The Francis Ford Coppola film Megalopolis has a bit of an uphill battle after the reveal in front of top studio heads who, to put it kindly, were not too impressed.

THR reported that on March 28, Coppola's self-funded Megalopolis was unveiled at a screening at Universal CityWalk Imax. Attendees included Donna Langley from NBCUniversal, Tom Rothman from Sony, and stars Nicolas Cage, Al Pacino, and Spike Jonze. Plus, many other studio execs and industry professionals.

However, though some of the biggest names in the business attended, there seems to be a long way to go before a distribution partner is found. An insider said, “There is just no way to position this movie.”

Apparently, the Godfather director's wine business helped fund this movie, which he began writing in 1983. It cost roughly $120 million to make, which is a hefty chunk of change. So, it's been in the works for quite a while. And it has quite a price tag.

Is the lack of interest off the bat due to it not being a good film, or what? One attendee said there was “a conspicuous silence at the end of it.” Also, the attendee said about who might pick it up, “Does it wobble, wander, go all over the place? Yes. But it's really imaginative and does say something about our time. I think it's going to be a small, specialized label.”

Most who attended found it hard to sell to a broad audience.

About Megalopolis

The film is about rebuilding a metropolis after it was destroyed by accident. Two visions of rebuilding are at play. One is from an architect (Adam Driver), and the other is from a mayor (Giancarlo Esposito). They clash, considering one is an idealist and the other a pragmatist.

Beyond the plot, there are some cringy moments, viewers stated. One of of Jon Voight's character who's in bed with is supposedly a big erection — and from there takes a turn (which wasn't revealed).

“Everyone is rooting for Francis and feels nostalgic,” an attendee said. “But then there is the business side of things.”

Coppola thought the movie would quickly get picked up. He even assumed it would get a massive marketing budget and the works, but it's not turning out like that.

“I find it hard to believe any distributor would put up cash money and stay in first position to recoup the P&A as well as their distribution fee,” a distribution veteran told THR. “If [Coppola] is willing to put up the P&A or backstop the spend, I think there would be a lot more interested parties.”

One studio head said, “It's so not good, and it was so sad watching it. Anybody who puts P&A behind it you're going to lose money. This is not how Coppola should end his directing career.”

However, on a positive front, someone else remarked, “I liked it enormously.”

What does the future of Francis Ford Coppola's Megalopolis hold? Could an independent film company pony up enough cash for it? Or, will some film studios gamble and hope audiences love it? With the famous director behind the movie, it would have a good chance of being watched by fans of Francis, but that might not be enough to make a profit for a supposedly lackluster movie.