Trade publication Variety apologizes publishing an incorrect version of an awards season poster for Tom Holland's upcoming movie Cherry. The film tells the story of a former Iraq soldier who turns to robbing banks following his return to America in the middle of the opioid epidemic. Directed by the Russo Brothers (responsible for some of the most successful Marvel Cinematic Universe movies, including all-time box office champion Avengers: Endgame), the film is an adaptation of Nico Walker's book of the same name, loosely based on his own life.
The film will represent a departure for Holland and the Russos, taking a more gritty and realistic tone than the superhero movies the trio is known for. The Russos say Cherry is like multiple movies in one, speaking to the episodic nature of the protagonist's narrative. Its release on Apple TV+ on March 12, 2021, will be preceded by a short run in theaters starting February 26, meaning it will qualify for awards season. And like any other awards contender, the movie has released an advert in trade publication Variety. But a mistake inadvertently made it the butt of jokes on Twitter.
Today, Variety apologized for the poster that initially circulated, which mangled Cherry's title, making it incomprehensible. The magazine's Twitter account released the correct version of the poster a few hours after the first was released, calling the title mistake on a "digital misprint." But it was too late to do damage control, with the poster going viral for being so terrible. Users called it "appallingly bad" and wondered how it got through the quality control process. You can see both versions, as well as reactions and Variety's apology, below:
As embarrassing as it may have been for both Variety and Cherry, the mistake has inadvertently thrust the film into the social media spotlight, arguably getting it more publicity than it would have without the snafu. Still, it's not a great start for the movie's marketing efforts, with the poster the first major piece of promotional material -aside from official stills - released, ahead of, one assumes, a teaser trailer that will surely come over the next few days or weeks.
Holland's legion of devoted fans will undoubtedly be hoping the movie turns out to be better than the incorrect poster. Cherry is a marked departure for him, with the actor sporting a haunted look and buzz cut for the film. There's still doubt over whether he can carry a more dramatic film, though his intense performance in Netflix's Devil All The Time went some way to convince his critics. Cherry will be yet another test of his acting range.
Source: Variety/Twitter