Megalopolis Launches in Theaters This Fall
After a rocky premiere, Megalopolis, one of the year’s most interesting films, has secured a theatrical release from Lionsgate.
Deadline reports that Lionsgate will distribute the massive independent project on September 27. In addition, the film has secured a release in multiple international markets.
Francis Ford Coppola’s ‘MEGALOPOLIS’ releases on September 27 in theaters vis Lionsgate.
— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) June 17, 2024
Read our review: https://t.co/Nj6LM31bRP pic.twitter.com/QK5UixkjZu
Megalopolis is the brainchild of Francis Ford Coppola, one of the greatest minds in film history. Known for cinema classics such as The Godfather and Apocalypse Now, Megalopolis is based on one of Coppola’s longest-simmering ideas. Coppola is both the director and sole writer of the film, which is an epic science fiction drama focusing on competing ideas of utopia in the decaying city of New Rome.
In its current release date, Megalopolis will directly compete with Dreamworks’ The Wild Robot, starring Lupita Nyong’o and Pedro Pascal. It will release a week after Paramount’s Transformers One and two weeks ahead of Joker: Folie A Deux starring Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga. Its primary competition will likely be from the latter, as The Wild Robot and Transformers One are animated films likely catering to a younger audience.
First trailer for ‘THE WILD ROBOT’, starring Lupita Nyong’o, Pedro Pascal, Kit Connor and Stephanie Hsu.
— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) March 5, 2024
In theaters on September 20. pic.twitter.com/CClLjsKbNh
After lingering in development hell since 1983, pre-production on the film officially began in 2019. Unable to find a studio to finance his passion project, reportedly spent 120 million dollars of his own money to make Megalopolis a reality. Because it was technically an independent film, it received an interim agreement to film during the SAG-AFTRA strike last year, allowing Coppola to wrap production on schedule.
The film had its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival a month ago, where it received a noticeably mixed reception. However, our own Nikki Fowler was more positive with her review. This mixed reception is likely the reason why this film took so long to receive an American distributor.
Megalopolis releases on September 27 in theaters nationwide. The film stars Adam Driver(Ferrari), Giancarlo Esposito(The Boys), Aubrey Plaza(Agatha All Along), and Lawrence Fishburne(The Matrix). You can check out the official teaser trailer for Francis Ford Coppola’s latest work below.
