Francis Ford Coppola’s ‘Megalopolis’ secures Lionsgate distribution, fall release date

At long last, “Megalopolis” is coming to a theater near you. 

Francis Ford Coppola’s self-financed sci-fi epic will be distributed in the U.S. and Canada by Lionsgate, the studio announced on Monday. The film will be released in theaters and IMAX on Sept. 27. 

The deal brings Coppola’s protracted search for a U.S. distributor for his passion project to a close. The legendary director privately screened the large-scale art film for studio chiefs in March and didn’t secure a distribution commitment at the time. The film premiered at Cannes in May, and while international distributors snapped it up, a U.S. deal remained elusive. But now, Lionsgate, which has a long history of distributing indies the Big Five studios wouldn’t touch going back to “American Psycho,” has signed on.

The agreement extends the studio’s partnership with Coppola and his American Zoetrope production company. Lionsgate Studios has previously distributed home entertainment releases for many of Coppola’s films, including “Apocalypse Now Final Cut,” “The Conversation,” and “The Cotton Club Encore.” Lionsgate Studios will also handle the distribution of “Megalopolis” across all home entertainment platforms.

In a statement shared with Gold Derby, Lionsgate Motion Picture Group chair Adam Fogelson said, “Francis is a legend. For many of us, his gifts to cinema were one of the inspirations to devote our own careers to film. 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.”

“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,” Coppola said in the statement. “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.”

“Megalopolis” is described as a “Roman Epic fable set in an imagined Modern America,” in which Cesar Catilina (Adam Driver), an artist with a utopian vision for New Rome, battles with the city’s corrupt and regressive mayor Franklyn Cicero (Giancarlo Esposito) over the city’s soul and future. Caught between them is Julia Cicero (Nathalie Emmanuel), Franklyn’s daughter who is in love with Cesar. The cast also includes 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. 

The film got polarized reviews when it premiered at Cannes, with some critics deriding it as a fiasco while others praised Coppola’s bold vision. It currently sits at 52% on Rotten Tomatoes. 

Now, this fall, the rest of us will be able to decide for ourselves.

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