Directing legend Francis Ford Coppola has reportedly struggled to find a distributor for his upcoming $120 million pet project Megalopolis, RadarOnline.com has learned, even despite the epic film’s massive budget.
Industry heavyweights reportedly gathered at the Universal CityWalk Imax theater last month for the grand unveiling of the self-funded Megalopolis.
According to the Hollywood Reporter, NBCUniversal Chief Content Officer Donna Langley, Sony head Tom Rothman, Coppola's nephew Nicolas Cage, Al Pacino, and Spike Jonze were just some of the high-profile names listed among the film’s attendees.
Partially funded by the sale of a portion of Coppola's $500 million wine empire, the film reportedly revolved around the reconstruction of a city after its accidental destruction backdropped by the conflicting visions between an architect and a mayor.
But despite the film’s budget and star-studded cast – which included Adam Driver, Giancarlo Esposito, and Shia LaBeouf – finding a distribution partner is expected to be an uphill battle for Coppola and Megalopolis.
Multiple industry insiders who were present at the screening last month reportedly expressed doubts about the film's marketability.
"There is just no way to position this movie,” one distributor told THR.
“Everyone is rooting for Francis and feels nostalgic,” added another attendee. “But then there is the business side of things.”
Other industry sources suggested that prominent studios were also hesitant to acquire the film because the screening on March 28 apparently left many with mixed feelings.
“Does it wobble, wander, go all over the place? Yes,” yet another attendee admitted. “But it’s really imaginative and does say something about our time.”
“I think it’s going to be a small, specialized label,” the insider added regarding who might pick Megalopolis up for distribution.
While Coppola, 84, apparently expected to make a quick deal regarding the film’s distribution rights, THR revealed that major studios like Universal and Focus have already withdrawn from the negotiations.
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Insiders cited the film’s lack of clear commercial appeal and its difficulty in defining the characters as major hurdles for the flick as it struggles to find a distributor.
One studio executive reportedly labeled Megalopolis as "some kind of indie experiment" that would be more suitable for a streaming platform rather than a traditional theatrical release.
Another label founder described Megalopolis as a substantial work with real depth – even going so far as to compare the epic film’s potential to that of the cult classic Blade Runner.
“How do you define commercial?” the label founder told THR this week. “You look at a movie like Blade Runner and it became so much more commercial than on opening weekend.”
“It takes time to find the right match,” the source added.
However, another studio head expressed disappointment about Megalopolis’spotential and indicated that there would most likely be a huge financial loss for any distributor that agreed to invest in the project.
“It’s so not good, and it was so sad watching it,” the studio head charged. “Anybody who puts [Prints and Advertising] behind it, you’re going to lose money.”
“This is not how Coppola should end his directing career.”