By the end of 1979, filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola was at the top of his game and one of the most powerful people in Hollywood. A proud Detroit eccentric by way of San Francisco, Mr. Coppola had won five Academy Awards over a 10-year span for five films, including three for “The Godfather Part II.” His beleaguered production “Apocalypse Now” also received rave reviews from critics and audiences alike.
It was also in 1979 when Mr. Coppola began writing the screenplay for the futuristic drama “Megalopolis.”
More Misses Than Hits
In the 1980s, Mr. Coppola made six more movies and only two (“The Outsiders” and “Peggy Sue Got Married”) landed in the black. “The Cotton Club” (1984) lost even more money than “One From the Heart” and Mr. Coppola was suddenly back to square one professionally. He was one more flop away from complete industry ostracization or worse—artistic insignificance.
Luckily for Mr. Coppola, he had a trump card in his back pocket that he never wanted to use: making a third installment of “The Godfather” franchise. Having previously resisted multiple overtures from Paramount, Mr. Coppola finally acquiesced and made “The Godfather Part III” to both prove he could still make something commercially viable and that would also erase his mounting personal debt.
Breathing Room
With “The Godfather III,” Mr. Coppola had bought himself some time and much needed leeway and breathing room. He followed it with the most profitable movie of his career: “Bram Stoker’s Dracula” (1992). Starring Gary Oldman as the title character, this version of “Dracula” is considered by many to be the best ever. Mr. Coppola followed it with “Jack” (1996) and “The Rainmaker” (1997), both of which made some money but looked as if they could have been created by any rookie filmmaker. Neither felt like “Coppola” films.
Wine to the Rescue
In 1995, he bought land belonging to the well-known Inglenook Winery. Under the “Niebaum-Coppola” label, he established himself as a major player in the retail wine industry and, after a long dry spell, became financially flush once again.
Like other filmmakers before him, such as Orson Wells doing “Othello” (1951) and George Lucas with “The Empire Strikes Back” (1982), Mr. Coppola felt the artistic itch and decided to self-finance what he felt was now a camera-ready version of “Megalopolis.”
As far back as 1983, Mr. Coppola did private table readings of the screenplay but, to his immense credit, ultimately recognized that the technology available at the time was not ready for him to realize his vision.
Self-Financed
Whether fair or not, by the turn of the 21st century, Mr. Coppola was viewed by the industry as at best mercurial, and at worst, thoroughly unbankable. In 2019, he spent $120 million to get the project off the ground. This was an unprecedented move. No filmmaker had ever gambled this much of their own fortune on what the rest of the industry considered to be a pipe dreamer’s boondoggle.Principal photography for “Megalopolis” began in November 2022 at the Trileth Studios outside of Atlanta, and wrapped in March of 2023 when the arduous process of post-production began.
Cannes
On May 16, “Megalopolis” premiered at the 77th Cannes Film Festival in France where it was met with muted approval. Currently, the film has a rating of 52 percent on the aggregate critics’ site Rotten Tomatoes. It is worth keeping in mind that this 52 percent rating is from only critics present at the festival, an event where critical ratings tend to be more favorable and forgiving.While at Cannes, Mr. Coppola secured a deal with IMAX for a September release in 20 cities with or without a distributor. As of May 24, the financial terms of this deal are still unknown. As distribution deals go, this is (to be kind) iffy.
Mr. Coppola went to Cannes hoping for a major U.S. studio deal, and he left with little more than an “agreement” for exhibition in mostly East and West Coast markets. Not only geographically restricting, IMAX is a cost-prohibitive format for most casual moviegoers (those not interested in “art films,” no matter the quality).
As a lifelong fan of Mr. Coppola (I loved “One From the Heart” and still feel “The Godfather Part III” was unfairly maligned), I don’t have high hopes for the future of “Megalopolis.”
Reach Out to the Press
If I was Mr. Coppola, I would send out review screeners of the film to every bona fide critic in the country (including me and my fellow Epoch Times critic Mark Jackson). Let us determine its artistic and entertainment value.This electronic-only screening method will cost Mr. Coppola next to nothing and will put his film in front of the eyes of people who understand his artistic intentions and audience expectations. A strong word-of-mouth recommendation from the press could improve the financial future of his movie.
At this point, wide-range critical screenings are currently Mr. Coppola’s best, most cost-effective option if he wants “Megalopolis” to ever enjoy anything resembling a traditional, wide commercial release.
