pretty goofy distinction. The star of the movie is slathered in red, white, and blue and he runs around throwing a shield with a star on it at foreign people. Call me crazy, but I'm pretty sure people in Russia and Ukraine and South Korea might figure out the dude might have something to do with the United States.
