2024’s Biggest Flop Is Getting a Makeover: The Director Announces a Recut and Promises Even More Weirdness Ahead

One year ago, Francis Ford Coppola, the legendary director behind classics like The Godfather and Apocalypse Now, premiered his ambitious sci-fi movie Megalopolis. The film, about a visionary architect and a corrupt politician fighting to rebuild a post-apocalyptic city, seemed like a bold move. But it didn’t get the warm welcome Coppola hoped for.

Coppola spent $120 million of his own money to make Megalopolis and took it to the Cannes Film Festival, expecting a big win.

Instead, the reaction was mostly confusion. No major studios wanted to back the movie. Eventually, Lionsgate stepped in and released it in theaters in May 2025. The film ran for 138 minutes but only made $7 million. Lionsgate then pulled it from theaters and returned the rights to Coppola. Since then, there has been no Blu-ray release, no streaming deal, and even the Amazon rental listing says “rights expired.”

But Coppola, always the showman and dreamer, isn’t finished with Megalopolis. At 85 years old, he’s taking the film on the road with Live Nation, showing it in theaters across the U.S. as a special event.

These screenings include Q&A sessions and even live music. The first stop was New Jersey, where Coppola spoke for over an hour about many topics. He also revealed that he plans to recut the movie, making it “more weird.”

Coppola said he wants to add back some dream sequences that were cut, explaining, “because already people were saying this film was so weird.” He also stated, “It was [originally] more weird. I own the picture, I can do anything I want with it.” It’s not yet clear if this new version will be shown during the current tour.

Surprisingly, Megalopolis screenings are almost sold out everywhere. Only a few seats remain for shows in Denver, Dallas, and San Francisco. What was once a movie people joked about has now become a must-see event for movie lovers and curious fans alike.

Megalopolis is a 2024 American sci-fi drama written, directed, and produced by Coppola himself. The film stars Adam Driver as Cesar Catilina, a visionary architect, and Giancarlo Esposito as Franklyn Cicero, a corrupt mayor opposing Catilina’s dream to rebuild New York, now called “New Rome,” into a futuristic utopia named Megalopolis. The story draws inspiration from Roman history, especially the Catilinarian conspiracy of 63 BC and the fall of the Roman Republic.

Coppola first had the idea for the movie back in 1977. He wanted to show parallels between the fall of Rome and the future of America by retelling the Catilinarian conspiracy in modern New York. He started planning in 1983 but faced many delays. Attempts to make the film in 1989 and 2001 failed because studios were hesitant, due to Coppola’s recent box office struggles and, later, the impact of the September 11 attacks. Frustrated with studios, Coppola finally made the film using his own fortune from his winemaking business. Filming took place in Georgia from late 2022 to early 2023.

Financially, Megalopolis did not do well. It made about $14.3 million worldwide but reportedly lost $75.5 million when all costs and revenues were counted, according to Deadline Hollywood. In the U.S., the film opened wide alongside The Wild Robot. It was expected to earn between $4 and $8 million in over 1,800 theaters, including IMAX locations.

However, mixed reviews, Coppola’s recent low profile (having directed only two films in 15 years), and a controversial marketing campaign hurt its chances. The campaign faced criticism partly because of misconduct allegations against Coppola and a trailer being pulled for using fake quotes.

On Rotten Tomatoes, only 45% of 299 critics gave Megalopolis a positive review, with an average score of 4.8 out of 10. The site’s summary called it “more of a creative manifesto than a cogent narrative feature,” describing it as an “overstuffed opus that’s equal parts stimulating and slapdash.”

Metacritic gave it a score of 55 out of 100, meaning mixed or average reviews. Audience scores were lower, with CinemaScore giving it a “D+” and PostTrak reporting just 45% positive reactions.

Despite its rocky start, Coppola’s Megalopolis is not finished yet. The director is still pushing to reshape the film, promising it will get “more weird.” And for many, the chance to see Coppola himself talk about his work and the film’s future makes this tour a rare and exciting event.

Have something to add? Let us know in the comments!