Two American moviegoers have been authorized by the courts to sue a Hollywood studio which they accuse of a misleading trailer. This prompted them to rent a film where their favorite actress was finally cut during the editing.
When they each spent $3.99 to watch the movie ‘Yesterday’ on Amazon Prime, the two men, one from California and the other from Maryland, thought they saw Ana de Armas, an actress they are all the two fans, notably known to have played a spy in the James Bond ‘Dying Can Wait’.
The actress initially appeared in the trailer for this Universal Pictures production. But in the final version of ‘Yesterday’, which tells the story of a musician immersed in a parallel reality where the Beatles never existed, there is no trace of the thirty-year-old, who was cut during the editing.
What to turn against the studio and cry fraud, in a class action reported Friday by several American media. According to the complaint, ‘consumers did not receive the expected value of their rental or purchase’.
Five million requested
In its defense, Universal tried to argue that the trailers are protected by the First Amendment to the US Constitution, which guarantees freedom of speech. An argument rejected Thursday by the judge in charge of the case, who disavowed this major Hollywood studio.
“In essence, a trailer is an advertisement designed to sell a film by providing the consumer with an overview” of the feature film, said the magistrate, thus authorizing the prosecution. Contacted by AFP, Universal did not immediately react on Friday evening.
In their appeal, the disappointed fans claim five million dollars in compensation. The case is due to be heard on the merits on April 3.
/ATS