A24’s latest endeavor, the film “Civil War,” has not only captured attention with its compelling depiction of a divided United States, but also through its unique approach to marketing. In the run-up to the film’s release, A24 unveiled a collection of neural network-generated promotional posters. These striking visuals showcased iconic U.S. cities—like Las Vegas and Los Angeles—laid to waste in post-apocalyptic disarray, directly reflecting the movie’s central theme.
However, despite the impressive $50 million budget of “Civil War,” the actual film does not exhibit the expansive destruction suggested by these AI-generated images. This mismatch between the promotional artwork and the film’s content has sparked some backlash amongst viewers who had set their expectations based on these dramatic scenes. Additionally, the AI renditions included geographical inaccuracies and fantastical elements that brought into question the technology’s dependability.
Impact of AI Art on Viewer Expectations
In response to the raised eyebrows concerning their AI art promotion for “Civil War,” A24 clarified that their objective was to ignite the audience’s imagination with a dystopian vision of familiar sights engulfed by a fictional civil strife. The intent of these images was to enrich the movie’s narrative and to provoke thoughts about the destructive toll of a civil war on America’s treasured sites.
While Alex Garland, known for his skeptical perspective on AI as seen in his work “Ex Machina,” has not personally commented on the film’s promotion strategy. Nevertheless, “Civil War” has seen significant commercial success, raking in $25.7 million shortly after its premiere, and features a standout performance by Kirsten Dunst. The film offers a poignant commentary on a deeply polarized society and, despite the controversy surrounding its promotion, continues to be a thought-stimulating contribution to Garland’s oeuvre. The promotional tactics employed here highlight the intriguing interrelation between AI capabilities and the art of filmmaking.
