We live in an era defined by platitudes, and one of the most politically significant phrases that have risen in recent weeks is the concept of "fake news." Whether you love or hate the phrase, there's no denying that the idea has become a highly controversial subject that has incited passionate responses from people all over the country. As it turns out, 20th Century Fox recently tried to capitalize on the "fake news" trend while promoting its new film A Cure For Wellness, and the stunt did not go over as planned. People have become incensed by the marketing ploy, and now the studio has officially issued an apology for the crazy stunt.
According to a recent report from Deadline, 20th Century Fox has officially issued an apology for its recent fake news marketing stunt. In an attempt to promote the recent release of A Cure For Wellness, the studio released an extensive array of bizarre and outlandish fabricated news stories. Among these headlines were rumors of President Donald Trump personally meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, as well as reports that Lady Gaga's Super Bowl halftime show was performed in honor of Muslims. Many real news outlets actually picked up the fake news stories, and the fallout of this stunt has angered news consumers, as well as members of the journalism community. It is not necessarily hard to understand why.
The issue seems to have upset people on a number of different levels. For starters, nobody likes to be deceived for any reason. However, on a deeper level, this situation also feels incredibly problematic because fake news has already become a genuinely difficult issue for contemporary media outlets to contend with. News consumers already have enough trouble sifting through fabricated content designed to sway modern politics; they do not need these ridiculous headlines that serve no other purpose than promoting a movie.
Despite the controversy, it is still worth noting that many of us who have seen the film have fallen in love with it. Although the movie has generally polarized critics since reviews started to flow in (as horror movies are wont to do) A Cure For Wellness made a very powerful impression on CinemaBlend's own Mike Reyes -- who subsequently gave the film a perfect 5/5 star rating in his recent review.
Gore Verbinski's A Cure For Wellness is currently in theaters. Stay tuned for more details!
