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Francis Ford Coppola’s ‘Megalopolis’ suffers weak start at the box office

Mon 30 September 2024 10:17, UK

Having taken decades to make and being funded by a personal investment of $120 million from the director, Francis Ford Coppola’s Megalopolis hit cinemas this weekend to an incredibly disappointing opening weekend response that could spell trouble for its long-term box office results.

After opening on September 27th, Megalopolis brought in only $4 million on its first weekend. This weak initial reaction is a fate-sealing blow to a project already marred by controversy, scandals and huge personal risk from Coppola. Having self-funded the project and funnelled millions of dollars into making it a reality, the poor audience reaction makes it look unlikely that the investment being recouped.

The film is set in an imagined version of the United States, drawing references between a dystopian modern world and ancient Rome. It follows a conflict between Cesar, an artist who seeks a better future as played by Adam Driver, and his opposition, Mayor Franklyn Cicero, played by Giancarlo Esposito, who remains committed to a regressive status quo.

The cast list is an extensive selection of A-Listers, including Aubrey Plaza, Jason Schwartzman, Dustin Hoffman, Grace VanderWaal, Coppola’s granddaughter Romy Mars, and Shia LaBeouf, with his casting being one of many controversies surrounding the film.

Coppola first came up with the idea for the film back in 1977 and began developing it in 1983. Since then, there have been several attempts to finally make the movie, always curtailed by other projects and political incidences putting a pause on it. In 2019, the director announced his return to his passion project and revealed that he had sold a portion of his winery in California to spend $120 million of his own money to fund it.

What is the controversy surrounding Megalopolis?

At every turn, it seemed like Megalopolis was a cursed and controversial production. One of the main issues with the film, and a possible reason for the lack of interest in it, is the questionable cast decisions. Coppola claimed he intentionally set out to cast “cancelled” actors to not be a “woke Hollywood production.” This led him to cast LaBeouf, who in 2020 was accused of his ex-girlfriend, FKA Twigs, of sexual battery, assault, and infliction of emotional distress. LaBeouf denies any wrongdoing.

The unsavoury casting isn’t the only damning element of the film’s legacy. Ahead of its release, allegations came out about the conduct on set. There were comments made about the director’s allegedly inappropriate and unprofessional behaviour towards extras on set. Crew members claimed that, during the shooting of one party scene, Coppola, who denies any wrongdoing, allegedly pulled women to sit on his lap and kissed female extras to “get them in the mood”.