While the fate of Megalopolis is still uncertain, Apple and Amazon would be at war to distribute Francis Ford Coppola’s film.
Since the first returns on Megalopolis have leaked, moviegoers are all the more curious to discover Francis Ford Coppola’s new film, even if the road is still long. Indeed, Megalopolis, which Coppola himself financed due to lack of investors, is in a bit of a bind, since he still hasn’t found a studio to distribute it, notably for two reasons. First, Coppola wants to maintain total control over his film and wants to choose a distributor who will follow his requirements (not an easy thing). And secondly, precisely, the agreements would be complex in relation to the skeptical critics on the commercial potential of Megalopolis.
However, according to Point, Megalopolis would have found a distributor in France with Le Pacte (Anatomy of a fall, Wretched), which would be reassuring news for the French market. And on the United States side, despite fears about the “sellability” of the film, a war would have been launched to win the prize between the two behemoths Amazon and Apple.
Who to build Megalopolis?
Megalopolis between Apple and Amazon
According to VarietyApple and Amazon would indeed compete for the American distribution of Megalopolis. It would therefore not be surprising if one of the two streaming studios ended up with the film in hand, especially when we know their respective release strategies. While they each try in their own way to corner big films and big names in cinema, it seems that both studios are truly looking to mark the industry in one way or another (and especially with big tickets).
Megalopolis would obviously not be the first example, like Killers of the Flower Moon by Martin Scorsese and Napoleon by Ridley Scott, which Apple had produced for astronomical amounts. As early as the pandemic (which definitely benefited streaming platforms), Apple had even bought several projects, including the submarine film with Tom Hanks USS Greyhound in 2020 for 70 million dollars and the thriller Emancipation in 2022 for around 120 million. For its part, Amazon had, for example, bought The Tomorrow War in 2021 for the record sum of 200 million dollars (for a film which ultimately flew quite low).
Amazon and Apple having to pay for Megalopolis:
Whatever happens, we probably won’t know the end of this story right away. This will undoubtedly be decided in Cannes, in the good or bad direction for Megalopolis. The choice of Apple and Amazon will probably depend on the feedback and reviews the film receives (roughly, Megalopolis will it be the great return of Francis Ford Coppola?), knowing that other big studios could also invest in this battle if successful.
We should know more from May 17, the supposed day of the world premiere of Megalopolis on the Croisette. In any case, if the information from Point concerning the French distribution is confirmed, we could see Megalopolis arrive with us in September of this year.
