One of the most decisive and misunderstood movies of 2024 has not arrived on streaming or home video yet, and Francis Ford Coppola said that Mel Gibson (The ion of the Christ) and Kevin Costner (Horizon) also made.

However, while Gibson's bet paid off big-time for him, Coppola's movie was more like Costner's and was a flop at the box office. Critics and audiences neither understood nor appreciated what the director was trying to do. Megalopolis tells the story of the fall of the empire, with New York City representing Rome in the future and the story paying homage to Roman history. However, as Coppola has said, it also parallels what is happening in the United States now, which might be why he has unique plans to let people see the movie - just not at home.

Why Megalopolis Has Split Critical & Audience Opinion

People Have Called Megalopolis A Bad Movie & One People Have To See

The biggest problem with Megalopolis was that fans went into the film doubtful from the start. Francis Ford Coppola spent $120 million of his own money to make the film. He refused to listen to anyone else and put it on the screen the way he envisioned it. This was purely Coppola's vision. However, the Oscar-winning director hadn't made a successful movie in years, and many people wondered what this film would look like based on the money Coppola put into it.

What resulted was a film that made $12.2 million at the worldwide box office, meaning Coppola lost over $100 million. It received mostly negative reviews, sitting at 45% on Rotten Tomatoes and an even lower 35% from the audience ratings. However, something unique about it ensures it becomes a cult classic, at least in a niche way. In a Reddit thread, one person wrote:

"The movie is such a contradiction. It takes itself too seriously yet seems intentionally campy as hell. It's king and boring yet also frenetic and wild. It looks opulent and expensive yet also weirdly cheap at times."

There are so many reviews where people say it is a horrible movie, but just as many say it is a bad movie that must be seen to be believed.

It's Very Difficult To Actually Watch Megalopolis In 2025

Francis Ford Coppola Has Prohibited Its Home Release

Francis Ford Coppola could make even more money on his investment if he released Megalopolis on streaming services. However, this was a ion project for the filmmaker. Coppola says he only wants Megalopolis to be seen on theater screens. It's not on Netflix, HBO Max, or any other streaming service. Also, it won't be released on DVD or Blu-ray in the United States (although it was released internationally on home video). “He wants it to play in theaters the way it was intended,” an insider said (via THR).

For anyone who hasn't seen Megalopolis, the only way to see it now is to be in a city where Coppola takes it on a tour. He has already taken the movie to the Coolidge Theater for a sold-out showing in Boston and then took it later to Detroit, Michigan. Adam Driver even mentioned that this was always the plan:

"Believe me, I was there. There was no talk about how we could make this more commercial."

Francis Ford Coppola also gave his own reasons for refusing a DVD release for Megalopolis. He said, "The film is still being shown in theaters. I don't want anyone to own it... We sold out three screenings in Boston recently, in Detroit, and people are really lining up. It’s just like what happened with Apocalypse Now. Apocalypse Now was a big flop, it got terrible reviews, everyone said it was the worst movie ever made. And yet people never stopped going to see it. The same thing is now happening with Megalopolis" (via Deadline).

Source: THR, Deadline