Cannes 2024

[Big Magilla]

And why, pray tell, does Variety still think that Forest Whitaker is in the cast when he isn't?

IMDB and every article I’ve read lists him in the cast. You heard otherwise?

Yes, he was replaced by Giancarlo Esposito who the Variety article has been corrected to include in place of Whitaker.

[danfrank]

And why, pray tell, does Variety still think that Forest Whitaker is in the cast when he isn't?

IMDB and every article I’ve read lists him in the cast. You heard otherwise?

[Sabin]

Every once in a while, I'll hear about some filmmaker trying to make some epic movie and I'll assume it'll never happen. Megalopolis has been that for me for years. I'm kind of surprised Coppola actually made it.

Greg wrote
Although, before it was released, a lot of people predicted Titanic would be a flop...

While it is a stretch to compare Megalopolis to Titanic, it may be more apt to compare it to Apocalypse Now. That is another Coppola film from a while back that had also been described as "baffling" and "batshit crazy," or words to that effect.

If Megalopolis does Apocalypse Now business at the box office, it will be profitable. I read that Dune 2 will need to make $475 million at the box office to be profitable with its $190 million budget, two-and-a-half times its budget. That means Megalopolis would need to make $300 million at the box office to make a profit with its $120 million budget. That makes sense if the theaters take their usual 40% cut to pay for their operations leaving $180 million for the producer and distributor, with prints and advertising being half of the production cost. Apocalypse Now made $80 million in domestic ticket sales in 1979, which, adjusted for inflation, is $340 million.

I want to start by saying "What do I know?" Maybe all of this is in the cards. But my first thought is seriously, what reasons are there to believe that this film is capable of making anything close to that amount? The only thing I can think of is this: maybe Adam Driver is a box office draw waiting to explode (although Ferrari suggests otherwise) and maybe Francis Ford Coppola has one more round of genius left in the chamber (although the reactions suggest otherwise). Saying "All it needs to do is make Apocalypse Now-levels of money" is the same logic used to bankroll any Francis Ford Coppola getting any budget for the twenty years that followed. Usually that logic was followed by the word "Oops" both because his moviegoing audiences weren't as adventurous as they were back in the 1970s (to say nothing about how astonishingly infantalized they are today) but also because his movies haven't met artistic or commercial expectations. He's not just not a commercially viable filmmaker. He's basically a retired filmmaker. And what is he doing? Doing the riskiest thing you can do: a $100m sci-fi film (which needs $100 for distribution!) based on no pre-existing IP. Look at last year's The Creator which bombed hard.

Look, I'm here for it. I hope this thing is everything we want it to be. It's possible that the race to get distributors before Cannes is simply due to the fact that banking the financial future of your film on the reaction of the French is always a gamble and it's not due to the fact that the film is un-commercial and possibly disappointing. Put aside the challenge of getting an ideal distributor. I'm not optimistic.

[Big Magilla]

And why, pray tell, does Variety still think that Forest Whitaker is in the cast when he isn't?

[Greg]

Francis Ford Coppola’s ‘Megalopolis’ Will Premiere in Competition at Cannes:

https://variety.com/2024/film/news/fran ... 235965575/

[Okri]

I think that might have been for daninwa, but I'll bite.

Firstly, I want to emphasize that I am being absolutely genuine when I speak about how happy your enthusiasm for Megalopolis' potential makes me. It's fun to be optimistic, particularly about art.

That said... what people will go see have changed so dramatically over the past 40+ years. I think it's worth doing those types of comparisons and just sighing.

[Greg]

While it is a stretch to compare Megalopolis to Titanic, it may be more apt to compare it to Apocalypse Now. That is another Coppola film from a while back that had also been described as "baffling" and "batshit crazy," or words to that effect.

If Megalopolis does Apocalypse Now business at the box office, it will be profitable. I read that Dune 2 will need to make $475 million at the box office to be profitable with its $190 million budget, two-and-a-half times its budget. That means Megalopolis would need to make $300 million at the box office to make a profit with its $120 million budget. That makes sense if the theaters take their usual 40% cut to pay for their operations leaving $180 million for the producer and distributor, with prints and advertising being half of the production cost. Apocalypse Now made $80 million in domestic ticket sales in 1979, which, adjusted for inflation, is $340 million.

How's that, Okri?

