Yes, 'Megalopolis' flopped. No, it doesn’t matter

The $140 million Francis Ford Coppola film made just $4 million in its opening weekend. There’s no reason for that to affect your opinion of the movie.

The multi-decade saga of Francis Ford Coppola’s late-career dream project, Megalopolis, finally culminated in its theatrical release on Friday. And the box office results are less than robust, with Megalopolis posting $4 million at the domestic box office in its opening weekend, good for sixth place. This is against a reported $140 million budget. 

The weak box office performance was not unexpected, especially since the film was barely advertised aside from that trailer with the fake critic quotes. I don’t think I ever saw a single TV commercial for it. 

In light of that, let me raise a question: Now that we know Megalopolis isn’t a hit, what should one do with that information?

There is some level of schadenfreude, especially among the sort of film commentator who would rather be a studio executive. 

But ask yourself this: Who is hurt by a movie losing lots of money?

Are you worried about Francis Ford Coppola? He has enough money, as do his children and grandchildren. Are you concerned about Lionsgate? Unless you work there, you shouldn’t be. 

Are you worried that the film flopping will hurt the possibility of filmmakers taking massive auteurist swings in the future? That’s more of a genuine concern, but then again, the exact circumstances of Megalopolis — 85-year-old cinema legend sells off nine figures worth of his personal wine fortune to make one last ambitious movie to cap off his career— are so sui generis that I don’t expect anything like this scenario to happen again. 

Like many others, my review of Megalopolis was mixed. I loved its ambition and the ideas contained within, but at the same time, not much of the storytelling made sense, and the performances were hit or miss.