After a lot of up and downs about whether or not Megalopolis would even make it to theaters—and a wildly divided but still rather fascinated reaction to its premiere at Cannes this year—Francis Ford Coppola’s latest will head to the silver screen after all.
Indiewire reports that Lionsgate will distribute Megalopolis both for theatrical release starting September 27—including supporting an IMAX rollout, something IMAX had already agreed to do regardless of whether or not the film actually received a wide release—as well as be responsible for the film’s eventual home entertainment release.
“Francis is a legend. For many of us, his gifts to cinema were one of the inspirations to devote our own careers to film,” Lionsgate chair Adam Fogelson said in a statement provided to Indiewire. “It is a true privilege to work with him, and to bring this incredible, audacious, and utterly unique movie to theatrical audiences. At Lionsgate, we strive to be a home for bold and daring artists, and Megalopolis proves there is no one more bold or daring than the maestro, Francis Ford Coppola.”
Inspite of an impactful Cannes premiere—whether critics loved it or hated it—Coppola’s film, independently funded to the tune of $US120 million by the director, left the prestigious film festival without having secured a distributor. Earlier this year, it was reported that screenings of the film for potential studios heads saw Megalopolis—which stars Adam Driver as Cesar, an artist living in an alternate near-future America with dreams of radically transforming the titular city of New Rome, into a new utopian civilization, only to face pushback from its mayor, played by Giancarlo Esposito, who wants to maintain New Rome’s status quo—and balked at the prospect of supporting Coppola’s vision for a lengthy theatrical run.
Now, at least it’s going to get a chance… and we can all see if we’ll love or hate it ourselves on the big screen.
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