Summary
- Francis Ford Coppola's long-awaited Megalopolis faces uncertain future due to distribution issues.
- Film features ensemble cast with Adam Driver and others, but lacks commercial appeal for studios.
- Options include self-financing marketing or bying studios, but success remains unlikely.
Francis Ford Coppola's Megalopolis's distribution issues mean that the prospects of the movie being released anytime soon don't look good.
Described as a science fiction epic, filming for Megalopolis began in late 2022 and concluded the following summer. The movie is set to feature an ensemble cast that includes big names such as Adam Driver, Giancarlo Esposito, Aubrey Plaza, and Jon Voight, among others. Megalopolis was always going to be a risk, especially given Francis Ford Coppola's 21st-century record. However, unless things drastically change, it looks like Megalopolis might not make it to theaters at all.
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Francis Ford Coppola's sci-fi movie Megalopolis stars one actor from The Godfather whom the director hasn't worked with in 34 years.
Why Megalopolis Is Struggling To Find A Studio To Market & Distribute It
It Comes Down To Financing
Production of Megalopolis has already cost Ford Coppola an estimated $120 million after he sold a portion of his wine empire to fund the project. The movie's production costs, therefore, aren't so much the issue. The real problem lies with the distribution. Despite Ford Coppola being an acclaimed director, Megalopolis has been having difficulty finding a distribution partner. The filmmaker has said that at least $100 million is needed to cover the movie's marketing and distribution. However, studios have been unwilling to pay such a sum for what is an experimental and bizarre movie.
Though it boasts a talented cast of familiar faces, Megalopolis lacks the kind of commercial appeal needed to justify such a substantial marketing and distribution budget.
Megalopolis depicts the conflict between two men and their competing visions of how a metropolis should be rebuilt following its accidental destruction. Though it boasts a talented cast of familiar faces, Megalopolis lacks the kind of commercial appeal needed to justify such a substantial marketing and distribution budget. Additionally, following its first screening, initial responses to Megalopolis were mixed, with the movie being described as "baffling" and "batsh*t crazy." The audacious ambition of the film has likely been putting off potential distributors who see it as too much of a risk.
Will Megalopolis Find A Studio To Market & Distribute It?
The Chances Don't Look Great
Bosses of Netflix, Warner Bros., Paramount, and Disney all attended the first screening of Megalopolis. However, not one of them has made a deal with Ford Coppola regarding a distribution plan. It's fair to assume that all four are no longer options. Perhaps Ford Coppola's best option going forward is Apple, whose execs in the past have demonstrated that they are willing to take on prestige movies to boost their credentials and libraries. Recent titles such as Killers of the Flower Moon, Napoleon, and The Tragedy of Macbeth were all picked up by Apple despite not being obvious box-office contenders.
The difference is, however, that Apple likely anticipated those movies being favorably reviewed. From what is known of the film, the same can't really be said about Megalopolis. Besides, there's a good chance that Apple might be looking to move away from this system, given that it's not very sustainable in the long run.
Francis Ford Coppola first came up with the idea for Megalopolis while working on one of his most famous movies, Apocalypse Now (1979).
Ford Coppola's other remaining option lies with A24. Being as niche as it is, Megalopolis certainly seems like a good fit for A24, which predominantly focuses on producing and financing less mainstream movies. Nevertheless, A24's most recent release, Alex Garland's Civil War, was the company's most expensive film to date, with a production budget of $50 million. Ford Coppola is looking to spend distribution and marketing costs of at least double that amount. It's highly unlikely that A24 will be willing to give Ford Coppola the $100 million he's asking for, effectively ruling them out as an option.
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What Will Happen If Francis Ford Coppola Doesn't Find A Distributor For Megalopolis?
There Are Some Options
He's been working on the project for over four decades now, so there's definitely a feeling that Ford Coppola would do almost anything to see Megalopolis in cinemas, even if that means taking a big hit to his personal finances.
Finding a distributor is by far the simplest way of getting a movie released, but there are alternatives. For starters, Ford Coppola could pay for the marketing of Megalopolis himself. After all, he paid for the production of the movie, so it may not be outside the realm of possibility. $100 million is a huge amount of money, so it would certainly be a big ask. Nonetheless, Ford Coppola made $500 million from selling just one portion of his vast wine empire. Perhaps by doing the same thing again, he would have the requisite funds to finance the film's marketing.
On top of that, Megalopolis isn't just another movie for Ford Coppola, it's a ion project. As such, it's unlikely that he would be bothered about recouping costs. He's been working on the project for over four decades now, so there's definitely a feeling that Ford Coppola would do almost anything to see Megalopolis in cinemas, even if that means taking a big hit to his personal finances.
Francis Ford Coppola's $120M Sci-Fi Just Got A Lot More Exciting & Worrying For The Same Reason
Despite Francis Ford Coppola's absence from making movies, the reactions surrounding Megalopolis make exciting and worrying for the same reasons.
As well as self-financing, Ford Coppola could try bying the studios altogether in a similar manner to Taylor Swift. When it came to releasing the movie version of her Eras Tour in 2023, Swift went directly to the theaters instead of relying on studio backing. This was certainly a novel way of doing things, but the approach proved to be a financially rewarding one. There's no guarantee, however, that theaters would make the same sort of deal with Ford Coppola. There's a chance, therefore, that Megalopolis may never be released.
Why Megalopolis Was Always A Risk For Francis Ford Coppola
The Odds Have Never Been In His Favor
There's an argument to be made that Megalopolis was always destined to fail. Ford Coppola has dedicated over 40 years of his life to the project and spent $120 million of his own money to get it to this point. Though it would certainly be pleasing to see his hard work finally paying off, it's hard to escape the idea that Megalopolis was never going to be an attractive investment. The fact that it's an original sci-fi movie built on a somewhat niche premise makes Megalopolis a hard sell.
Francis Ford Coppola choosing to release the movie in 2024, given the current state of the theatrical landscape, only makes Megalopolis's chances of success even less likely. After all, recognizable IPs, franchises, and shared universes make up the bulk of mainstream cinema today. Original ideas are an increasingly rare sight in movie theaters, particularly ones that come with a hefty price tag. Even if he somehow manages to resolve the film's distribution and release issues, both Francis Ford Coppola and Megalopolis still have a massive mountain to overcome.
Megalopolis
- Release Date
- September 27, 2024
- Runtime
- 138 Minutes
- Director
- Francis Ford Coppola
- Writers
- Francis Ford Coppola
Cast
Forest Whitaker
Megalopolis, directed by Francis Ford Coppola, is a visionary 2024 film exploring the ambitious dream of reconstructing New York City into a utopia, following a devastating disaster. The narrative delves into the clash between the architect's utopian vision and the political and personal turmoil that ensues. With a star-studded cast, the film examines themes of ambition, power, and the human spirit's resilience against the backdrop of a futuristic metropolis.
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