Francis Ford Coppola’sMegalopolishas bombed spectacularly at the box office, but moviegoers may be wondering how much money it made, how much money it lost, and why it was such a massive commercial flop.Megalopoliswas always going to be one of the biggest box office risksof the year.Coppola self-financed the $120 million budgetby selling off part of his winery business, which allowed him full creative control to go as strange and outlandish as he wanted with the tone of the film, meaning it wouldn’t have much mainstream appeal.
On top of that, the movie has been marred by mixed reviews, allegations of inappropriate on-set behavior, and controversy over the use of fake critic quotes in the trailer. It was always going to be an uphill battle forMegalopolis. If it had emerged as a blockbuster hit, it would’ve been a bigger surprise thanInside Out 2’s higher-than-expected box office success. But now that it’s finally arrived in theaters, it’s an even bigger flop than anticipated. It’s even fallen short of its projected opening weekend, which was only estimated at $5-7 million to begin with (viaVariety).
How Much Megalopolis Made At The Box Office In Its Opening Weekend
Megalopolis Has Grossed Just $4 Million Against Its $120 Million Budget
This past weekend,Megalopolisopened in 1,854 theaters and grossed a paltry $4 million at the domestic box office(viaThe Numbers). The movie brought in a measly $1.8 million on its first day and an estimated $770,000 from Monday and Thursday previews (viaDeadline). With its $4 million debut,Megalopolisfinished sixth at the box office. It grossed far below the $35 million earned by the number-one film of the weekend, DreamWorks Animation’sThe Wild Robot. BehindThe Wild Robot,Beetlejuice Beetlejuice,Transformers One,Devara Part 1, andSpeak No Evilall outgrossedMegalopolisthis weekend.
IMAX and premium large-format screens accounted for 41% ofMegalopolis’ opening-weekend gross, with IMAX specifically bringing in $1.4 million (or 35%) of the domestic total. The audience was made up of 70% men, with 38% over the age of 35 and 32% between the ages of 25 and 34. According to exit polls, 61% of viewers went to see the movie for Coppola, 29% went to see it for Adam Driver, and 32% went based on recommendations that the film was entertaining. AMC Lincoln Square was the movie’s highest-earning theater, grossing $84,000 through Saturday.
Megalopolis Ending Explained
Megalopolis has been decades in the making. Now that Coppola’s film is out in the world, we break down the biggest moments from the film’s ending.
Deadlinehas compared the domestic opening ofMegalopolisto other high-profile flops. It made a similar amount to Michael Cimino’sHeaven’s Gate— another ambitious, auteur-helmed epic — which grossed $3.5 million, unadjusted for inflation, in 1980.Heaven’s Gatebombed on such an epic scale that it’s credited with singlehandedly ending the New Hollywood movement.Deadlinealso comparedMegalopolistoHorizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1, another passion project self-funded by Hollywood royalty (in this case, Kevin Costner).Horizongrossed nearly three times as much asMegalopolis— $11 million in June — and even that was unsuccessful enough to have its sequel shelved.
Megalopolis' Mixed Reviews & Poor Audience Reaction Hurt Its Box Office Opening
Megalopolis Got A Dismal D+ CinemaScore From Viewers Who Did Watch It
Way back in May, whenMegalopolispremiered at the Cannes Film Festival, it was met with a mixed critical response.It earned a “rotten” critics’ score of 49% on Rotten Tomatoes, indicating that reviews were split down the middle. Audiences have had four long months for those mixed reviews to sink in. Last year, studios made the mistake of lifting the review embargo early onThe FlashandIndiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, and they both received mixed reviews and ended up underperforming at the box office (and they both had much more hype surrounding them thanMegalopolis).
Megalopolis' Trailer & Fake Review Quotes Controversy Explained
Lionsgate has pulled Megalopolis' second trailer after it was revealed that the review quotes had been faked, sparking a massive controversy.
Some critics have laudedMegalopolisas a masterpiece, but there are just as many critics calling it a tedious, indulgent, pretentious mess. Audiences are wary of taking the time and spending the money to go out to a theater and give a movie their full attention if it’s not guaranteed to be a good time. The year’s biggest hits,Inside Out 2andDeadpool & Wolverine, were well-received by critics and promised entertainment worth the price of admission.Megalopolismade no such promise; its trailers are confusing and its subject matter is weighty and intellectual.
It didn’t help thatwhenMegalopolis’ audience reactions came in, they were even worse than the critical reviews.It has a low 34% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes and got a D+ CinemaScorefrom outgoing viewers. By comparison,Deadpool & Wolverinegot an A,Twistersgot an A-, andAlien: Romulusgot a B+. EvenThe Crowgot a B+;Megalopolis’ D+ is on par withBorderlands, a strong contender for the worst-performing movie of 2024. A polarizing film like this needs good word of mouth to turn its box office around; these audience ratings suggestMegalopoliswon’t have that.
Hollywood Was Always Worried About Megalopolis' Box Office Chances
No Studio Would Back Megalopolis On Coppola’s Original Terms
Hollywood was always concerned thatMegalopoliswould struggle at the box office. When Coppola initially screened the film for potential distributors, not a single studio wanted to take him up on his offer.He only managed to secure a distribution deal with Lionsgate when he compromised the terms of the dealand agreed to fund a $15-20 million marketing campaign out of his own pocket (viaThe Hollywood Reporter). Every studio in Hollywood considered it too risky a play with the film’s whopping $120 million budget, even with the director ofThe Godfatherbehind it.
Coppola & Lionsgate Will Both Be Fine, But It Means Hollywood Is Less Likely To Take A Chance On Another Coppola Movie
For the movie itself,Megalopolis’ dismal domestic box office openingdoesn’t mean all that much.Lionsgate isn’t on the hook for the movie’s production budget or even its marketing costs— all of that was covered by Coppola — so the studio doesn’t have to get to the usual break-even point of 2.5 times the budget to turn a profit. Lionsgate only has to make back what it cost to get the movie into theaters, which will be far below what it cost Coppola to produce and advertise it. As for Coppola, he’ll likely be fine, too.
The movie’s box office failure does, unfortunately, give Hollywood more reasons to avoid financing more Coppola movies — and more risky movies in general.
Coppola sold off enough of his winery business that he could afford the film’s $120 million budgetwithout risking bankruptcy. Coppola likely knew there was a chance wouldn’t get his money back on this project. But he didn’t directMegalopolisto make money; he made this movie because it’s been a passion project of his for decades. The movie’s box office failure does, unfortunately, give Hollywood more reasons to avoid financing more Coppola movies — and more risky movies in general. Sadly, even a legendary name like Coppola’s isn’t enough to bring audiences out to theaters nowadays.
Megalopolis
Cast
Megalopolis, directed by Francis Ford Coppola, is a visionary 2024 film exploring the ambitious dream of reconstructing New York City into a utopia, following a devastating disaster. The narrative delves into the clash between the architect’s utopian vision and the political and personal turmoil that ensues. With a star-studded cast, the film examines themes of ambition, power, and the human spirit’s resilience against the backdrop of a futuristic metropolis.
