Francis Ford Coppola's Megalopolis finally gets fall release date

Megalopolis has been touted as the acclaimed director Francis Ford Coppola's passion project. The film is set in a futuristic New York city where a battle between an idealist visionary and a corrupt man in power takes place.

Megalopolis premiered at the Cannes Film Festival last month and was selected to compete for the Palme d'Or. The film has finally found a distributor as reports state that Lionsgate Films will be distributing the film across theaters. The reports also confirmed September 27, 2024, as the theatrical release date for Megalopolis in the USA.

The film has been in development for decades since Francis Ford Coppola had the idea for the film back in 1977 when he finished filming Apocalypse Now. The principal production of the film began in 2022, after decades of development. Although the film premiered to a mixed review at the Cannes Film Festival, the theatrical release of the film is highly anticipated as it features a star-studded ensemble of actors and explores a grand societal theme.

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Francis Ford Coppola's Megalopolis will be released on IMAX

Lionsgate Films has recently taken up the distribution rights for Megalopolis. It has been reported that Lionsgate Studios will also handle the distribution of the upcoming film across all major home entertainment platforms.

For a long time, it seemed unlikely that the film would be able to settle on a distributor. Before its Cannes premiere, producers were unwilling to take up the costly and ambitious film, thus it went into the festival without a distributor. Francis Ford Coppola produced the film with $120 million of his funds, which he raised by selling part of his winery and hotel business.

The CEO of IMAX had, however, announced that the film would also get an IMAX release. This was announced upon the release of the film at the 77th Cannes Film Festival, last month.

When talking to IndieWire about the recent distribution announcement, Coppola said the following:

"One rule of business I’ve always followed and prioritized (to my benefit) is to continue working with companies and teams who over time have proven to be good friends as well as great collaborators"

He further said:

"This is why I am thrilled to have Adam Fogelson and Lionsgate Studios release ‘Megalopolis.’ I am confident they will apply the same tender love and care given to ‘Apocalypse Now,’ which is currently in its 45th year of astounding revenue and appreciation.”

The film is directed as an epic Roman fable reimagined in a futuristic American city. Adam Driver plays a leading role as a genius named Cesar who wants to build a New Rome, with utopian ideals. However, Giancarlo Esposito's character, mayor Francis Cicero stands as a hindrance to his plans as he wants the city to remain delved in societal disharmony for his gains.

The film also stars Nathalie Emmanuel, Aubrey Plaza, Shia LaBeouf, Jon Voight, Laurence Fishburne, Talia Shire, Jason Schwartzman, Kathryn Hunter, Grace VanderWaal, Chloe Fineman, James Remar, D.B. Sweeney, and Dustin Hoffman.

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Megalopolis will premiere across theaters in the US on September 27, 2024.

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