40 original movie titles for some of Hollywood's biggest-ever movies

What films were almost called.

40 original movie titles for some of Hollywood's biggest-ever movies

Picture the scene: it's 1985 and you are sitting down to watch one of the biggest new blockbusters of the movie world, one that will end up being loved by millions. Popcorn at the ready, the lights go down and the title appears, with the words: Spaceman from Pluto... Doesn't have quite the same ring to it as Back To The Future, does it?

That's because naming your movie is even harder than naming your child. No, stick with us on this one.

Your movie is going to live for longer (even if it's awful), it will come into contact with a wider cross-section of critical people and an entire marketing campaign will exist, based on that name.

So it's therefore understandable that a title may go through a number of different options, especially considering the amount of people involved.

Here's a look at an alternate universe where films all go by very different names...

Original movie titles

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Goodfellas...was almost known as: WiseguyYear: 1990
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Final Destination...was almost known as: Flight 180Year: 2000
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Child's Play...was almost known as: Batteries Not IncludedYear: 1988
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Predator...was almost known as: HunterYear: 1987
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Back To The Future...was almost known as: Spaceman from PlutoYear: 1985
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Field Of Dreams...was almost known as: Shoeless JoeYear: 1989
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Scream...was almost known as: Scary MovieYear: 1996
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Close Encounters Of The Third Kind...was almost known as: Watch The SkiesYear: 1977
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Big..was almost known as: When I Grow UpYear: 1988
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Pulp Fiction...was almost known as: Black MaskYear: 1994
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Alien...was almost known as: Star BeastYear: 1979
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Robin Hood...was almost known as: NottinghamYear: 2010
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Last Action Hero...was almost known as: Extremely ViolentYear: 1993
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Hancock...was almost known as: Tonight, He ComesYear: 2008
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Vertigo...was almost known as: Fear and TremblingYear: 1958
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Unforgiven...was almost known as: The Cut Whore KillingsYear: 1992
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Boys Don't Cry...was almost known as: Take It Like A ManYear: 1999
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Casablanca...was almost known as: Everybody Come To Rick'sYear: 1942
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Stand By Me...was almost known as: The BodyYear: 1986
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Basic Instinct...was almost known as: Love HurtsYear: 1992
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American Pie...was almost known as: East Great Falls HighYear: 1999
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The Other Guys...was almost known as: The B-TeamYear: 2010
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E.T....was almost known as: Night SkiesYear: 1982
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Hollywoodland...was almost known as:Truth, Justice and the American WayYear: 2006
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The Breakfast Club...was almost known as: The Lunch BunchYear: 1985
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The Texas Chainsaw Massacre...was almost known as: Head CheeseYear: 1974
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2001: A Space Odyssey...was almost known as: How The Solar Space Was WonYear: 1968
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Saturday Night Fever...was almost known as: The Tribal Rites of the New Saturday NightYear: 1977
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Licence To Kill...was almost known as: Licence RevokedYear: 1989
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American Wedding...was almost known as: American Pie 3: Piece Of PieYear: 2003
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Fatal Attraction...was almost known as: Affairs Of The HeartYear: 1987
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The Ring...was almost known as: StaticYear: 2002
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Letters From Iwo Jima...was almost known as: Red Sun, Black SandYear: 2006
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Shutter Island...was almost known as: AshecliffeYear: 2010
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Annie Hall...was almost known as: AnhedoniaYear: 1977
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Snakes On A Plane...was almost known as: Pacific Air Flight 121Year: 2006
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The Last Exorcism...was almost known as: CottonYear: 2010
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Cars...was almost known as: Route 66Year: 2006
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Obsessed...was almost known as: Oh No She Didn'tYear: 2009
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Some Like It Hot...was almost known as: Not Tonight JosephineYear: 1959

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Marc Chacksfield
Content Director

As Content Director of Shortlist, Marc likes nothing more than to compile endless lists of an evening by candlelight. He started out life as a movie writer for numerous (now defunct) magazines and soon found himself online - editing a gaggle of gadget sites, including TechRadar, Digital Camera World and Tom's Guide UK. At Shortlist you'll find him mostly writing about movies and tech, so no change there then.