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Francis Ford Coppola’s projects may be few and far between nowadays and his most recent film, passion project Megalopolis was a flop with audiences and critics (our own Chris Bumbray gave it a 5/10), but the guy still has a staggering presence and remains one of the most respected and influential filmmakers of his generation. As such, the industry is prepared to honor Coppola with the AFI Life Achievement Award next year.

In a statement, chair of the AFI Board of Trustees and Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy, said, “Francis Ford Coppola is a peerless artist – one who has created seminal works in the canon of American film, and has also inspired generations of filmmakers who now embody his artistry and his independent spirit. AFI is honored to present him with the 50th AFI Life Achievement Award.”

Like so many, Francis Ford Coppola came up through the Roger Corman system, delivering...

Quentin Tarantino, best known for his supporting turn in "Destiny Turns on the Radio," has never been shy about his taste in movies. Tarantino has long been drawn to aggressively masculine genre films, Westerns, war pictures, martial arts films, and anything one might have seen at a run-down grindhouse theater in 1977. He also likes very terse, tense movies, and has listed Martin Scorsese's "Taxi Driver," William Friedkin's "Sorcerer," and Sergio Leone's "The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly" as his favorites. He's likewise admitted to having fond feelings for "The Great Escape" (who doesn't?) and thinks very highly of Christopher Nolan's "Dunkirk." It's easy to guess that he similarly loves "Rio Bravo" and "Apocalypse Now," and he often recommends the Sonny Chiba vehicle "The Street Fighter" from 1974.

Despite his tastes, however, Tarantino remains cinematically omnivorous, taking in hundreds of movies a year, sussing out the pop...

This article contains spoilers for the latest episode of "Star Trek: Lower Decks."

"Star Trek: Lower Decks" season 5, episode 3, "The Best Exotic Nanite Hotel," sees Lieutenant Boimler (Jack Quaid) assigned to a covert, potentially dangerous spy mission. He is to join Commander Ransom (Jerry O'Connell) and Lieutenant Commander Billups (Paul Scheer) on a mission to the Cosmic Duchess, an ultra-swanky, high-end resort-like cruise ship, floating gently through deep space. His assignment is to penetrate deep into the hotel to retrieve Admiral Milius (Toby Huss), a Starfleet officer who has gone Awol thanks to "a touch of vacation madness." The writers of "Lower Decks" missed an opportunity in not saying that he had been infected with Paradise Syndrome.

The Cosmic Duchess, however, is such a massive ship that it incorporates artificial recreations of every possible vacation-ready biome. There's a tropical beach biome, a skiing resort biome, and a water park biome.

The American Film Institute has announced that veteran director Francis Ford Coppola will receive its 50th Life Achievement Award. The honor has previously gone to filmmakers John Ford, William Wyler, Alfred Hitchcock, Billy Wilder, and Mike Nichols, among many others. This comes after Coppola won our poll as the director most deserving of the AFI’s honor, so our readers are bound to be happy.

Kathleen Kennedy, Chair of the AFI Board of Trustees, said in a statement, “Francis Ford Coppola is a peerless artist — one who has created seminal works in the canon of American film, and has also inspired generations of filmmakers who now embody his artistry and his independent spirit. AFI is honored to present him with the 50th AFI Life Achievement Award.”

SEEFrancis Ford Coppola movies: 16 greatest films ranked worst to best

Coppola has divided critics with his latest film — the ambitious, self-funded epic “Megalopolis” — but...

Megalopolis helmer Francis Ford Coppola is set to receive the American Film Institute’s 50th Life Achievement Award, AFI’s highest honor for a career in film, during a Gala Tribute at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles on April 26, 2025.

Coppola is the latest in a line of esteemed artists to receive the award. Nicole Kidman took this year’s, with Julie Andrews, Denzel Washington, George Clooney, Diane Keaton and John Williams also recently being honored.

Said Kathleen Kennedy, Chair of the AFI Board of Trustees, “Francis Ford Coppola is a peerless artist – one who has created seminal works in the canon of American film, and has also inspired generations of filmmakers who now embody his artistry and his independent spirit. AFI is honored to present him with the 50th AFI Life Achievement Award.”

Most recently seeing Lionsgate release his film Megalopolis, a Roman epic set in modern times starring Adam Driver,...

Francis Ford Coppola has been named as AFI’s 50th Life Achievement Award honoree, the institute revealed on Tuesday.

The “Megalopolis” director will receive his award at a gala tribute held at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles on April 26, 2025.

“Francis Ford Coppola is a peerless artist — one who has created seminal works in the canon of American film, and has also inspired generations of filmmakers who now embody his artistry and his independent spirit,” Kathleen Kennedy, chair of the AFI board of trustees said in a statement. “AFI is honored to present him with the 50th AFI Life Achievement Award.”

