The $120M dystopian drama Megalopolis is reportedly tracking to recover less than ten per cent of its production budget in the opening weekend after a subdued preview performance.
The film starring Adam Driver, Aubrey Plaza, Jon Voight, Giancarlo Esposito, Nathalie Emmanuel, and Shia LaBeouf reportedly made its New York Film Festival premiere this week. It also played in 60 paid previews nationwide, where it raked in less than $400,000 (via Deadline).
The self-financed Coppola movie struggled to find buyers at the Cannes Film Festival despite the revered director’s name attached to the project. Finally, Lionsgate agreed to distribute the film in exchange for a fee.
According to Deadline, the studio will walk away with over $3 million in profit even if the film tanks at the box office. Early performance suggests that Megalopolis is indeed headed for a disastrous start after earning less than $400K in paid previews.
According to Deadline, Megalopolis earned around $300K on Monday, September 23, 2024, in paid previews in select theaters around the country. The film is now tracking to earn $5 million to $7 million on opening weekend. Following its Cannes premiere, the film has 51% critical reviews on Rotten Tomatoes. However, the film garnered praise from audience members following the preview.
A fan wrote, “Fascinating and beautiful film, feels like a piece of artwork (vs. an art film*), a dream, a reverie. Exciting in parts, but not dramatically propulsive. Driver and Esposito are both standouts, making their philosophies personal and bringing their complexities to life.”
Meanwhile, Universal’s Wild Robot, scheduled to release alongside Megalopolis, is tracking to earn over $20 million. The film also has a near-perfect 98% critic score.
Note: Box office numbers are based on estimates and various sources. Numbers have not been independently verified by Koimoi.
