Question: Since this is a movie solely based on Kung Fu (and not karate), why wasn't this film titled "The Kung Fu Kid"? It seems it would also help separate confusion between this film and the 1984 Karate Kid film.
Bishop73
15th Mar 2022
The Karate Kid (2010)
Answer: There was a comic book titled, "The Kung-Fu Kid," so there were copyright issues.
Titles, names, slogans, and short phrases cannot be copyrighted. In some instances, they can be trademarked.
The original answer does seem suspect without a source, but it should be noted that there was a DC Comics series before the original film called "The Karate Kid" and Columbia Pictures had to get special permission from DC Comics to use the name. All the films even acknowledges the name is used with consent. There definitely could have been a lawsuit if DC Comics didn't want to give permission.
Answer: Even though it's incorrect, "Karate Kid" is the catchier and familiar title, indicating it is a reboot of the popular original series, making it more marketable. It also uses an alliteration that rolls off the tongue easier. "Jurassic Park" is another example of a deliberate misnomer in a movie title. The dinosaurs depicted in that film were from the Late Cretaceous period, millions of years after the Jurassic. "Cretaceous Park" just didn't sound as good.
16th Jul 2019
The Karate Kid (2010)
Corrected entry: No kid ever uses karate in this movie. Kung Fu is used, which is a different martial art.
Correction: This isn't a film mistake and would be more suited to a forum discussion to address the question "why isn't it called The Kung Fu Kid?" Since this is a remake, they decided to keep the original name. Plus, karate, which means "Chinese" "Hand", later changed to "Empty" "Hand", can be used to describe kung fu, and some people use the terms interchangeably. Questions or comments like "Why is it called Karate Kid III when Daniel's not a kid?" or "Why is it called Home Alone 2 when Kevin isn't at home?" are not considered mistakes and neither is this film's title.
When a movie title is inaccurate including getting a martial art wrong it is a movie mistake. An alligator even though it has similarities to a crocodile is not the same animal.
Kung Fu is not interchangeable with Karate if that were true most persons would be saying Bruce Lee created Karate.
And these are all good points to make in a forum discussion. Perhaps Jon can weigh in on if film names constitute a movie mistake (perhaps mis-titling films/shows can be listed in the common mistake section or trivia for the film). There are already "mistakes" that are not valid, like mistakes needing slow-motion to see, so I think it should be an invalid mistake.
Yeah, I'm with you. Sometimes a title can be a mistake, like Krakatoa, East of Java, which is actually west of Java. But there has to be some leeway, and especially if something's a remake or sequel the understanding of the title is what matters more than the literal meaning. I mean Reservoir Dogs or A Clockwork Orange or The Haunting In Connecticut 2: Ghosts Of Georgia. Sometimes you've got to give some leeway. But as ever it's a grey area and there's not always a one size fits all approach.
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Answer: While there was discussion to name the film "The Kung Fu Kid", it was ultimately decided to keep the original, and more familiar, title since the film is considered a reboot. Not only is the story line the same, there are many elements from the original film seen in the reboot. And, had Ralph Macchio not turned it down, he would have had a cameo. It should be noted that the title in China is "The Kung Fu Dream" (功夫梦).
Bishop73