“Megalopolis,” the newest movie from grasp Francis Ford Coppola and starring Adam Driver, has finally discovered a house and will probably be distributed by Lionsgate Studios within the U.S. and Canada following its premiere on the Cannes Movie Competition final month, IndieWire can reveal completely.
Coppola’s $120 million epic, made and financed independently by Coppola himself, will probably be launched theatrically and also will obtain an IMAX launch, as IMAX’s CEO had beforehand dedicated to doing whatever the distributor. Lionsgate plans to launch the movie on September 27, 2024. Lionsgate Studios will even deal with the distribution of “Megalopolis” throughout all house leisure platforms.
“Megalopolis” is a Roman epic fable set in an imagined Fashionable America. Driver performs Cesar, a genius artist who desires to construct The Metropolis of New Rome right into a utopia, all in opposition to the desire of the town’s mayor (Giancarlo Esposito) who prefers the established order. Torn between them is socialite Julia Cicero (Nathalie Emmanuel), the mayor’s daughter, whose love for Cesar has divided her loyalties, forcing her to find what she actually believes humanity deserves.
The movie additionally stars Nathalie Emmanuel, Aubrey Plaza, Shia LaBeouf, Jon Voight, Laurence Fishburne, Talia Shire, Jason Schwartzman, Kathryn Hunter, Grace VanderWaal, Chloe Fineman, James Remar, D.B. Sweeney, and Dustin Hoffman.
Coppola wrote, directed, and produced the movie. “Megalopolis” can be produced by Fred Roos, Barry Hirsch, and Michael Bederman, and govt produced by Anahid Nazarian, Barrie Osborne, and Darren Demetre.
“One rule of enterprise I’ve all the time adopted and prioritized (to my profit) is to proceed working with corporations and groups who over time have confirmed to be good associates in addition to nice collaborators,” Coppola stated in an announcement to IndieWire. “That is why I’m thrilled to have Adam Fogelson and Lionsgate Studios launch ‘Megalopolis.’ I’m assured they may apply the identical tender love and care given to ‘Apocalypse Now,’ which is at present in its forty fifth yr of astounding income and appreciation.”
“Francis is a legend. For many people, his presents to cinema have been one of many inspirations to commit our personal careers to movie,” Lionsgate Movement Image Group chair Adam Fogelson stated in an announcement. “It’s a true privilege to work with him, and to deliver this unimaginable, audacious, and completely distinctive film to theatrical audiences. At Lionsgate, we attempt to be a house for daring and daring artists, and ‘Megalopolis’ proves there isn’t a yet another daring or daring than the maestro, Francis Ford Coppola.”
After it first screened for studio heads again on March 28, discovering a purchaser for “Megalopolis” seemed prefer it might be an uphill battle, and it left Cannes with no North American distributor regardless of a wholesome Cannes market, although it did safe quite a few offers throughout the vast majority of worldwide territories.
Some media reviews labeled the movie “batshit loopy,” and “Megalopolis” was saddled with the notion that Coppola hasn’t made a field workplace hit in three a long time. Coppola was additionally searching for a serious cope with a theatrical part and a prolonged window, not essentially one thing a deep-pocketed streamer that wouldn’t put it in theaters can be keen to supply.
Coppola’s longtime lawyer Barry Hirsch beforehand advised IndieWire the preliminary intention was to safe a distribution deal previous to it premiering at a competition. However “Megalopolis” screened in competitors at Cannes nonetheless, driving on the hype from critics who noticed it at its world premiere and from a current teaser exhibiting Driver managing to cease time.
“We must be as artistic within the dealmaking as Francis was making this film,” Hirsch stated. “Folks have advised me that the film is in contrast to something they’ve ever seen earlier than, and perhaps that’s the place the dealmaking will must be.”
Critic reactions to “Megalopolis” have been blended (it has solely a 59 out of 100 on Metacritic), with some retailers labeling it one thing of a fiasco. However IndieWire was amongst its largest admirers, saying in our “Megalopolis” evaluation that Coppola “crams 85 years value of creative reverence and romantic love right into a clunky, garish, and transcendently honest manifesto concerning the function of an artist on the finish of an empire.”
“Megalopolis” didn’t come house with the Palme d’Or, or every other prize, however he has received Cannes’ high prize twice earlier than, each for “The Dialog” and “Apocalypse Now.” A number of the early reactions pegged “Megalopolis” because the director’s most formidable movie since his Vietnam Warfare epic.
Coppola has insisted that “Megalopolis” is just not his ultimate movie, which he’s additionally described as an “epic” that “received’t be low-cost.”
Lionsgate beforehand partnered with Coppola on the releases of “Apocalypse Now Ultimate Minimize,” “The Dialog,” “The Cotton Membership Encore,” “Tucker: The Man and His Dream,” and “One From the Coronary heart: Reprise.”
By means of separate offers, the movie beforehand secured distribution within the UK (Leisure Movie Distributors Restricted), France (Le Pacte), Germany, Austria, and Switzerland (Constantin Movie), Italy (Eagle Footage), Spain (Tripictures), Australia (Madman Leisure), Benelux (September Movies), Bulgaria (Profilm), the Czech Republic and Slovakia (Movie Europe), Ex-Yugoslavia (MCF Megacom Movie), Greece (Feelgood Leisure), Hungary (Mozinet), Israel (Lev Cinemas), Morocco (Facility Occasion), Portugal (Midas Filmes), Romania (Independenta Movie), Scandinavia (Njutafilms), and Turkey (Bir Movie). Just lately added territories are the Center East (Cinewaves), Poland (Gutek), Ukraine and Baltics (Advert Astra), Tunisia (Retinia), Indonesia (Prima Cinema), and the Philippines (Pioneer). Goodfellas is in superior negotiations for Latin America and Brazil, and in negotiations with the remainder of Asia.
Coppola’s producer and longtime lawyer, Barry Hirsch of Hirsch Wallerstein Hayum Matlof + Fishman, oversaw the deal on behalf of American Zoetrope. Lauren Bixby and Christopher Davis oversaw the deal for Lionsgate.
Further reporting by Anne Thompson