news culture Fans compensated up to 5 million for watching a film?
Regardless of their legitimacy, legal actions can sometimes go far, very far. This incredible affair could well bring millions to these disgruntled spectators…
We don’t mess with moviegoers
Going to the cinema or renting a film just for the pleasure of seeing your favorite actor there is nothing exceptional. But if the actor in question did not appear in the feature film, how would you react? It’s the astonishing case that a couple of disappointed viewers took to court, and it could well earn them several million dollars…
Yesterday, a false trailer?
Released in cinemas in the summer of 2019, Yesterday is a British comedy film directed by Danny Boyle (Trainspotting, Slumdog Millionaire, Steve Jobs) from a screenplay by Richard Curtis (Four Weddings and a Funeral, Love at first sight in Notting Hill, Love Actually). Yesterday tells the story of a young man considered a loser who suddenly becomes the greatest songwriter in the world. His thing? He is simply the only one who remembers the existence of the Beatles… and their songs. To bring this improbable scenario of pure comedy to life, we find in the main role the actor Himesh Patel as well as the actress Lily James, with in guest star the famous Ed Sheeran.
So far, nothing problematic. Except that one of the trailers for Yesterday clearly hinted that actress Ana de Armas would also be in the film. Ultimately, all the scenes with Ana de Armas were cut during editing and this one is therefore absent from the feature film. It is therefore the amazement that seizes two American fans of Californian origin who each paid the sum of 3.99 dollars to rent the film. Yesterday on Amazon Prime, convinced to find the actress Ana de Armas there. Not having cold eyes, the two individuals filed a complaint against Universal Studios for false advertising and their complaint was deemed admissible. The case is due for trial on April 3, 2023 and the two plaintiffs are seeking no less than $5 million. !
$5 million at stake
Be aware that movie studios can be prosecuted under false advertising laws if they show misleading trailers. On the Universal Studios side, the lawyers tried to argue that a trailer is “an artistic and expressive work that tells a three-minute story on the theme of the film and should therefore be considered non-commercial speech. » An argument rejected by the judge who considered that creativity did not prevail over the commercial nature of a trailer. This is supposed to provide consumers with a preview of the film, and too bad if it opens the door to further complaints about the countless scenes from the trailers that never appear in the final versions of the feature films. On this account, do you think that the parody sequence from 2001, a Space Odyssey will indeed appear in the Barbie movie? If not, you may need to consider filing a complaint.
