Cannes 2024: Francis Ford Coppola’s ‘Megalopolis’ booed and cheered by crowd
Francis Ford Coppola‘s highly-anticipated new film, Megalopolis, received mixed reactions from the crowd following its world premiere last night at Cannes Film Festival.
Coppola first conceived of Megalopolis while making his celebrated Vietnam War film Apocalypse Now over four decades ago. The project finally came to life when Coppola opted to fund it himself, putting $120 million of his own money into its creation.
Megalopolis will mark Coppola’s first feature film in over a decade, following from the release of Twixt in 2011. The film has an impressive ensemble cast which includes the likes of Adam Driver, Aubrey Plaza, and Giancarlo Esposito. Talia Shire, Coppola’s sister, and Jason Schwartzmann, her son, also appear in the picture.
Amid the lengthy production process, a stellar cast and Coppola’s promise that Megalopolis is the best work of his career, anticipation for the film’s premiere has been high. Megalopolis finally premiered at Cannes Film Festival last night, on May 16th, to a divided response from its audience.
As the screening came to an end, the crowd reportedly booed the picture at first. When an ‘In Memoriam’ dedication to Coppola’s wife, Eleanor, appeared on screen, the crowd adopted their response and cheered. Eleanor Coppola, who was a director in her own right, passed away earlier this year at the age of 87.
The cheers then turned into a seven-minute standing ovation, following which Coppola took the opportunity to thank the audience, devoting the film to family and to hope. “Thank you all so much, it is impossible to find words to tell you how I feel,” he began.
After urging the audience to pledge their allegiance to family and to the earth, Coppola concluded, “The most important word we have is the most beautiful word in any language. Esperanza. Hope. And that’s what I dedicate this to.”
A wider theatrical release date for Megalopolis is yet to be confirmed. A teaser trailer for the film has been unveiled, which provides a glimpse at Coppola’s ambitious visuals, alongside performances from Driver and Plaza.
Alongside Megalopolis, this year’s Cannes Film Festival will play host to premieres for several other highly-anticipated films, including Ali Abbasi’s The Apprentice, which sees Sebastian Stan take on the role of a young Donald Trump in a biopic about the businessman and future president.
George Miller’s latest entry into the Mad Max series, Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, also premiered at this year’s festival to positive reviews.
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