More Found Movies: Theater Marquee Mashups

Summertime is almost here, bringing with it the Summer Movie Blockbusters. As fun as Summer movies often turn out to be, however; often they simply cannot compete with Found movies. Those are the often intriguing films accidentally created by the theater itself and found by the observant passerby. When the theater starts cramming multiple titles into the limited space on the old-fashion marquee above the entrance to the lobby, titles run together in new and entertaining ways: a Found Movie

Not every time a theater crams two (or more) titles together do they necessarily create a Found Movie. There are, of course, some rules to the game. Obviously, the new title needs to make sense. Also, the title has to actually exist; that is, I do not flip titles and words around in my head to create the title I wish was up there on the marquee. I have to take the titles as written. However, since theaters generally do not include punctuation on their marques, I generally allow myself to punctuate as needed.

Found movies are getting harder to collect as more and more theaters get rid of their marquees and move everything on-line. Neighborhood theaters tend to hang on to their marques, and I am fortunate to live in a neighborhood that had two, and still has one, great local theater. The Manor Theater, in the Squirrel Hill area of Pittsburgh, not only has a marquee on the main street, but has 4 auditoriums, so they always have multiple titles vying for space on the marquee and running into each other in creative ways.

With that in mind, here a few of my favorites that have come into being since my first Found Movie blog:

Sometimes, a Found Movie sounds like a perfectly legitimate movie:
Eighth Grade Neighbor
Booksmart Nonfiction
Glass Vice
Belfast: The Lost City

Sometimes they create intriguing new characters and franchises:
Red Joan The Chaperone
Emma the Banker
Priscilla Napoleon
Dear Evan Hansen, The Card Counter
Flower Moon: The Musical
Flower Moon Games
Flower Moon at Freddy’s

Or new twists on old characters:
SpiderMan Yesterday
X the Batman
Maestro Wonka
Indiana Jones: Past Lives
Letters of the Apes
West Side Story: The French Dispatch

Found titles can reveal unexpected truths about the characters:
“Everybody I know Hates Me,” – The Batman
Are you There God? Beau is Afraid
Little Mermaid, You Hurt My Feelings
 Where’d You Go Bernadette?  Blinded by the Light?

And sometimes, rather creating a new movie, titles combine to form a commentary on the actual films playing inside:
Barbie, Oppenheimer: Mission Impossible
Creed 3: Operation Fortune

But my favorites of recent years might just be this Marvel Horror Movie:
The Menu: Black Panther, Bones and All