The forthcoming movie ‘Megalopolis’ has severed ties with marketing consultant, Eddie Egan, as a consequence of a trailer blunder.
The mishap consisted of artificial intelligence being utilized to produce fake critic quotes as part of the promotional materials for the film.
This regrettable strategy led to considerable backlash and has compelled the makers to reassess their marketing strategies.
The fabricated quotes, not deemed deliberate actions, were nonetheless attributed to an oversight during promotional material’s final approval. This has led to questions about the rigour and accuracy of the approval process.
An agreement was reached that such lapses could potentially impact the validity and reliability of promotional content. Consequently, immediate rectifications and policy reviews were deemed necessary to prevent similar incidents in the future.
The movie’s second trailer highlighted acclaimed reviews of director Francis Ford Coppola’s past movies, insinuating a longstanding influence for ‘Megalopolis.
With Coppola’s established reputation as a foundation, the trailer accentuated the accolades from his impressive film career. This ignited anticipation among critics and audiences alike and strengthened the projection of Coppola’s renowned work through the film’s dialogue snippets and iconic scenes.
Subsequent to the revelation of the misleading critic quotes, the trailer was quickly taken down from the internet.
Megalopolis cuts ties following trailer mishap
A public apology was issued by the film production company.
The controversy around the sham critic quotes sparked intense online debates about the fidelity of marketing strategies in the film industry. Consequently, measures were initiated to prevent similar future occurrences, with the film company vowing to reinforce their ethical guidelines.
Megalopolis’ has also seen controversy in the form of earlier allegations about Coppola’s inappropriate on-set behaviour. The debate has heightened the existing controversy surrounding the film and triggered critic backlash. Yet, many are still eager to critique the film independent of its controversies.
Boasting an impressive budget in excess of $100M, ‘Megalopolis’, with stars like Adam Driver, Giancarlo Esposito, and Nathalie Emmanuel, marks Coppola’s return to full-length feature filmmaking since 2011. The movie is slated to premiere in U.S. theaters on September 27.
