Megalopolis, Francis Ford Coppola’s long-awaited dream project, came and went from theaters last year. Usually, after that, a film would show up on demand or for streaming but that wasn’t the case here. What was happening with Megalopolis? Now we know.
Starting July 20, Coppola’s film will be taken on the road for a series of events called “An Evening With Francis Ford Coppola and Megalopolis Screening.” It kicks off in Red Bank, NJ, before going to Port Chester, NY; Chicago, IL; Denver, CO; Dallas, TX; and San Francisco, CA. It includes a screening of the film, obviously, as well as an “interactive discussion” with Coppola called “How to Change Our Future.”
“This is the way Megalopolis was meant to be seen,” Coppola said in a statement. “In a large venue, with a crowd and followed by intense interactive discussions about the future.” You can get tickets on Ticketmaster, which appear to cost around $40.
Released last year, Megalopolis was the result of decades of planning and anticipation from the legendary director of The Godfather, Apocalypse Now, and The Conversation. It cost well over $100 million and was paid for almost exclusively by Coppola himself, but it proceeded to bomb at the box office, grossing a little over $14 million. Nevertheless, the film’s huge ambition and beyond-weird performances, themes, and visuals gave it the beginnings of cult classic status. Physical versions of the film were released but nothing beyond that.
Adam Driver stars in the film as a visionary architect who wants to push his city into the future, only to run into a hard-nosed mayor, played by Giancarlo Esposito. Nathalie Emmanuel, Jon Voight, Laurence Fishburne, and Shia LaBeouf all get in the fun along with Aubrey Plaza as a character named Wow Platinum. Yes, it’s a movie where someone named “Wow Platinum” makes total sense.
We don’t think Megalopolis is a particularly good movie, but it’s certainly fascinating, worthy of discussion, and surely there won’t be too many more cases to see Coppola discuss his work in public in the coming years. If you’re a fan, take note.
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