Will Warner Bros just settle on a title?
Movie titles really do matter. There are few instances where it doesn’t such as when Disney/Marvel is involved because a movie could still be an untitled film and attract audiences. There are other popular franchises that the name after the colon could be just about anything and audiences would show up for it. Some fine examples of that theory include Batman: The Lost Pony or Transformers: We’re in It for the Money. It really doesn’t matter what you call them and people would turn up. Now the title of an unknown science-fiction story? That is important to get just right.
Collider reported last week out that there will be a sequel to Edge of Tomorrow, simply titled Live Die Repeat and Repeat. Yes, the moderately received yet critically adored science-fiction film is getting another chance at box office success. Those of you that don’t remember Edge of Tomorrow, you might perhaps remember it by its home video name of Live Die Repeat. The marketing department decided that the original title was utterly bland and a change of title could persuade more people to check out a fantastic film. Guess it worked out since we are now getting Live Die Repeat and Repeat.
The Doug Liman directed film had another name originally. It was originally going to be taking the name of All You Need is Kill, from the source material written by Hiroshi Sakurazaka. Yes, the story featuring characters portrayed by Tom Cruise and Emily Blunt was originally a Japanese light novel. Emily Blunt is certainly the standout role from the film and since its release in 2014, fans have been hoping for more stories from that universe.
The movie features Cruise as a public relations officer with no combat training. He quickly finds himself over his head in the middle of combat against an unknown force and dies quickly. Except he doesn’t. He finds himself in a loop, similar to Groundhog’s Day, where he relives the same day over and over again. Cruise ends up receiving training each new day from Rita Vrataski (Blunt). The hope is that he can gain enough training to defeat the aliens and save the world.
Live Die Repeat had no reason to turn out as good as it did. Unfortunately, marketing played a large role in how the film was perceived. Edge of Tomorrow just didn’t sell the movie all that well. The concept is difficult to explain, except when they found the Live Die Repeat title for home video. The entire thing just clicks into place. While it might not be as great of a name as All You Need is Kill, it is certainly an improvement on the original. The big problem? The audience that saw Edge of Tomorrow in theaters has no idea what this Live Die Repeat movie is. There is going to be great confusion over what exactly this film is in the marketplace and whether or not it is a known property.
Perhaps the best part of all these title changes is just how difficult it is to keep up with what the title of the movie actually might be. We have this really good movie with a massive identity crisis. Some of the best choices and reactions to the title are below:
LIVE DIE REPEAT AND RETITLE IMMEDIATELY.
— DrewMcWeeny (@DrewMcWeeny) May 7, 2017
LIVE DIE REPEAT AND REPEAT sounds like shampooing instructions – not a good movie title.
— Courtney Howard (@Lulamaybelle) May 7, 2017
Better titles than LIVE DIE REPEAT AND REPEAT:
-EDGE OF TOMORROW & TOMORROW & TOMORROW
-LIVE DIE OR DIE HARD
-LIVE DIE: BACK IN THE HABIT https://t.co/sPXiPDhFfE— Glen Weldon (@ghweldon) May 7, 2017
Even our team of Film School Rejects had a bit of fun with the title. Some of the best ones were Edge of The Day After Tomorrow, Still Edging Tomorrow, and You Still Just Need Kill.
It would be a shame for the franchise to still suffer from naming problems. The first feature, whatever you choose to call it, was an honestly great science-fiction film. Emily Blunt was utterly fantastic perhaps the best she’s ever been. She was the awesome warrior that brought the story together, very similar to how Furiosa is the star of Mad Max: Fury Road. What I mean is that if we can get another movie with an incredibly awesome hero like Rita Vrataski, then Live Die Repeat and Repeat can’t come soon enough. Let’s just hope this is the name that sticks.
Related Topics: Marketing, Science Fiction, Tom Cruise
