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The trailer for Francis Ford Coppola\u2019s Megalopolis has been withdrawn by Lionsgate because the clip included fabricated quotes from real film critics about the filmmaker\u2019s previous works.<\/p>\n
The studio, responsible for distribution of the film in the US, apologised to the critics and to Mr Coppola \u201cfor this inexcusable error in our vetting process\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe screwed up,\u201d Lionsgate said in a statement on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
Megalopolis, self-funded by Mr Coppola, received mixed reviews at this year\u2019s Cannes film festival.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
The now-dropped trailer may have been a play off that lukewarm reception, attempting to show that critics aren\u2019t always the best judges by going back in time to show negative reviews for past Coppola films. \u201cGenius is often misunderstood,\u201d says Megalopolis co-star Laurence Fishburne in a voice-over.<\/p>\n
But those negative reviews were manufactured.<\/p>\n
The spot included a quote from critic Pauline Kael as writing The Godfather was \u201cdiminished by its artsiness\u201d, when her actual review was decidedly positive.<\/p>\n
Similarly, critic Rex Reed\u2019s apparent dig at Apocalypse Now – \u201can epic piece of trash\u201d – was made up.<\/p>\n
And the late critic Roger Ebert\u2019s alleged insult of the film Bram Stoker\u2019s Dracula – \u201cA triumph of style over substance” – appears to be taken from his review of a different film by a different director, Tim Burton’s Batman.<\/p>\n
It is unclear how the quotes were created.<\/p>\n
The trailer was viewed more than 1.3 million times the day it was posted online.<\/p>\n
The epic fantasy, with stars including Adam Driver, Shia LaBeouf, Aubrey Plaza and Nathalie Emmanuel, cost Mr Coppola a reported $120m (\u00a391.6m).<\/p>\n