Say what you will about Megalopolis (there’s a lot to say, both good and bad), but for one thing, it has created a narrative we don’t see anymore. It’s like something out of a film all on its own. The renowned eccentric director who has made some of the best films in American cinema, coming back to self-finance a seemingly bonkers passion project, with one of the more notable ‘anti-woke’ cast lists, surrounded himself by accusations of sexual misconduct.
It honestly reminds one of a cliché story about an aging legend coming back for one final misunderstood movie that seems destined for cult status sooner rather than later. Francis Ford Coppola‘s upcoming Megalopolis has gained a lot of attention, but not for particularly promising reasons. A project as risky as Megalopolis recalls Apocalypse Now or The Godfather, two projects where Coppola gambled big and somehow made two masterpieces.
The difference this time is if he can do it again and what he now stands to lose compared to his previous movies, namely a teetering reputation. What will become of Francis Ford Coppola if Megalopolis is a flop? Can he come back from it? How would he be remembered among his contemporaries? Here’s what you need to know.
What if Megalopolis Fails for Francis Ford Coppola?
A self-financed movie with such narrative and thematic heft as Megalopolis would presumably come with self-inflicted risk built in. Coppola has taken enough of these big swings in his career to know what he is gambling, but he might be met with a frostier reception than he expects. Since his breakout with The Godfather, the filmmaking landscape and the type of directors who get the most work have changed. Franchise movies are not going anywhere, and the high-concept or ‘epic’ movies Coppola made his name on are mostly sidelined for the Oscar season.
As movie lovers, accepting that the industry is commoditized feels like a defeat, especially when Copolla is still here. Films from the 1970s — the gritty street dramas like The French Connection or Coppola’s The Conversation — don’t attract the audiences he needs to break even. This isn’t his fault. Just as the ’70s saw a shift towards the new wave of American directors with fresh ideas, the 2020s are seeing a continued trudge towards sequels and IP.
Megalopolis seems as big a gamble as ever because the eccentric concept feels less comfortable in a movie-making environment plagued by business interests and unpredictable box office returns. If Megalopolis fails, there is the argument that Coppola’s vision isn’t with the times anymore.
Does Francis Ford Coppola Have Any Goodwill Left?
This argument is a lot more nuanced than that. Coppola has a very interesting legacy as a filmmaker who’s had big success but is also blamed heavily for his big failures in the context of how big the successes were. If you speak to a fan of The Godfather and its sequel, you’ll likely get a comment about how poor The Godfather Part 3 was. If you speak to a fan of Apocalypse Now, you have to have the tedious clarification of which cut you prefer. Coppola’s habit of giving his all to a movie most others would see as too big for them makes his style that much riskier.
Coppola doesn’t have much goodwill left. Not to mention his allegations, Coppola hasn’t done himself many favors in the lead-up to Megalopolis’ release. There have been a few moments where he has successfully dissuaded people that he isn’t past his prime, self-financing this because he can not because he should.
The political nature of movies today has also folded in knowingly controversial actors like Jon Voight and Shia LaBeouf into the cast. For what more purpose than to start a controversy? It feels like a lazy move from a household name like Coppola. If Coppola is trying to make a political point, doing it with a self-financed passion project like Megalopolis does more harm than good to the cliché old-director narrative mentioned at the start.
What if Megalopolis Is a Success?
If Megalopolis proves a success, it feels unlikely that it will make much change to the industry in the same way as his other projects. This is fine; not every movie has to have the impact of The Godfather, but Megalopolis seems less like it has something to say and more like it’s trying to say something that’s already been said by other directors who have self-financed.
The movie has a much tougher mountain to climb in terms of audience expectations and all to prove that a big-budget film can be made with unfavored actors. The risk doesn’t outweigh the reward, and a failure on the scale of Megalopolis could see Coppola’s name in the same bracket as directors who didn’t know when to call it quits.
A Megalopolis box office flop might not necessarily damage Coppola, but it will cement him as a director more known for winning on big gambles and losing big on others. Some might see that as a noble thing, but a filmmaker who risks big will be remembered exactly for those risks, including the ones he missed. Megalopolis is in cinemas Sept 27.
