Why Lionsgate Pulled The Trailer For Megalopolis, Francis Ford Coppola’s Self-Funded Epic?

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As a film enthusiast with over three decades of immersion in the cinematic world, I must say this latest fiasco surrounding Francis Ford Coppola’s “Megalopolis” has left me more bewildered than the plot of the movie itself! The blatant misrepresentation of esteemed critics’ reviews is not only disrespectful to their expertise but also tarnishes the credibility of the film industry.

Lately, Lionsgate has found itself in an unforeseen predicament due to a controversy surrounding the withdrawal of the trailer for Francis Ford Coppola’s forthcoming masterpiece, Megalopolis. This action was taken following strong criticism over misquotes attributed to esteemed movie critics, leading to a debate about truthfulness and ethics in promotional materials related to the film industry.

A representative from Lionsgate admitted their mistake regarding the trailer for ‘Megalopolis’, stating in a message to Variety, “Lionsgate is promptly withdrawing the ‘Megalopolis’ trailer. We deeply apologize to the critics affected and to Francis Ford Coppola and American Zoetrope for this unforgivable oversight during our review process. It was a mistake on our part, and we sincerely regret it.”

Initially, The Guardian reported that the trailer, subsequently removed, contained critical remarks attributed to well-known film critics about Coppola’s previous masterpieces, such as The Godfather and Apocalypse Now. Remarkably, the narration even claimed, “Genius is often misunderstood,” while displaying fabricated quotes.

However, it was soon found that these quotes were not accurate representations of the original reviews. For instance, Bilge Ebiri pointed out in Vulture that several of these quotes never appeared in their respective reviews. One such quote, attributed to The New Yorker’s Pauline Kael, criticized The Godfather as being “diminished by its artsiness.” Upon closer inspection, it was revealed that this critique was entirely fabricated; her actual reviews were actually quite favorable towards the film. Similarly, the statement credited to The Village Voice’s Andrew Sarris, which described The Godfather as “a sloppy, self-indulgent movie,” does not align with his published review.

The issue was exacerbated when it was discovered that although the general sentiment expressed in a critic’s review was correctly depicted, the specific phrases attributed to them were incorrect. For example, Rex Reed from Daily News did express some negative comments about Apocalypse Now, but he never said “an epic piece of trash” as suggested in the trailer. Additionally, as Variety reveals, the advertisement’s claim of a Chicago Sun-Times review by Roger Ebert – describing Bram Stoker’s Dracula as “a triumph of style over substance” – was actually from Ebert’s 1989 review of Batman.

Without a doubt, the negative review from The Guardian’s Peter Bradshaw, labeling Megalopolis as “an overblown, dull, and confusingly shallow sci-fi epic,” may have an impact on its upcoming release.

Megalopolis is set in a contemporary American city, yet it offers an epic journey inspired by motifs from ancient Rome. Its characters are just as grandiose as its title and feature Adam Driver, Aubrey Plaza, Shia LaBeouf, Jon Voight, Laurence Fishburne, Kathryn Hunter, and Dustin Hoffman. Coppola is said to have invested approximately USD 120 million for his return to filmmaking after a decade, aiming to make a feature film comeback. Lionsgate has acquired the U.S. distribution rights, with the movie set for a theatrical release on September 27.

Regarding the debate surrounding the trailer, it’s unclear at this point how much impact it will have on the film’s overall reception in theaters when it is eventually released.

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2024-08-22 15:07