We did call it “Mega-flopolis.”
A year ago, Francis Ford Coppola — the legendary director of “The Godfather” movies and “Apocalypse Now” — the object of mockery.
FFC had made his labor of love, “Megalopolis,” about a visionary and an architect at war over how to remake a city destroyed by an apocalypse. No wanted to see the two hour eighteen minute movie even with its illustrious cast includingA dam Driver, Giancarlo Esposito, Nathalie Emmanuel, Jon Voight, Laurence Fishburne, and Aubrey Plaza. He couldn’t get a distributor after a ruinous screening for friends in April 2024.
He took the movie to Cannes, where no one knew what to make of it. And then he waited waited waited until Lions Gate agreed to distribute the complex and often daunting self proclaimed masterpiece.
Coppola had staked $100 million of his own money on the project. But after it made just $7.6 million in US theaters, Lionsgate called it a day, removed it from viewing, and handed “Megalopolis” back to Coppola.
What next? No streaming, no DVDs. Nothing. Coppola refused to put “Megalopolis” on phones or laptops, it shouldn’t be seen that way. If you look up the movie on Amazon.com, a warning comes up that says “rights expired.”
So now, the Oscar winning director is taking “Megalopolis” on the road. He’s booked five large theaters in five venues across the country via Live Nation. First stop is this Wednesday at the Capitol Theater in Port Chester, NY with a Q&A following the show.
There’s even a special musical performance by Grace Vanderwaal, who contributed two songs to the movie and appears in it as Vesta Sweetwater, a young, virginal pop star.
And guess what? Coppola has made the audience an offer they’re no refusing. “Megalopolis” is sold out. Everywhere. There are about a dozen seats left in each of the theaters in Chicago, Denver, Dallas, and San Francisco. The “Megalopolis” tour is a success.
This should be no surprise to anyone. Coppola has a history of PT Barnum like live extravaganzas. Back in the day, he sent his dad, Carmine Coppola, out on the road with a full orchestra playing in front of Abel Gance’s classic silent film, “Napoleon.” It was an enormous hit.
What could be a surprise at the screenings: who gets to come out live on stage for the moment when a human being must ask questions of a character on the screen? Will it be Coppola, an audience member, or a surprise cast member who wasn’t too emotionally rattled by the original release?
The cities Coppola and his people have chosen have discerning film audiences who I guess want to see what all the fuss is about. Where could he go next? Manhattan or Boston? Austin, Texas? What about the Dolby Theater in Hollywood? That would be the height of irony since that’s the home of the Academy Awards.
