Francis Ford Coppola’sMegalopolishas been accused of fabricating fake reviews from legendary film critics for its recent trailer, leading to the new preview being removed from online platforms.Megalopolisis a passion project that Coppola funded himself, and perhaps it was therefore expected that a lot of critics would not be on the same wavelength as the director. When making its debut at the Cannes Film Festival, the premiere immediately led to a mixed reception and that, in turn, instigated a strange response via the latest trailer.
Costing over $100 million and set for a July 26, 2025 release date,the new trailer for the filmbegins with a series of written quotes that were supposedly written by great critics such as Pauline Kael, Andrew Sarris, and Rogert Ebert about Coppola’s greatest movies such asThe GodfatherandApocalypse Now. The idea was to plant the idea in the audience’s minds that critics did not like his classics at the time of their release, so they should ignore the negative buzz aroundMegalopolis.
Megalopolis
Megalopolis, directed by Francis Ford Coppola, is a visionary 2024 film exploring the ambitious dream of reconstructing New York City into a utopia, following a devastating disaster. The narrative delves into the clash between the architect’s utopian vision and the political and personal turmoil that ensues. With a star-studded cast, the film examines themes of ambition, power, and the human spirit’s resilience against the backdrop of a futuristic metropolis.
However, a recent report byVulturereveals that quotes appearing in the trailer are actually either completely fake, or about different movies. The article points out several falsehoods, like the fact that the quote attributed to Pauline Kael aboutThe Godfatherbeing"diminished by its own artistry"is nowhere in herNew Yorkerreview ofThe Godfatherand she, in fact, praised both the original film and its sequel.New York Timesfilm criticVincent Canby gave a mixed review ofApocalypse Nowat the time of its release, but he did not call it“hollow at the core."
The worst offender is a quote about Coppola’s 1992 movieBram Stoker’s Dracula, where it claims Roger Ebert called the movie “a triumph of style over substance.” However, this quote was not from Ebert’s very positive review of that movie, but actually fromhis review of 1989’sBatmanby Tim Burton.
Following the publication of this report, Lionsgate reacted swiftly to pull the trailer, sharing a statement (perVariety) that reads:
“Lionsgate is immediately recalling our trailer for ‘Megalopolis. 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. We screwed up. We are sorry.”
Megalopolis' Trailer Attempted to Make Critics Out to be the Villains
The revelation that the marketing team forMegalopolisused fake review quotes or misquoted other publications does not sit well with many people for a number of reasons. All the quotes used are attributed to critics that have passed away and are not able to call out the falsehood of the trailer’s claims. It has been left to sleuthing fans and the magic of the internet to discover the truth. Meanwhile, the fact that Lionsgate and Coppola have now pivoted the marketing ofMegalopolisto attacking critics for not understanding his work afterMegalopolis' disappointing Cannes debut, one has to wonder if they would have done that had reviews been a little more positive. It is easy to ask why they just didn’t take some of the many negative quotes associated with other movies in Coppola’s catalog, such asJack,Twixt, orFinian’s Rainbow,but of course, those movies are not exactly regarded in the same league asThe Godfather.
Francis Ford Coppola Is Reportedly Still Paying for Megalopolis
Lionsgate stepped up to distribute Francis Ford Coppola’s polarizing sci-fi epic but they are having the director front most of the marketing budget.
Generating fake bad reviews using the names of some beloved, esteemed critics who are no longer with us is just another bump inMegalopolis’rocky road to release. There have been several reports of disruption during the film’s production, as well as Coppola reportedly being unprepared for the amount of CGI effects that would be required to be fixed in post-production - just like the Marvel movies that he previously criticized. With nearly $100 million of his own money invested in it, Coppola has a lot riding on his movie, and this latest controversy is not making its success look any more likely.
Megalopolisopens in theaters on July 01, 2025.
