DC & Warner Brothers latest film has been given an SEO Friendly name change! No really, I’m not joking. A Warner Brothers representative was quoted saying that the latest film had been renamed to “enhance search expansion for ticket sites”. Essentially, making it easier for people to find online and when buying tickets.
The film in question was released on 7th February and was centered around the character of Harley Quinn, played by Margot Robbie.
Initially, the film was released as “Birds of Prey: And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn”. Safe to say it’s a bit of a mouthful…
The knee jerk name change was picked up on quite quickly by the eagle-eyed (sorry!). On its second weekend, it was advertised as “Harley Quinn: Birds of Prey”. Short, snappy and to the point right? The reason for the name change was relatively simple and logical.
Investors were hoping for a bumper opening weekend with predictions of around the $45 Million mark. However, on its opening weekend, it reaped just $33 Million. A little bit of a flop in the eyes of those in the know.
Name changes are quite common in the film industry but these usually happen at production/scriptwriting stage and not necessarily after the opening weekend:
- Snakes on a Plane was changed from Pacific Air Flight 121
- Saturday Night Fever was changed from The Tribal Rites of the Saturday Night
- Star Wars: Return of the Jedi was changed from Revenge of the Jedi
The moral of the story? That SEO influences pretty much everything & everyone. Whether it’s a brand page, product, film name or service the way things are worded will affect their search rankings.
It’s nice to see Warner Bros & DC channelling their inner SEO!