Some used to call it “Mega-flopolis.” A punchline. One year ago, Francis Ford Coppola, legendary director of “The Godfather,” and “Apocalypse Now,” and one of the last surviving titans of ‘70s auteurism, unveiled “Megalopolis,” a sprawling sci-fi epic about a visionary architect and a corrupt politician battling to rebuild a post-apocalyptic city, seemed destined for oblivion.
Despite its ambitions, nobody wanted to touch it. Coppola,who financed the film entirely himself to the tune of $120 million, brought Megalopolis to Cannes, hoping a Croisette showing would result in triumph. It didn’t. The reception was, well, confusion.
Lionsgate eventually stepped in to release the film theatrically in May 2025. It ran 138 minutes. It made $7M. Lionsgate cut its losses, pulled it from theaters, and gave the rights back to Coppola who refused streaming deals. No Blu-ray release. Nothing. You can’t even rent it on Amazon — the listing shows “rights expired.”
However, Coppola, ever the showman, ever the dreamer, isn’t done. This week, the 85-year-old auteur is taking “Megalopolis” on tour. In partnership with Live Nation, Coppola has booked major theaters across the country to screen the film as a kind of cinematic roadshow, complete with post-screening Q&As and even live music.
The first stop, New Jersey. Last night Coppola hosted the “party” and spoke for 68 minutes, about an endless amount of topics, and apparently, it doesn’t sound like he’s done editing “Megalopolis,” he wants it to be “weirder”
Coppola wants to restore dream sequences that he cut from the final cut “because already people were saying this film was so weird.” No word yet whether this new cut will be shown during the current tour:
It was [originally] more weird. I own the picture, I can do anything I want with it.
And here’s the shocker: “Megalopolis” is sold out, practically everywhere. Only a few seats remain for upcoming shows in Denver, Dallas, and San Francisco. The event has become a hot ticket, a must-see for cinephiles, and curiosity-seekers alike. Coppola’s film, once a meme, is now, in a way, must-see.
Although I lean toward “Megalopolis” being a beautiful disaster, some believe it might be a misunderstood masterpiece. Only time will tell. In the meantime—hard to believe—we await the 'weirder' cut, soon to hit screens, pending Coppola’s approval, of course.