Fake critic quotes in ‘Megalopolis’ trailer result in studio dropping marketing consultant

nme.com:

Megalopolis trailer, which featured fake critic quotes, has resulted in Lionsgate firing the marketing consultant behind it.A Variety report on Friday (August 23) claims that the quotes were the result of the work of Eddie Egan, a marketing consultant.

Sources tell Variety that it was neither Lionsgate nor Egan’s intention to fabricate the quotes, but that it was simply “an error in properly vetting and fact-checking”.Variety also demonstrates in its report that not only are the quotes fake, but that they are likely AI generated.

They mention that – by prompting AI platform ChatGPT to provide negative criticism about director Francis Ford Coppola’s past work – similar quotes to the ones in the trailer were provided.In the trailer, one such quote was attributed to revered film critic Pauline Kael that claims she felt The Godfather was “diminished by its artsiness”.

Both Variety and Vulture‘s Bilge Ebiri point out that Kael’s Godfather review does not contain that line – and that she actually loved the film.After being called out for the misleading quotes, Lionsgate pulled the trailer and issued an apology.“Lionsgate is immediately recalling our trailer for Megalopolis,” it said. “We offer our sincere apologies to the critics involved and to Francis Ford Coppola and American Zoetrope for this inexcusable error in our vetting process.”Owen Gleiberman of Variety, who is also incorrectly cited in the trailer, said of the fabricated quotes: “Even if you’re one of those people who don’t like critics, we hardly deserve to have words put in our mouths.