In addition to “Megalopolis,” Coppola is also known for being the filmmaker behind “The Godfather,” “The Godfather Part II,” “Apocalypse Now,” “The Outsiders,” “The Godfather Part III” and “Bram Stoker’s Dracula,” to name just a few. He has won five Oscars, six Golden Globes, two Palmes d’Ors out...

Francis Ford Coppola has a date with American Film Institute next year.

The filmmaker has been selected to receive the 50th installment of the organization’s highest honor, the AFI Life Achievement Award, at a ceremony scheduled to take place at Hollywood’s Dolby Theatre on April 26, 2025. He will be 86 at the time. The tribute will air on TNT with encore presentations on Turner Classic Movies. All proceeds from the gala will support AFI’s education and arts initiatives.

The AFI Life Achievement Award is presented to an honoree “whose talent has in a fundamental way advanced the film art, whose accomplishment has been acknowledged by scholars, critics, professional peers and the general public, and whose work has stood the test of time.”

“Francis Ford Coppola is a peerless artist, one who has created seminal works in the canon of American film, and has also inspired generations of filmmakers who...

After a year that saw Francis Ford Coppola unveil “Megalopolis,” a lifelong passion project on which he staked a large part of his personal fortune, the beloved filmmaker is set to receive one of the most prestigious honors in Hollywood.

The American Film Institute will honor Coppola with its AFI Life Achievement Award at a gala held at the Dolby Theatre on April 26, 2025. The New Hollywood legend will be the 50th recipient of the award, continuing a tradition that began with John Ford in 1973.

“Francis Ford Coppola is a peerless artist — one who has created seminal works in the canon of American film, and has also inspired generations of filmmakers who now embody his artistry and his independent spirit,” Kathleen Kennedy, who serves as chair of the AFI Board of Trustees, said in a statement. “AFI is honored to present him with the 50th AFI Life Achievement Award.”

The AFI...

Francis Ford Coppola will receive the 50th AFI Life Achievement Award at a gala tribute in Hollywood on April 26, 2025.

Coppola’s latest film Megalopolis starring Adam Driver recently opened in North America through Lionsgate after premiering in Cannes.

The veteran filmmaker’s credits include The Godfather trilogy, Apocalypse Now, American Graffiti, The Conversation, The Outsiders, Bram Stoker’s Dracula, and The Rainmaker. Coppola co-founded American Zoetrope with George Lucas.

“Francis Ford Coppola is a peerless artist – one who has created seminal works in the canon of American film, and has also inspired generations of filmmakers who now embody his artistry and his independent spirit,...

StudioCanal has boarded Megalopolis, snatching up European TV and streaming rights for Francis Ford Coppola‘s latest epic.

The seven-year deal gives StudioCanal all TV and streaming rights outside of Spain and Russia, with the exception of the pay-one window in France. StudioCanal is already in the Coppola business. It’s library includes such classics from the 85-year-old director as Apocalypse Now, One From the Heart, and The Conversation.

Megalopolis premiered in competition in Cannes this year and divided audiences with its widely ambitious storytelling and stylistic choices. The sci-fi fantasy drama stars Adam Driver as Cesar Catilina, a visionary architect intent on saving a declining New York City by building a utopian future, dislodging the elite ruling class in the process. Giancarlo Esposito, Nathalie Emmanuel, Aubrey Plaza and Shia Labeouf co-star in what Coppola has described as an epic reimagining of the Roman Empire in a near-future U.S.

Studiocanal has bought European TV and SVOD rights to Francis Ford Coppola’s “Megalopolis” as part of a deal spanning seven years.

The pact excludes Spain, Russia and pay 1 in France where “Megalopolis” was released by Le Pacte on Sept. 25 and has so far sold under 250,000 tickets in cinemas.

Studiocanal’s library, which is considered to be the largest in Europe, already boasts Coppola classics such as “Apocalypse Now,” “The Conversation,” “The Outsiders” and “One From The Heart.”

Each title has been restored by the Zoetrope, Francis Ford Coppola’s company, and Studiocanal teams under Coppola’s supervision. “Apocalypse Now: The Final Cut” premiered at Tribeca and was released in 2019, while “The Outsiders: The Complete Novel” was released in 2021 and premiered at San Sebastian.

“One From The Heart: Reprise” was released in 2024 and premiered at Venice Classics 2023, while “The Conversation” was released in 2024 and premiered at Il Cinema Ritrovato in...

Für Francis Ford Coppolas neuesten Film „Megalopolis“, der auf dem Filmfestival von Cannes Weltpremiere feierte, hat Studiocanal jetzt die TV- und Streaming-Rechte für einen Großteil der europäischen Märkte übernommen.

