Unbelievable Working Titles for Blockbuster Movies

Updated June 14, 2019 2.1k votes 262 voters 11.6k views31 items

List RulesVote up the cleverest code names used by films during production

Movies - especially highly secretive big budget blockbusters - sometimes film with fake working titles in order to hide production in plain sight. Sometimes these working titles are fun, campy, and tie into the film itself like a built-in Easter eggs, while other times they're deliberately boring just to throw people off. And sometimes, they're just nonsense titles.

They use these fake titles for a myriad of reasons. One, for the safety and secrecy of the set. If you saw a sign for a movie called Rory's First Kiss, you'd be a lot less likely to show up with a camera and telephoto lens than if the sign actually said The Dark Knight. Another reason is for security in actual movie theaters. A film canister marked Blue Harvest is much less likely to be stolen than one labeled Star Wars: Return of the Jedi. Occasionally the title hasn't been decided, like with Shoeless Joe, which turned into Field of Dreams. Sometimes, inoffensive or inexplicable titles even stick!

Check out this list to see what your favorite movie might have been called during production! These are some of the best fake titles for some of the biggest movies ever! Vote up your favorite false working titles below!

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Thursday Mourning
Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman
Released: 2013
Directed by: Alan Taylor
Real Title: Thor: The Dark World
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Group Hug
Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans
Released: 2012
Directed by: Joss Whedon
Real title: The Avengers
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Rasputin
Robert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow
Released: 2010
Directed by: Jon Favreau
Real title: Iron Man 2
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After Party
Robert Downey Jr., Chris Hemsworth
Released: 2015
Directed by: Joss Whedon
Real title: Avengers: Age of Ultron
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Corporate Headquarters
Zoe Saldana, Jennifer Morrison
Released: 2009
Directed by: J.J. Abrams
Real title: Star Trek
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Ebb Tide
Bryce Dallas Howard, Chris Pratt
Released: 2015
Directed by: Colin Trevorrow
Real title: Jurassic World
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Shoeless Joe
Ben Affleck, Matt Damon
Released: 1989
Directed by: Phil Alden Robinson
Real title: Field of Dreams
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Frostbite
Samuel L. Jackson, Chris Evans
Released: 2011
Directed by: Joe Johnston
Real title: Captain America: The First Avenger
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Prime Directive
Megan Fox, Shia LaBeouf
Released: 2007
Directed by: Michael Bay
Real title: Transformers
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Toastie
Liam Neeson, Tilda Swinton
Released: 2008
Directed by: Andrew Adamson
Real title: The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian
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The Burly Man
Monica Bellucci, Keanu Reeves
Released: 2003
Directed by: Andy Wachowski, Lana Wachowski
Real title: The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions
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Changing Seasons
Cate Blanchett, Ian McKellen
Released: 2001
Directed by: Peter Jackson
Real title: The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Rings
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HH Project
Zoe Saldana, Benedict Cumberbatch
Released: 2013
Directed by: J.J. Abrams
Real title: Star Trek Into Darkness
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Dictel
Michelle Pfeiffer, Christopher Walken
Released: 1992
Directed by: Tim Burton
Real title: Batman Returns
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Planet Ice
Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate Winslet
Released: 1997
Directed by: James Cameron
Real title: Titanic
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Oliver's Arrow
Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Hardy
Released: 2010
Directed by: Christopher Nolan
Real title: Inception
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Magnus Rex
Christian Bale, Michael Caine
Released: 2012
Directed by: Christopher Nolan
Real title: The Dark Knight Rises
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Incident of 57th Street
Emma Watson, Daniel Radcliffe
Released: 2002
Directed by: Chris Columbus
Real title: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
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Red Sun
Marlon Brando, Kevin Spacey
Released: 2006
Directed by: Bryan Singer
Real title: Superman Returns
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Artemis
Real title: The Hunger Games
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Genre
Cate Blanchett, Harrison Ford
Released: 2008
Directed by: Steven Spielberg
Real title: Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
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How The Solar System Was Won
Arthur C. Clarke, Leonard Rossiter
Released: 1968
Directed by: Stanley Kubrick
Real title: 2001: A Space Odyssey
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Blue Harvest
Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher
Released: 1983
Directed by: Richard Marquand
Real title: Star Wars: Episode VI: Return of the Jedi
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Rory's First Kiss
Christian Bale, Michael Caine
Released: 2008
Directed by: Christopher Nolan
Real title: The Dark Knight
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Fan Theories About Heath Ledger's Joker#35 of 69 The Best Movies That Are Super Long
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Cheese
Odette Annable, Lizzy Caplan
Released: 2008
Directed by: Matt Reeves
Real title: Cloverfield
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Artemis