10+ Famous Movie Scenes That Are Completely Different In Other Countries

Jimmy Henton
Mar 24, 2023
Mar 24, 2023

In the US, we hardly ever consider the Hollywood film business to be a global endeavor. The fact that movies earn more money abroad than they do domestically is so shocking; in 2017, the worldwide box office reached a record $40.6 billion, while domestic figures decreased to $11.1 billion.
While $11 billion may not seem like much, the lesson is clear: if you're filming a Hollywood blockbuster, the movie needs to appeal to people throughout the world. Your movie's performance in international theaters—and your ticket sales—will likely suffer if it contains a lot of allusions to American culture.
Of course, there is a straightforward solution to that issue. Before sending their movies to foreign distributors, most studios modify them, and although some of these modifications are modest, others are really confusing (at least when studied from an American perspective). We investigated some of those odd cases for you to dissect and figure out yourselves.

#1 Jack Torrance’s typing in The Shining

Source: © The Shining/ The Producer Circle Company and co-producers

The director of The Shining was extremely picky; each take had to be ideal and to his taste. Like with the scene with the typewriter, the movie had to take a number of shots before settling on the ideal one. In other places of the world, translation is also accessible in many languages. Whoever had to type it all must be worn out.

#2 Ending shot in Pride and Prejudice

Source: © Pride & Prejudice/ StudioCanal and co-producers

Pride and Prejudice's last scene had the two major characters kissing in America, but it was different in the UK since it was more faithful to the text and would be greatly appreciated by ardent followers.

#3 Randall’s cupcakes in Monsters University

Source: © Monsters University/ Walt Disney Pictures and co-producers

The original choice for the eateries in Demolition Man was Taco Bell, but the director decided that it wasn't a globally recognized restaurant at the time. As a result, they switched to the more recognizable Pizza Hut as the emblem for other nations.

#7 Additional scenes in Iron Man 3

Source: © Iron Man/ Marvel Studios and co-producers

In Iron Man 3, extra sequences were added that were exclusive to China, leaving the other nations' settings untouched. Although the purpose of this action was unknown, it could have been to appease Chinese media outlets and criticism.

#8 Ratatouille finding out Gusteau’s will

Source: © Ratatouille/Walt Disney Pictures and co-producers

France was the location of Ratatouille. Disney chose to convert the dialogue to English even though all of the sequences were filmed in Paris. Many dubs were produced in other nations as well. Even the scenes have been deliberately converted to French when it comes to France. In one scenario, Ratatouille read a letter that was originally written in French but was altered to English in other nations.

#9 Randall got smothered with cupcakes in Monsters University

#10 One character with 2 distinct looks in Wreck-It Ralph

A well-known Japanese animator served as Minty Zaki's inspiration for Wreck-It Ralph, as it did in other nations where this movie was screened. The movie was renamed Minty Sakura when it was released in Japan, and the reason for the change was a mystery.

#11 Banners in Monsters University

#12 Enemy name change in The Incredibles

In other countries, Mr. Incredible's adversary was referred as in the movie The Incredibles as Bomb Voyage (Bon Voyage), which was a play on the phrase "have a nice trip," but in France, his name was altered to Folamour, which means "crazy love." They modified it since the pronunciation of the name would have been peculiar in French.

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