MegalopolisMakes $4M on Opening Weekend After Francis Ford Coppola Spent $120M of His Own Money to Make It

Mar. 15, 2025

Adam Driver and Nathalie Emmanuel in Megalopolis.Photo:American Zoetrope / Megalopolis / Mihai Malaimare

American Zoetrope / Megalopolis / Mihai Malaimare

Francis Ford Coppola’sMegalopolisfailed to make an impression at the box office.Megalopolis, an ensemble film that starsAdam Driver,Aubrey Plaza,Laurence Fishburne,Grace VanderWaal, Giancarlo Esposito,Nathalie EmmanuelandShia LaBeoufamong its cast, made only $4 million at the domestic box office in its opening weekend after opening in 1,854 theaters on Sept. 27, perBox Office Mojo.That number ranked sixth among all films screening domestically over the weekend. The animated Lupita Nyong’o filmThe Wild Robotmade $35 million in its opening weekend, andBeetlejuice Beetlejuice,Transformers One,Devara Part 1andSpeak No Eviladditionally each brought in more money than Coppola’s new film, which Coppola, 85, has been developing on-and-off for decades.Megalopolisfollows a rift between lead character Cesar Catalina (Driver), an architect in the retro-futuristic city of New Rome, and its mayor Franklyn Cicero (Esposito). “Torn between them is socialite Julia Cicero (Emmanuel), the mayor’s daughter, whose life for Cesar has divided her loyalties, forcing her discover what she truly believes humanity deserves,” an official synopsis for the movie reads; it also describesMegalopolisas a “Roman epic set in an imagined modern America.“Adam Driver in ‘Megalopolis’.Francis Ford Coppola/American ZoetropeThough the movie missed at the box office in its opening weekend, filmmaker Coppola is unlikely to begrudge a lack of financial success. WhenMegalopolismade its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival back in May, Coppola told reporters at a press conference that he “never cared about money” after he was asked aboutspending an estimated $120 million of his own fortuneon the film’s budget.Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.“I have no problems with the financials — also, another thing, my children, without exception,Sofia, Roman and my granddaughter Gia, they have wonderful careers without a fortune. They don’t need a fortune,” he said at the time, explaining that he used money gained from purchasing a number of wineries in the 2000s to fundMegalopolis.Jon Voight, D. B. Sweeney, Grace VanderWaal, Giancarlo Esposito, Aubrey Plaza, Francis Ford Coppola, Romy Croquet, Adam Driver, Kathryn Hunter, Laurence Fishburne, Chloe Fineman and Nathalie Emmanuel on May 16, 2024.Samir Hussein/WireImage"So no matter what happens, aside from the great wineryInglenookwhich we still own in the family, we’re fine,” he added at the time. “It doesn’t matter … the money doesn’t matter. What’s important are friends. Because a friend will never let you down; money may evaporate.“Megalopolismarks the first movie Coppola, a five-time Academy Award winner renowned for his work on films likeThe Godfathertrilogy andApocalypse Now, has released since 2022’sB’Twixt Now and Sunrise. The movie is in theaters now.

Francis Ford Coppola’sMegalopolisfailed to make an impression at the box office.

Megalopolis, an ensemble film that starsAdam Driver,Aubrey Plaza,Laurence Fishburne,Grace VanderWaal, Giancarlo Esposito,Nathalie EmmanuelandShia LaBeoufamong its cast, made only $4 million at the domestic box office in its opening weekend after opening in 1,854 theaters on Sept. 27, perBox Office Mojo.

That number ranked sixth among all films screening domestically over the weekend. The animated Lupita Nyong’o filmThe Wild Robotmade $35 million in its opening weekend, andBeetlejuice Beetlejuice,Transformers One,Devara Part 1andSpeak No Eviladditionally each brought in more money than Coppola’s new film, which Coppola, 85, has been developing on-and-off for decades.

Megalopolisfollows a rift between lead character Cesar Catalina (Driver), an architect in the retro-futuristic city of New Rome, and its mayor Franklyn Cicero (Esposito). “Torn between them is socialite Julia Cicero (Emmanuel), the mayor’s daughter, whose life for Cesar has divided her loyalties, forcing her discover what she truly believes humanity deserves,” an official synopsis for the movie reads; it also describesMegalopolisas a “Roman epic set in an imagined modern America.”

Adam Driver in ‘Megalopolis’.Francis Ford Coppola/American Zoetrope

Francis Ford Coppola/American Zoetrope

Though the movie missed at the box office in its opening weekend, filmmaker Coppola is unlikely to begrudge a lack of financial success. WhenMegalopolismade its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival back in May, Coppola told reporters at a press conference that he “never cared about money” after he was asked aboutspending an estimated $120 million of his own fortuneon the film’s budget.

Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

“I have no problems with the financials — also, another thing, my children, without exception,Sofia, Roman and my granddaughter Gia, they have wonderful careers without a fortune. They don’t need a fortune,” he said at the time, explaining that he used money gained from purchasing a number of wineries in the 2000s to fundMegalopolis.

Jon Voight, D. B. Sweeney, Grace VanderWaal, Giancarlo Esposito, Aubrey Plaza, Francis Ford Coppola, Romy Croquet, Adam Driver, Kathryn Hunter, Laurence Fishburne, Chloe Fineman and Nathalie Emmanuel on May 16, 2024.Samir Hussein/WireImage

Samir Hussein/WireImage

“So no matter what happens, aside from the great wineryInglenookwhich we still own in the family, we’re fine,” he added at the time. “It doesn’t matter … the money doesn’t matter. What’s important are friends. Because a friend will never let you down; money may evaporate.”

Megalopolismarks the first movie Coppola, a five-time Academy Award winner renowned for his work on films likeThe Godfathertrilogy andApocalypse Now, has released since 2022’sB’Twixt Now and Sunrise. The movie is in theaters now.

source: people.com