If there’s a way to spin some less-than-stellar early word of mouth, this is a pretty unique way to do it. Francis Ford Coppola’s ambitious new vision, Megalopolis, is set to bestow upon us in a few weeks and the marketing has chosen to lean into the potentially off-putting quotes from sources who found the film to be underwhelming. Early reviews for Coppola’s self-financed film have been divisive with quotes that say it’s “windy and overstuffed, frequently baffling and way too talky.” However, the critiques have usually paired some positive views, saying it’s also “often amusing, playful, visually stunning, and illuminated by a touching hope for humanity.” The eccentric marketing for the film has now jump started and the marketing department has been tasked by Coppola to “implement specialty marketing, word-of-mouth, and non-traditional theatrical distribution initiatives targeting moviegoers.”
Lionsgate has now released a new trailer for Megalopolis that wants you to stay ahead of the curve as it reminds audiences that Coppola’s previous works, which are now beloved, such as The Godfather, Apocalypse Now and Bram Stoker’s Dracula, had their fair share of negative reviews upon their releases. These reviews very closely mirror the same negative buzz that surrounds Megalopolis. Then, Laurence Fishburne, who stars in the film, also provides the narration in the trailer, stating, “One filmmaker has always been ahead of his time.”
Here’s the official synopsis for Megalopolis courtesy of Lionsgate:
“Megalopolis is a Roman Epic fable set in an imagined Modern America. The City of New Rome must change, causing conflict between Cesar Catilina, a genius artist who seeks to leap into a utopian, idealistic future, and his opposition, Mayor Franklyn Cicero, who remains committed to a regressive status quo, perpetuating greed, special interests, and partisan warfare. Torn between them is socialite Julia Cicero, the mayor’s daughter, whose love for Cesar has divided her loyalties, forcing her to discover what she truly believes humanity deserves.”
Megalopolis boasts a star-studded ensemble cast that includes Adam Driver, Forest Whitaker, Giancarlo Esposito, Nathalie Emmanuel, Jon Voight, Laurence Fishburne, Aubrey Plaza, Shia LaBeouf, Chloe Fineman, Kathryn Hunter, Dustin Hoffman, DB Sweeney, Talia Shire, Jason Schwartzman, Bailey Ives, Grace Vanderwaal, and James Remar.
Megalopolis will be released in domestic theaters and IMAX on September 27.