Maybe I'm sick, but I have to chuckle at the people who saw BM after being misled by the ads, which promised a "family" picture. Elton John's family might like it, perhaps.
BUT, it's false advertising, no doubt about it and every.blasted.time a studio/distributor resorts to this type of -- even overtly in this particular instance -- misdirecting adverttising, consumers should KNOW they're being misled for whatever other reasons, but that there is certainly some ulterior purpose to a title.
Otherwise, why the false, misleading ad campaign at all? Studios resort to this type of plastic-advertising-surgery to present product that would otherwise be outright passed over by people searching for decent entertainment.
Universal had to manipulate public interest in this film and has worked overtime (to say the least) on hyping this film beyond the predictable, homosexual audience.
It's no more a "love story" than "The Pit And the Pendulum" is, although, granted, the latter title is not filmed. The former is mere "pretty cinematography" adaptation of an ugly short story by the same name, however ("BM").
I'm curious if I'm among the one or few consumers who really mistrusts false, misleading advertising, and those who engage in producing/using it. It strikes a new low for Universal, I have to say, that they'd dare to hype "BM" as they have. All for their dollars...
It's the height of liberal ripoff artistry, to my view: as long as they get their end result (popularity in box office and publicity), they disregard honesty in method.