After decades of development and putting up $100 million of his own money to make it happen, Francis Ford Coppola’s “Megalopolis” is finally out in theaters for the world to see. Unfortunately, the film has been the subject of bad reviews and even more miserable box office. However, according to the filmmaker, this isn’t cause for concern. In fact, Coppola says he’s been through this before.
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In a new interview with Forbes, Francis Ford Coppola talked about the reactions people have had to his new film, “Megalopolis.” He’s aware that audiences aren’t really happy with the finished product (the film earned a dismal D+ CinemaScore). However, the filmmaker likens the reception of “Megalopolis” to what happened when people saw “Apocalypse Now.”
“The truth is that I find the experience of ‘Megalopolis’ existing and being seen by an audience very similar to what it was like when I made ‘Apocalypse Now,’” said Coppola. “When ‘Apocalypse Now’ came out, people saw it and said, ‘Wow, what the hell is it?’ There was an ambivalent confusion because it was clearly a film not made with any rules.”
He added, “With ‘Apocalypse Now,’ the experience was like, ‘Wow. I have got to see it again.’ People went to see it again because it wasn’t boring; it was unusual, and they’re still seeing it 40 years later. The same thing has happened with ‘Megalopolis.’ Because it’s not really boring, they’re willing to see it again. My hunch is that people are going to see it again, and each time they see it, it becomes a different movie because it has a lot in it that is not apparent in the first viewing.”
This is where we have to disagree with Coppola. Sure, “Apocalypse Now” wasn’t a major blockbuster, and it took people a while to come around to it. But the truth is, he had massive support from critics and industry folks. “Apocalypse Now” won the Palme d’Or and was nominated for eight Oscars. “Megalopolis” currently stands at a rough 49% on Rotten Tomatoes with 213 reviews being accounted for. That, combined with the aforementioned D+ CinemaScore, paints a picture of most people not enjoying the film at all.
Confusion is one thing, but what’s happening with “Megalopolis” is more along the lines of people just not liking the film. Of course, it’ll be interesting to see what happens when more people get a chance to see the film when it eventually lands on VOD and streaming.
Currently, if you want to see “Megalopolis,” you have to go to the a theater where it’s playing nationwide.