Adam Driver (l.) in Francis Ford Coppolas „Megalopolis“ (Credit: Festival de Cannes / Le Pacte)

Auf der TV-Messe Mipcom hat Studiocanal am heutigen Freitag bekannt gegeben, dass sie für große Teile Europas die TV- und Streaming-Rechte an Francis Ford Coppolas Film „Megalopolis“ übernommen haben, der im Mai seine Weltpremiere in Cannes feierte. Die Ausnahme bei den Rechten bilden Spanien, Russland sowie das Pay1-Fenster für Frankreich.

Den über sieben Jahre laufenden Deal zu „Megalopolis“ schlossen Juliette Hochart von Studiocanal und George Hayum von Hirsch Wallerstein Hayum Matlof + Fishman. Das Ganze verstärkt die Zusammenarbeit zwischen Francis Ford Coppola, dessen Produktionsfirma Zoetrope und Studiocanal, in deren Filmkatalog sich schon Coppola-Klassiker wie „Apocalypse Now“, „The Conversation“ oder „The Outsiders“ befinden, von denen es auch jeweils aufwendige Restaurierungen gibt.

Francis Ford Coppola’s Megalopolis has landed its latest international deal with Studiocanal taking European TV and streaming rights.

The deal runs for seven years and excludes Spain, Russia and pay one France. It was struck at MIPCOM by Juliette Hochart of Studiocanal and George Hayum of Hirsch Wallerstein Hayum Matlof + Fishman.

Studiocanal’s catalogue already features Coppola classics including Apocalypse Now, The Conversation and One from the Heart via a deal with Coppola’s Zoetrope. Each of these titles has been restored by the Zoetrope and Studiocanal teams under Coppola’s supervision.

Megalopolis opened in theaters in the U.S. and globally in the past few weeks via distribution deals with Lionsgate and others. It has garnered mixed reviews and attracted plenty controversy. The $120M passion project has sold to the likes of Australia (Madman Entertainment), Benelux (September Films), Bulgaria (Profilm), Czech Republic and Slovakia (Film Europe), Ex- Yugoslavia...

Harrison Ford has been well-known for his performances in his action-driven films such as playing Indiana Jones in the ‘Indiana Jones saga’ and Han Solo in the ‘Star Wars’ films. They have been two successful franchises that had given Harrison some other opportunities for other action roles. However, he also proved to be a wonderful actor by even starring in experimental sci-fi movies such as Ridley Scott’s 1982 sci-fi cult favorite ‘Blade Runner’ (1982). 1970s Harrison Ford was born on July 13th, 1942 in Chicago, Illinois. He attended Ripon College in the state of Wisconsin. He also took some minor acting roles in film and TV. Despite the fact that he was trying to break into the entertainment industry, he was also a carpenter. Around the early 1970s, he landed a small part in George Lucas’ film ‘American Graffiti’ (1973). This was after the famous sci-fi director made his powerful debut film ‘Thx-1138,...

Scott Glenn was so charmed by his “Eugene the Marine” co-star Jim Gaffigan that while filming a particularly wild fight scene, the 85-year-old modified a stunt so he didn’t accidentally kill the comedian.

“All that I was concerned with when we got to the end of this scene was making it physically as real as possible, but also as safe as possible,” Glenn says, during a Zoom conversation with Gaffigan for Variety. “For instance, I don’t know if Jim knows this, but at one point I put something called a ‘naked choke’ on him. I always made sure that my bicep was not really next to his carotid artery, because if you squeeze that thing wrong, you can very quickly halt blood going to the brain and hurt somebody permanently.”

For Glenn, it was just another day at the office — “You think about things like that,” he deadpans,...

Im Wettbewerb von Venedig war „The Brutalist“ eine Sensation, bescherte Brady Corbet den Regiepreis. Jetzt hat A24 den ersten US-Trailer des mehr als dreistündigen Meisterwerks veröffentlich, der in Deutschland von Universal in die Kinos gebracht wird.

In Venedig waren wir hin und weg von „The Brutalist“, Brady Corbets visionäres Großwerk über einen ungarischen Holocaust-Überlebenden, gespielt von Adrien Brody, der nach dem Zweiten Weltkrieg in den USA den Auftrag von einem reichen Industriellen erhält, ein Gebäude zu errichten, wie es noch keines gab. Wir schrieben in unserer Besprechung: „Ein Film, der in Zukunft genannt werden will mit den großen und immer auch elektrisierend größenwahnsinnigen amerikanischen Epen, mit „Giganten“, „Apocalypse Now“, „Heaven’s Gate“, „There Will Be Blood“, expansiv und Welten erschaffend, aber immer spürbar persönlich und intim.“

In Venedig gab’s den Regiepreis sowie den Beifall der Kritik. Jetzt hat A24 den ersten US-Trailer von „The Brutalist“ veröffentlicht. Universal wird den Film in die deutschen Kinos bringen.

