Why are "The Thanksgiving House" and "Legally Tender" (both movies) the same movie?

Question

I just finished watching "Legally Tender" on EPIC TV and noticed that it was the same movie the I had seen earlier (I think on Hallmark channel) that was titled "The Thanksgiving House". What gives?

Answer 1

IMDB shows "Legally Tender" to be an alternative ('aka - also known as') title for the movie, and that Legally Tender was the world-wide promotional name for the movie.

So clearly they changed it to The Thanksgiving House later - almost certainly for marketing purposes.

Its not that unusual for movies to have alternative names - particularly in different markets - Avenger's Assemble being the UK name for The Avengers. I don't know how common it is for a movie to be renamed in a single market though.

Answer 2

In this case, the name of the movie was originally titled "The Thanksgiving House". However, Thanksgiving and it's legacy is a holiday unique only to the U.S., so it wouldn't make sense when viewed in other countries. The reason behind re-titling it to "Legally Tender" is known only to the Producers, studio, and Director. Personally, I think they should have left the title alone because they're going to run up against the same unfamiliarity of the holiday because the content wasn't altered.

Thanksgiving in Canada also has deep roots in history. Originally it was to thank God for an expedition safely reaching the New World via the Northwest Passage, and subsequent celebrations was a "thank you" to God for keeping them safe then evoving into saying thanks for bountiful harvests.