Megalopolis’ trailer fabricates quotes from famous critics, sparking controversy

The second trailer for Francis Ford Coppola’s "Megalopolis" fabricates quotes from renowned critics.

Lionsgate's release of the second trailer for Francis Ford Coppola’s epic film Megalopolis has drawn criticism for misrepresenting quotes from renowned film critics. The trailer features fabricated quotes attributed to critics of Coppola’s past works, such as The Godfather and Apocalypse Now.

The trailer includes misleading quotes purportedly from Pauline Kael of The New Yorker and Andrew Sarris of Village Voice, suggesting they were critical of Coppola’s celebrated films. Other critics like Roger Ebert, John Simon, Stanley Kauffmann, Vincent Canby, and Rex Reed are also cited with harsh critiques, but these quotes do not appear in their actual reviews.

Vulture and Variety have verified that these quotes do not match any existing reviews. For instance, a quote attributed to Ebert about Dracula is actually from his review of Batman in 1989. Owen Gleiberman of Variety was incorrectly quoted as describing Bram Stoker’s Dracula as “a beautiful mess,” a phrase he did not use. Gleiberman criticized the trailer's fabrication, stating, “Even if you’re one of those people who don’t like critics, we hardly deserve to have words put in our mouths.”

Some critics did express negative views about Coppola's work; for example, Reed labeled Apocalypse Now as “gumbo of pretentious twaddle.” Despite this, the fabricated quotes undermine the trailer’s argument positioning Megalopolis as a work that will be appreciated over time.

Megalopolis is scheduled for release in U.S. theaters on September 27. Lionsgate has not responded to requests for comment, and the deceased critics mentioned cannot address the