Two American moviegoers have been authorized by the courts to sue Universal Pictures Studios, which they accuse of a misleading trailer, which prompted them to rent a film where their favorite actress was finally cut during the editing. After they had each spent $3.99 to watch Danny Boyle's Yesterday on Prime Video, the two men, one from California and the other from Maryland, thought they would see actress Ana de Armas, of whom they are both fans. 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 actress who was cut during the editing.
This is enough to turn against the studio and cry fraud, in a class action lawsuit reported by several American media. According to the complaint, "consumers did not receive the expected value of their rental or purchase." In its defense, the studio tried to argue that the trailers are protected by the First Amendment to the US Constitution, which guarantees freedom of speech. An argument rejected by the judge in charge of the case, who disavowed the studio. " In essence, a trailer is an advertisement designed to sell a film by providing the consumer with a preview" of the feature film, said the magistrate, thus authorizing the prosecution. Contacted, Universal did not immediately react.
In their appeal, the disappointed fans claim 5 million dollars (4.8 M€) in compensation. The case is due for trial on April 3.