'Pearl Harbor' tweaked for Japan, Germany
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By David Germain
Associated Press
LOS ANGELES — The war spectacle "Pearl Harbor" will play in slightly revised form in Japan and Germany, where some dialogue is being tweaked to avoid offending audiences.
Disney, which is releasing the film under its Touchstone Pictures banner, decided to alter some dialogue for the Japanese and German markets, said a Disney source, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
The changes are minor and were made out of sensitivity to how "Pearl Harbor" will be perceived among moviegoers in Japan and Germany, the source said. The source would not disclose the nature of the dialogue changes.
After its debut in the United States this weekend, "Pearl Harbor" opens June 7 in Germany and July 14 in Japan.
Overseas markets are becoming increasingly important for Hollywood films. While U.S. revenues accounted for most of a film's box office 25 years ago, movies today can take in as much as two-thirds of their money in international markets.
Though the film recounts Japan's sneak attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, Disney hopes the movie will play well among Japanese audiences because of the love story at the heart of the film.
"Pearl Harbor" stars Ben Affleck and Josh Hartnett as U.S. fighter pilots involved in a love triangle with a Navy nurse, played by Kate Beckinsale.
