Disappointing Update On Francis Ford Coppola’s $120 Million Sci-Fi Movie Actually Makes It More Exciting

An update around Francis Ford Coppola’s 2024 movie Megalopolis initially appears concerning, yet may actually bode well for the long-awaited sci-fi sequel. The film, which has been something of a white whale for Coppola for several decades, will debut at the Cannes Film Festival in May. However, although the film is complete and finally set to see the light of day, a potential obstacle both raises alarm bells and expectations ahead of its wider release.

Part of the reason Megalopolis is inherently exciting is that it has been a Coppola passion project for over four decades. Described as a “story of political ambition, genius and conflicted love” where “the fate of Rome haunts a modern world unable to solve its own social problems,” by the official logline, part of the problem behind the production has been the movie’s supposedly unwieldy, labyrinthine, and epic story. While plot details remain opaque, Megalopois‘ cast of Adam Driver, Giancarlo Esposito, Laurence Fishburne, and others only makes the movie’s debut more intriguing. This excitement, however, is tempered thanks to a surprising announcement.

Megalopolis Update Suggests Francis Ford Coppola’s Sci-Fi Isn’t A Commercial Movie

Despite investing $120 million of his own money into the project (via Screen Rant), Coppola’s dream Megalopolis release may fall at the final hurdle after a screening of the film failed to secure interest from potential distributors. As confirmed by The Hollywood Reporter, the consensus was that the film was simultaneously too niche to be a financial success for a major studio and too big for a smaller, independent company to support. As a result, Megalopolis currently sits stranded in a precarious purgatory, with the film’s future uncertain.

Even after the distributor screening, details about what actually happens in the movie are limited. However, what is known about the film’s supposed blend of Ancient Roman politicking within a post-apocalyptic New York setting, combined with the consensus from major studios, suggests that it is not intended to have mass commercial appeal. From a financial perspective, it’s easy to see why this approach would be off-putting to potential investors and augur poorly for the film’s future. However, there is precedent from Coppola’s filmography to suggest that the situation is more exciting than it seems.

Megalopolis’ Struggles Are Repeating The Godfather & Apocalypse Now

In some ways, the behind-the-scenes turmoil affecting Megalopolis is reminiscent of the chaos that surrounded some of Coppola’s best-loved movies. Like Megalopolis, The Godfather and Apocalypse Now had substantial issues off-camera, with The Godfather‘s history being dramatic enough to warrant its own limited series, The Offer, and Apocalypse Now going down as one of the most notorious productions in movie history. However, despite these issues, the two films demonstrate Coppola’s undeniable ability to overcome adversity and suggest that Megalopolis can still be a success.

Comparisons between Megalopolis and Apocalypse Now in particular have been noted by the veteran director himself. When asked to comment on the negativity around the picture by The Daily Beast, Coppola responded that “this is exactly what happened with Apocalypse Now 40 years ago,” adding, “There were very contradicting views expressed, but the audience never stopped going to see the film, and to this day Apocalypse Now is still in very profitable distribution.” It remains to be seen whether such a comparison is warranted. Nevertheless, Coppola is correct to suggest that his movies have historically been capable of exceeding expectations.

Why We’re Still Hopeful For Francis Ford Coppola’s Megalopolis

Beyond the hopeful examples from Coppola’s past, there are further reasons to be positive after Megalopolis‘ reportedly difficult distributor screening. For example, the fact that the film seems to defy categorization suggests that Coppola has been completely true to his original ambitious vision. In some cases, an artist having no limitations can lead to disaster – a situation that may yet prove to be the case with Megalopolis. However, Coppola remains one of the great cinematic talents of all time, with his earlier work earning him the right to tell his story unencumbered.

It is also not necessarily a bad sign that major studios are intimidated by Megalopolis‘ scale. After the variable post-COVID box office landscape and a reassessment of the climate following the disappointing returns of major superhero projects and historical epics such as Napoleon, it’s understandable that some distributors may be more cautious than usual. However, just because a movie doesn’t seem like a safe bet does not guarantee it won’t succeed. In the end, Megalopolis may indeed prove to be a failure. For now, however, there are still reasons for fans of independent sci-fi to be optimistic.

Sources: The Daily Beast, The Hollywood Reporter