Megalopolis Continuing One Big Francis Ford Coppola Trend Is A Great Sign For His Divisive Sci-Fi Movie

Summary

• Megalopolis
  , Francis Ford Coppola’s passion project, has a mixed reception but benefits from an R-rating, following the success of his previous R-rated films.
• The R-rating allows Coppola to maintain full creative control and explore the film’s unique, original world, potentially attracting viewers who appreciate its darkness and oddities.
• Megalopolis
  ‘ R-rating may limit its box office potential by excluding younger audiences, but it could also pique the interest of adult viewers.

Francis Ford Coppola’s passion project, Megalopolis, is set to be released this year, and though the movie’s reactions are mixed, one trend of the film makes it undoubtedly better. Since the 1960s and ’70s, Francis Ford Coppola’s movies have been a staple of Hollywood, including iconic films like The Godfather trilogy and Apocalypse Now. Because of this, each time he debuts a new project, it is highly anticipated. Notably, he hasn’t released a movie since 2013’s Twixt. However, in 2024, Coppola is set to release his newest film, Megalopolis, and expectations are already through the roof.

Francis Ford Coppola came up with the idea for Megalopolis after filming Apocalypse Now in 1977 and spent the next forty decades compiling what was described as a movie “so big and complicated it would seem impossible” (Francis Ford Coppola: A Filmmaker’s Life.) The director took years to write and perfect the script, and he even held a table read in 2001. However, despite all this dedication, Megalopolis still may not be a hit. With a 53% Rotten Tomatoes score, Megalopolis’ mixed reviews may ruin the movie entirely. Therefore, the small details could make or break it.

Megalopolis Is Another R-Rated Francis Ford Coppola Movie

Coppola’s Best Films Have Had An R-Rating

Fortunately, one aspect of Megalopolis could help the movie upon its release to the public. According to Film Ratings, Megalopolis continues a Francis Ford Coppola trend by being rated R. Over the years, Coppola has made a number of movies with stories that vary in terms of darkness and content, but some of Coppola’s most memorable and successful movies have had an R-rating. That includes classics like The Godfather, Apocalypse Now, and Bram Stoker’s Dracula. Apparently, Megalopolis earned this rating due to “sexual content, nudity, drug use, language and some violence.”

Megalopolis
is inspired by the Roman historian, Sallust, and the fall of the Roman Empire.

Megalopolis’ R-rating could be a good sign for Francis Ford Coppola. Although critics’ reviews have already started pouring in to varying degrees of success, the rating could have an effect on how audiences receive the movie. Perhaps, like with previous Coppola films, the R-rating will help make the film more successful. Considering the types of movies Coppola is known for making, it might even have been strange for the film to have a rating any lower than R. Regardless, the R-rating could be a detail that turns things around for Megalopolis.

Why Megalopolis’ R Rating Is A Good Thing

Coppola Did Not Have To Compromise His Vision

Aside from how successful R-ratings have been for Coppola in the past, Megalopolis’ R-rating is good because it means that the director made exactly the movie he wanted to make. Already, Coppola had full creative control after financing the movie himself with the profits he made from his popular winery. However, an R-rating is another way in which the director could make the film whatever he wanted it to be. He did not have to cut certain dialogue or moments in order to stay within a certain rating. Essentially, he could get as dark as he felt was necessary.

If
Megalopolis
is going to be strange, it might as well go all the way.

This seems especially good for Megalopolis, considering how strange of a movie it is. It has been reported that the film functions in a completely original world, wherein characters use their own unfamiliar slang and act on a logic that is separate from reality. This could easily confuse or distract viewers, but the R-rating will actually help more than hurt. If Megalopolis is able to lean into its oddities through darker content, then viewers may be more likely to like it. If Megalopolis is going to be strange, it might as well go all the way.

Will Megalopolis’ Being Rated R Impact Its Box Office?

Megalopolis’ Rating Could Help Or Hurt The Film

When it comes to the box office, Megalopolis’ R-rating could be a benefit or a detriment. R-ratings can often hurt movies at the box office because the audience is limited. Adults cannot bring their children to see an R-rated movie, and teenagers under 17 cannot attend either. In this way, there are automatically fewer tickets sold due to an R-rating. Megalopolis could certainly suffer from this fate, which would hurt the movie much more now that its reviews are not great.

On the other hand, the R-rating could also pique the interest of certainly movie-goers. For viewers who don’t know what Megalopolis is about or don’t know what to expect from the movie, the R-rating could a positive indicator. In the same way that an R-rating isolates children and teenagers, it could target adults and make them feel that the movie is ideal for them. Ultimately, the box office of Megalopolis will likely be predicated more on the movie’s reviews than its rating, but regardless, it is still a step in the right direction.