 "Axe" was originally released under the title "Lisa, Lisa", under which it screened in Greenville, South Carolina, beginning December 9, 1974.It was re-released four years later in January 1978 under the title "Axe", premiering in Los Angeles.Friedel did not favor the title as he felt it lacked the subtlety, "surprise, and irony" of "Lisa, Lisa"; executive Harry Novak of Boxoffice International Pictures, chose to release the film in 1978 as "Axe" due to it being a more sensationalistic title.