The most misquoted movie line of all time has been revealed as the iconic “Houston, we have a problem” from Universal Pictures’ Apollo 13.
Despite this being one of the most memorable scenes from the movie, less than half of the 2,000 adults polled knew the true sentence from the astronaut in real life is “Ah Houston, we’ve had a problem”.
Other famous lines to feature in the top 10 misquoted phrases included “Mirror, mirror, on the wall, who is the fairest of them all” from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.
When, in fact, the line is actually “Magic mirror, on the wall, who is the fairest of them all?”.
While many didn’t realise the real quote in Casablanca, is “Play it Sam, play ‘As Time Goes By’” rather than simply “Play it again, Sam” – which is commonly quoted.
Another line often repeated incorrectly is “Twas Beauty killed the beast” from the final line of King Kong when it should actually be “Oh, no, it wasn’t the airplanes, it was Beauty killed the beast”.
Saying it all wrong
The research was commissioned by Clipology, a brand new board game that streams real content clips, which has you guessing the most iconic quotations from popular films and television shows.
Boyd Hilton, TV and film expert, said: “When there are so many brilliant movie quotes to remember, it’s understandable for people to get some muddled up, even some of the classics from the golden era of world cinema.
“Even when a line has only been slightly altered, it can change the context of the whole movie. For example, “Oh, no, it wasn't the airplanes, it was Beauty killed the beast” is the final line from the King Kong film.
“You need to remember the whole sentence to get the full effect. There are many ways to remember the classic movie quotes of all time, whether that’s through games such as Clipology, online or simply watching them on television.”
Furthermore, “Fasten your seat belts, it’s going to be a bumpy night” from All About Eve is often quoted wrong as “Fasten your seat belts, it’s going to be a bumpy ride”.
While “Take your stinking paws off me, you damn dirty ape” from Planet of the Apes is often incorrectly recited as “Get your stinking paws off me, you damn dirty ape”.
One of the most famous scenes in the hit Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back is often misquoted – the real line is “No, I am your father” but many say “Luke, I am your father”.
Test your knowledge
The study also found 29 per cent have fallen into arguments over misheard movie quotes with 37 per cent resorting to searching the lines online to check what the actual quote was.
What’s more, nearly half of the UK (56 per cent) who get things wrong will ask people to repeat themselves to hear it a second time.
It also emerged 38 per cent of those polled, via OnePoll, use film quotes in real life with “Here’s Johnny” from horror classic The Shining and “If you build it, he will come” from Field of Dreams among the most popular.
Other lines regularly recited include “You’re going to need a bigger boat” from JAWS, “Do I feel lucky? Well, do you punk?” from Dirty Harry and “I’m the king of the world!” from Titanic.
But despite referencing such movie quotes to others, 41 per cent never understood what they were saying to them.
General manager David Norman said: “There is a whole collection of films that relate to real life scenarios so it’s completely normal for people to use or remember the famous lines during their daily lives.
“We’re excited to launch Clipology, so why not test your movie knowledge against your friends and family to see who comes out on top.”
Top 10 correct movie lines which are often misquoted
- Ah Houston, we’ve had a problem – Apollo 13, from Universal Pictures
- If you build it, he will come – Field of Dreams, from Universal Pictures
- Magic mirror, on the wall, who is the fairest of them all – Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, from Walt Disney Productions
- Play it Sam play ‘As Time Goes By’ – Casablanca, from Warner Bros Pictures
- You’re going to need a bigger boat – JAWS, from Universal Pictures and Amblin Entertainment
- Oh, no, it wasn't the airplanes, it was Beauty killed the Beast – King Kong (1933), from RKO Radio Pictures
- No, I am your father – Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back, from Lucas Film Ltd.
- ‘Do I feel lucky?’ Well, do ya punk? – Dirty Harry, from Warner Bros Pictures
- Fasten your seat belts, it’s going to be a bumpy night – All About Eve, from 20th Century Fox
- Take your stinking paws off me, you damn dirty ape – Planet of the Apes, from 20th Century Fox
