Disaster or Masterpiece? Megalopolis Flops Like Apocalypse Now Once Did

Set in a near-future America modeled after ancient Republican Rome

The latest film from legendary director Francis Ford Coppola—known for The Godfather series and Apocalypse Now—Megalopolis premiered in Japan on June 20.

A passion project 40 years in the making, the massive production cost ¥17 billion, all funded by Coppola himself. Set in a near-future America teetering on the edge of collapse due to widening wealth inequality, the film depicts the Republic of America, modeled after ancient Republican Rome, and its grand city: New Rome.

The story follows genius architect Caesar Catilina (played by Adam Driver) as he clashes with the power-hungry mayor Cicero (Giancarlo Esposito) and gets entangled in the schemes of Claudius Pulcher (Shia LaBeouf), who aims to inherit power. Despite this, Catilina fights to build Megalopolis—a new city where all people can live equally and happily.

The film is a sweeping epic filled with opulent sets and stunning visuals, including lavish architecture and interiors, infused with Coppola’s signature artistic vision—such as his bold use of stopping time effects. Just as Republican Rome transitioned into the Roman Empire after Caesar’s assassination and Octavian became the first emperor, the film warns of a similar danger: that Trump-era America might transform into an authoritarian empire. Throughout, Coppola delivers a powerful message about the rebirth of America.

Watching Megalopolis, one can’t help but notice its many parallels with Apocalypse Now—Coppola’s masterpiece that captured the madness of the Vietnam War, won the Palme d’Or at Cannes, was nominated for six Oscars at the 52nd Academy Awards, and won Best Cinematography and Best Sound.

Both films showcase an almost obsessive passion for filmmaking and contain strong warnings about the dark undercurrents of American society.

Megalopolis tackles issues like division, inequality, and the threat of a dictatorial presidency, while Apocalypse Now explores the madness of the Vietnam War. Both also share not only massive production budgets but also tumultuous productions filled with unforeseen events.

In July 1978, I covered a press conference with Coppola at a studio in San Francisco. It was arranged by the film’s Japanese distributor, Nippon Herald Films (at the time), while Apocalypse Now was in post-production.

 

At the time, the 39-year-old Coppola appeared at the press conference looking like a battle-worn U.S. soldier emerging from the jungle—his face covered in a thick beard—and spoke rapidly, like a machine gun. A test screening of Apocalypse Now’s rushes (unedited footage) was held at the Northpoint Theater, followed by the press event.

The screening featured scenes like Captain Willard, played by Martin Sheen, receiving a secret mission to assassinate Colonel Kurtz—a former Green Beret portrayed by Marlon Brando—who has abandoned the U.S. military and established his own kingdom deep within the Cambodian jungle. Willard boards a patrol boat with three subordinates and ascends the Mekong River. Another unforgettable scene showed jet fighters bombing a village with napalm to flush out Viet Cong (South Vietnam Liberation Front) soldiers. The sheer scale of this Vietnam War epic was overwhelming.

Images of madness unfolded on screen—like the character played by Robert Duvall, a lieutenant colonel obsessed with the smell of napalm, blasting Wagner’s Ride of the Valkyries through speakers on combat helicopters as they attack a village, or a frenzied party where American soldiers, high on drugs, fire their rifles aimlessly into the sky.

At the time, Director Coppola passionately declared:

“I wanted to capture everything about the Vietnam War. Not just individual scenes, but to grasp the entire enormity of what the Vietnam War was.”

He also said something that left a strong impression:

“This is a film with action, spectacle, and a journey that takes the audience deep into the fundamental aspects of the human soul.”

A massive flop with only ¥2.1 billion worldwide

The location shoot in the Philippine jungle lasted a full year. With a then-astronomical production cost of approximately 9 billion yen, the film was a true blockbuster — and production was plagued by repeated mishaps.

“You can move people, but not the weather or helicopters at will. Just living and sleeping in the jungle was tough. A typhoon washed away the (Philippine) set, and we had to rebuild it over several months — it was a nightmare,” Coppola recalled.

Actor Martin Sheen suffered a heart attack and was in critical condition at one point.

One infamous scene features Playmates putting on a sexy USO-style show. When the excited soldiers storm the stage, the women flee by helicopter in a chaotic escape. After filming, it was reported that a boat carrying some of the Playmates drifted downriver and that staff who rescued them attempted to sexually assault them.

Despite all the turmoil, Apocalypse Now finally made it to theaters. On the other hand, Megalopolis also ran into serious trouble.

There were reported creative disagreements between actor Shia LaBeouf and Coppola. Members of the production design and VFX teams were successively fired, adding to the on-set chaos.

Then in August of last year, controversy erupted when the trailer featured fake reviews. U.S. distributor Lionsgate apologized and retracted it. According to The Guardian, the trailer included negative quotes from critics with a narration saying, 

“Geniuses are often misunderstood.”

However, many of the quotes were fabricated.

At the box office, the contrast was stark.

Apocalypse Now grossed about $105 million (approx. ¥15.3 billion) worldwide — well above its budget — and became a hit in Japan as well. In contrast, Megalopolis was released globally starting in September last year and, according to Box Office Mojo, only brought in about $14.4 million (approx. ¥2.1 billion), falling far short of breaking even.

Still, Coppola insisted that commercial success wasn’t his goal, stating that his passion as an artist was to:

“Shed light on what’s happening in this country and show it to the people.”

In cinema, it’s not uncommon for critical acclaim and box office numbers to diverge.

Though Megalopolis opened in Japan on June 20, according to Kogyo Tsushinsha, it didn’t even crack the weekend top 10 for audience numbers. It seems it’s also struggling commercially in Japan — but hopes remain high for Coppola’s continued artistic endeavors.