10 Movies Weirdly Changed In Foreign Countries
8. The Title Was Changed Down Under - Airplane!
Airplane! has its place in the annals of film history as one of the best and most well-known spoof films, fully committing to every send-up of a disaster movie trope with the help of straight man Leslie "Don't Call Me Shirley" Neilsen. But in New Zealand and Australia, audiences may have been expecting a different film.
By 1980, the comedy world had already been successfully overtaken in the battle of slobs vs. snobs by the latter in John Landis' kamikaze wrecking ball of a movie Animal House. Additionally, the popularity of Cheech and Chong's Up in Smoke helped solidify the rise of the stoner/slacker culture. New Zealand and Austrilia, not wanting Airplane! to be confused with the similarly titled The Concorde: Airport 79 - which was actually called Airport '80 in that market because of a delayed release pitting it directly against Airplane! - seemingly saw a marketing opportunity to blend the two by calling it "Flying High".
Their choice in film couldn't be more misguided, as though the Zucker Bros.' comedy is certainly in keeping with the rebellious spirit of National Lampoon and Cheech and Chong, it has little to do with marijuana. Users of cannabis, however, reported the film is funnier when stoned.