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Francis Ford Coppola has finally finished his magnum opusMegalopolis. The filmmaker’s self-funded sci-fi epic has reportedly been in the making since the ‘80s and theApocalypse Nowdirector finally got to revive it a few years ago. However, the film has a huge obstacle to pass through as prominent studios are reportedly not interested in giving a distribution deal.
Coppola’s epic has reportedly been avoided like the plague by major Hollywood studios, who allegedly do not see commercial potential in it. Though the film has names such as Adam Driver, Giancarlo Esposito, and Audrey Plaza attached to it, there seem to be no takers. After a recent screening, fans have been reportedly campaigning for studios to give the film a wide release.
Studios Reportedly Feel That Francis Ford Coppola’sMegalopolisIs Not Marketable
Francis Ford Coppolahas been talking about his dream projectMegalopolisfor quite some time. After abandoning the project in the early 2000s, after the September 11 attacks, Coppola revived the project in 2019 (viaAin’t it Cool News). He reportedly self-financed the film by selling part of his wine empire and secured over $120 million in funding (viaGQ).
Studio Execs Reportedly Don’t Want to Risk $100 Million For 5 Times Oscar Winner Francis Ford Coppola and His Movie ‘Megalopolis’
Coppola cast prominent stars such asAdam Driver, Shia LaBeouf, Nathalie Emmanuel, and more in lead roles. Driver called the film ‘undefinable’ earlier this year, after catching a special screening of the epic. The film would reportedly premiere at the Cannes Film Festival. However, Coppola reportedly screened the film to potential distributors and received a myriad of reactions.
“I find it hard to believe any distributor would put up cash money and stay in first position to recoup the P&A as well as their distribution fee. If [Coppola] is willing to put up the P&A or backstop the spend, I think there would be a lot more interested parties.”
“It could be unlikely to achieve this”: Even ‘Batsh*t’ Crazy Megalopolis Early Reviews Might Not Break Even Francis Ford Coppola’s Movie That Made Him Sell Wine for 25 Years
According to THR, Coppola was reportedly looking for a distribution deal that would take care of marketing costs of up to $100 million globally, including spending on Prints & Advertising (P&A).
Francis Ford Coppola’s Magnum Opus Gets A Fan Campaign
Fan campaigns have moved mountains when it comes to releases and changes in films in the past. A ruthless and controversial fan campaign resulted in the release ofZack Snyder’s Justice Leagueand led to key design changes inSonic the Hedgehog. Now, with Francis Ford Coppola’s epicMegalopolisseemingly unsold, fans seem to have taken to social media to get the film a release.
The sci-fi epic has been described by many insiders to be too weird to market to audiences, despite it being extremely original in its vision. The filmmaker’s asking price for a distribution deal also seems to be too much for an experimental studio such as Neon or A24 to pick up. Some insiders even mentioned that the film was just not good enough and it was sad to see Coppola’s film be bad (via THR).
“Not like any movie that’s out there”: Francis Ford Coppola’s Self-Funded Megalopolis Drives Early Viewers to Tears as The Godfather Director Eyes to Prove His Doubters Wrong
However, another response from the screenings has reportedly led to fans demanding a wide release of the film. According to theX (formerly Twitter)profile President of Physical Media, the film was described as,
“The film is like Einstein and Relativity in 1905, [and] Picasso and Guernica in 1937. Coppola marks a historic new moment for cinema”
The description and positive responses from some members who attended the screenings seem to have encouraged fans to campaign for the film’s release on social media.
https://twitter.com/Joestar85231951/status/1783148199189832064
For the longest time I’ve been really interested in wanting to see this.
I need this in my face
Yet they’ll spend 2x that to advertise remakes
“…too experimental & not commercial enough” I’m sold.
WhileMegalopolisis still without a distributor,Varietyreported that the film might have found a French partner ahead of its Cannes premiere with the modest company Le Pacte.
Nishanth A
Senior Writer
Articles Published :2419
Nishanth A is a Senior Entertainment Writer at FandomWire, majorly focusing on TV shows with over 2,000 articles published. He has been an entertainment journalist for the past two years and a scriptwriter at various corporations before that, working on educational content. With a Communications, English Literature, and Psychology triple major, Nishanth usually covers news and analyses on Star Trek, particularly Strange New Worlds and The Next Generation; Doctor Who, the DCU, and more.A Nolan fan, Nishanth spends his time exploring the filmographies of various directors with an auteurial style or can be found making short movies of his own. He has also contributed as a feature writer for Film Companion, focusing on the South division.
