Megalopolis: the $120m Coppola flop that just won't go away

"After decades of talk, Francis Ford Coppola's forever-gestating dream project Megalopolis debuted in movie theaters in fall 2024, and promptly flopped at the box office, grossing a paltry $14m worldwide against a budget around $120m, much of which was put up by Coppola himself. Not even a series of splashy Imax presentations, including some with a live-actor element, could entice more than a relative handful of curious cinephiles out of the house."

"Some of the movie nerds showed up to watch Driver speechify, to immerse themselves in digital evocations of a futuristic, Rome-New York City hybrid, and enjoy the eclecticism of a cast that also includes Laurence Fishburne, several members of Coppola's family, SNL's Chloe Fineman, a number of semi-canceled actors encouraged to ham with impunity, and Aubrey Plaza as Wow Platinum."

"Or rather, one thing didn't happen: Megalopolis never made it to the kinds of subscription-streaming channels that sometimes leads to a quick rediscovery (or, in some cases, couch-dwelling derision). The movie was briefly available to rent or buy on video on demand, but disappeared from those outlets relatively quickly, and didn't surface on other common home-video formats in North America. (It was released on physical media in some other countries.)"

After decades of development, Francis Ford Coppola's Megalopolis opened in fall 2024 and grossed about $14 million worldwide against an estimated $120 million budget, much personally financed by Coppola. Large-format Imax presentations, some with live actors, drew only a small group of curious cinephiles. The film stars Adam Driver as a visionary, time-stopping architect and features Laurence Fishburne, members of Coppola's family, Chloe Fineman, and Aubrey Plaza as Wow Platinum. Early viewers traded jokes online and a few mounted defenses, but the film exited theaters quickly and received no awards consideration. The film briefly appeared on rental VOD, then vanished from major North American home-video and subscription streaming outlets, though physical releases occurred in some other countries.

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