[dws1982]

b) I have to admit I viewed the three big European festivals very distinctly before. Berlin was for English language films before their international release. Cannes was for the titans. Venice was like Cannes on easy mode.

The decline of Berlin is directly related to the fact that big American films are no longer released the way they were 20+ years ago. (I had started a big post about this at one point, but never finished it.) Before the Oscars moved to February (76th Oscars), Oscar contenders routinely showed up there and won awards. After the Oscars moved, the Oscar contenders started going international release much faster. No active Oscar contender has played Berlin since There Will Be Blood. A Separation is the only Golden Bear winner of the past twenty years that your average film buff may have heard of. (Although a couple others have had Oscar nominations.)

[Okri]

a) dws, thank you for the post. Very interesting.

b) I have to admit I viewed the three big European festivals very distinctly before. Berlin was for English language films before their international release. Cannes was for the titans. Venice was like Cannes on easy mode.

c) That said, I wonder if Fremaux has FAFO'd a little too many times regarding his choices and directors. I'm still a little butthurt about how he treated Erice last year and I really don't get how Un Certain Regard actually functions.

d) Given the awards narrative of 12 Years a Slave, I think going to Cannes might have actually sunk it. But I also think that with the 10/variable number of nominees, Cannes might be the best shot for films that want to release earlier in the year - I'm thinking BlacKKKlansman and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood did that.

e) Greg's optimism about Megalopolis is my favourite film thing right now.

[danfrank]

My understanding from the reports I’ve read is that Coppola is looking for a wider distribution deal before considering Cannes, with the concern that mixed reviews might kill a possible deal. He wants it shown on IMAX screens. The film has its admirers but general word is that the film is too “out there” to be a big commercial success.

Although, before it was released, a lot of people predicted Titanic would be a flop.

Everything I’ve read about this film indicates it’s a far cry from Titanic. Responses to the screenings have included words like “weird,” “complex,” “baffling,” and “batshit crazy.” I still hold out hope that I will like it.

[Greg]

My understanding from the reports I’ve read is that Coppola is looking for a wider distribution deal before considering Cannes, with the concern that mixed reviews might kill a possible deal. He wants it shown on IMAX screens. The film has its admirers but general word is that the film is too “out there” to be a big commercial success.

Although, before it was released, a lot of people predicted Titanic would be a flop.

[danfrank]

Megalopolis is finished, as we've seen from those screening reports, but there seems to be reluctance to take it to Cannes without distribution. (Unsure if this is referring to U.S. distribution, which is not necessary for a Cannes spot, or French distribution, which is.)

My understanding from the reports I’ve read is that Coppola is looking for a wider distribution deal before considering Cannes, with the concern that mixed reviews might kill a possible deal. He wants it shown on IMAX screens. The film has its admirers but general word is that the film is too “out there” to be a big commercial success.

[dws1982]

Quentin Dupieux's The Second Act is the opening film for Cannes. A lot of people didn't know this film even existed until this announcement, because it was shot in January. This may or may not be in competition; the opening film can go either way. Dupieux has never been in competition before, for what it's worth, despite being very prolific.

The Joshua Oppenheimer film and Lucretia Martel film are both reportedly being held for the fall.

Megalopolis is finished, as we've seen from those screening reports, but there seems to be reluctance to take it to Cannes without distribution. (Unsure if this is referring to U.S. distribution, which is not necessary for a Cannes spot, or French distribution, which is.)

Emmanuelle may not be finished in time.

Jia Zhangke's new film seems to be finished, but there is speculation that Cannes may not take it for the main competition, which might mean that he would hold it for Venice.

[Mister Tee]

I don't have time for extensive comment, but I thank dws for this fully-researched, greatly informative post.

[Big Magilla]

Megalopolis screened this morning at the Universal Citywalk IMAX theatre to an audience of roughly 300 industry elites including all the studio chiefs, Al Pacino, and Roger Corman. The response was said to be quite positive, exciting, and emotional.

One of the attendees was quoted as saying “It’s a startling film….a very enveloping film, but also highly visual in a ’60s experimental way. It felt like Francis’s youth was returning to him and pouring through his heart at age 85….the kind of independent cinema that he grew up on….it’s a wonderful, larger-than-life, jumps-off-the-screen movie and in a totally personal way….constantly entertaining….it’s not like any movie that’s out there, I can tell you that…avant garde experimental."