2011’s The Greatest Movie Ever Sold was directed by documentarian Morgan Spurlock, best known for Super Size Me. The film examines advertising and product placement by turning its own production into an experiment: Spurlock attempted to finance the documentary entirely through corporate sponsorships.
Its full promotional title, POM Wonderful Presents: The Greatest Movie Ever Sold, reflects that concept. Brands paid for placement and promotional opportunities, while Spurlock documented the negotiations, marketing pitches, sponsorship demands, and the tension between commercial funding and creative independence. The result is both a documentary about advertising and an example of the advertising system it investigates.
Spurlock first became widely known through Super Size Me, his 2004 documentary about eating only McDonald’s food for 30 days. That film earned an Academy Award nomination and made him a prominent figure in investigative documentary filmmaking. The Greatest Movie Ever Sold premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2011 and was distributed by Sony Pictures Classics. A common mix-up is confusing Spurlock with Michael Moore, another well-known documentarian; Moore did not direct this film.