How To Watch Francis Ford Coppola's Megalopolis At Home

What if Francis Ford Coppola made a new movie and no one showed up? It happened once before in 1982 with the backlot musical "One from the Heart," and, lamentably, it happened again this year with the maestro's "Megalopolis," which will become available on digital starting November 12, 2024.

A self-funded, $100 million-plus epic vision of an alternate American reality, "Megalopolis" has grossed just under $14 million globally in theaters at the time of writing. True, its reviews were as dismal as those for "One from the Heart," but knowing that the latter went on to be reassessed as a misunderstood triumph should've at least encouraged critics to stay thy blades for fear of looking like a pack of Bosley Crowthers 20 or so years from now.

As a full-throated admirer of "One from the Heart," I've tried not to come down too hard on "Megalopolis," even though I feel fairly certain the film, short of a narrative-clarifying director's cut, will never be more than an admirable failure. Still, it's been a little over a month since I watched the movie in a roomy multiplex theater with two other strangers (one of whom kept snoring himself awake throughout the picture), and I find myself thinking again and again about the movie's strangely livewire energy and big-swing philosophizing. There's something there in this wild-child of a movie, so I'm thrilled that we're finally getting the option to revisit it at home.

Lionsgate has officially announced that, starting Tuesday, November 12, "Megalopolis" will be available to rent for $19.99 on platforms like Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV, Google Play, Fandango at Home, and more. Now you won't have to elbow your way past the crowds lining up for "Beetlejuice Beetlejuice" to behold Coppola's bold vision starring Adam Driver as a brilliant architect eager to create a utopian future for the people of New Rome. The all-star cast also includes Aubrey Plaza, Nathalie Emmanuel, Giancarlo Esposito, Laurence Fishburne, Shia LaBeouf, and a "Midnight Cowboy" reunion of Jon Voight and Dustin Hoffman.

There's no word yet on when "Megalopolis" will be available to own or if there are immediate plans to release it on physical media. Coppola is notorious for giving great, candid commentary on his movies, so let's hope that Lionsgate isn't too daunted by the film's poor theatrical performance to grant us a proper 4k release loaded with extras. For those of you who want the opportunity to reexamine this film via more than one rewatch (/Film's Chris Evangelista might be in that camp, judging by his review), you'll probably want to sit out the pricey rental option and wait on something more permanent.