Francis Ford Coppola’s self-funded magnum opus Megalopolis is barreling down a disastrous road after recording historically low presales. With just ten days left for the grand debut, the film has reportedly booked less than 1% of over 30,000 theater seats.
Megalopolis will open in theaters across the United States on September 27, 2024. Plagued by controversy, the film was off to a rough start after its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival. Director Francis Ford Coppola was accused of inappropriate behavior on set by multiple extras.
Following the controversy, no major Hollywood studios were willing to purchase distribution rights for the $120 million+ project despite Coppola’s enduring legacy of directing iconic films such as The Godfather franchise. Last month, Lionsgate agreed to get behind the project in exchange for a distribution fee.
However, following a string of flops between Borderlands and The Crow, the studio is staring down the barrel of another disappointment. According to TheFlatLannister of Box Office Theory, Megalopolis has sold only 239 seats out of over 30,000 tickets so far.
At the start of the month, the film was reportedly tracking to earn between $5 million and $7 million. However, the lack of demand suggests the film is now eyeing a $3 million start. This does not bode well for a film with an over $120 million production budget, self-funded by director Francis Ford Coppola.
Megalopolis has a 51% critic score on the review aggregator site Rotten Tomatoes. The film, starring Adam Driver and Shia Labeouf, garnered blistering reviews from multiple top critics. CBS News slammed the film, writing, “Sanctimonious to the point of insulting, Megalopolis is a cautionary tale — though not about the entropic nature of empires and civilization. It’s a warning about what too much money, too much self-seriousness and too little editing can do to an artist.”
Megalopolis will open in theaters on September 27, 2024.
Note: Box office numbers are based on estimates and various sources. Numbers have not been independently verified by Koimoi.
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