Plex is gearing up for an exciting lineup of films and series in November 2024. Viewers can look forward to a variety of new additions, including Blue Ridge, But I’m A Cheerleader, Call Jane, and Empire State. Cult classics like The Grudge, Hard Candy, House of 1000 Corpses, and The Midnight Meat Train are also hitting the platform, alongside more recent hits like Wind River and Where’d You Go, Bernadette? For fans of horror, thrillers, and emotional dramas, there’s no shortage of options. However, Plex is also bidding farewell to a number of films and shows in November. Among those leaving are 24 Hours to Live, Drive Angry, The Devil’s Rejects, Snowpiercer, and USS Indianapolis: Men of Courage. If you’ve been meaning to watch these titles, now is the time to catch them before they disappear. For those looking to binge their favorites, many notable titles are still available for streaming.

In light of the Christopher Nolan rumours, we take a look back at 1983’s Blue Thunder – a high-tech thriller that deserved more attention on its release.

It’s hard to pinpoint why the vehicular TV and film boom of the 1980s happened. Was it a coincidence that the likes of Knight Rider (1982), Firefox (also 1982), Blue Thunder (1983), Airwolf (1984) and Street Hawk (1985) all came out within a few years of each other?

Whatever the explanation, there was a brief period where vehicles got top billing, whether they were experimental planes (Firefox) helicopters, an ‘all-terrain attack motorcycle’ (Street Hawk) or Knight Rider.

Blue Thunder – the original 1983 film, not the short-lived TV spin-off which emerged the following year – is arguably the best of the lot. An action thriller directed by John Badham, it was one of the most exciting movies of its type released in the early 1980s – and yet, for some reason, several...

Peter Yates' "Bullitt" is one of the most stylish cop flicks ever made. Those multi-screen opening credits designed by the great Pablo Ferro, that jazzily urbane Lalo Schifren score, those wildly cool outfits donned by Steve McQueen at the height of his laconic sexiness (some inspired by the suits sported by real life detective Dave Toschi) –- it's a stone groove punctuated by spasms of violence and, of course, a raucous car chase through the hilly streets of San Francisco. It's so ineffably pleasurable, you don't mind that the narrative is a sketchily plotted afterthought. Who needs an intricately structured story when you're watching, as Quentin Tarantino wrote in his book "Cinema Speculation," "one of the best directed movies ever made?"

You throw on "Bullitt" for the 1968-ness of it all (it's the apolitical flip-side of the coin to Haskell Wexler's roiling docudrama "Medium Cool"), as well as the...

In what could be described as one of the most unexpected box office failures of 2024, Francis Ford Coppola’s ambitious passion project, 'Megalopolis', a film touted as a revolutionary epic, has spectacularly underperformed. Despite a massive $120 million budget and a stacked cast, 'Megalopolis' managed to rake in just $4 million during its opening weekend. Meanwhile, 'The Wild Robot', a modestly budgeted animated feature, surged to the top of the box office with smart marketing and a story that resonated with audiences, proving that success isn’t always tied to extravagant production costs. This stark contrast between these two films highlights the importance of marketing and connecting with audiences. While 'Megalopolis' boasted scale and visionary storytelling, ''The Wild Robot'' harnessed clever advertising strategies, ultimately overshadowing its high-budget counterpart. Things to do: Subscribe to The Hollywood Insider’s YouTube Channel, by clicking here. Limited Time Offer – Free...

Francis Ford Coppola says he hopes to live long enough to make his ‘live cinema’ project Distant Vision.

During an in-conversation event in Rome on the eve of the Rome Film Festival, Coppola also decried the film business for its lack of risk taking, and said aspiring filmmakers should hone their skills in theatre rather than make short films.

Coppola said he wanted to film Distant Vision entirely live. It will reportedly tell the story of a family over three generations whose history coincides with the development of television. He started working on the project a decade ago, first workshopping...

Hayao Miyazaki might as well be called a legend in the animation field, and rightly so – after all, he has given fans even Oscar-winning pieces like The Boy and the Heron through his Studio Ghibli. His works have been so iconic that the visionary might as well have inspired many artists worldwide. And yet, when it comes to his own self, very few things manage to inspire Miyazaki.

Hayao Miyazaki. | Credits: 大臣官房人事課/Cca-4.0/Wikimedia Commons.

As much of an incredibly creative artist as he is, the Japanese animator is also a staunch critic of many things. To say the least, a lot of the pieces Hollywood fans would consider masterpieces have faced the wrath of the manga artist. This included Apocalypse Now, Francis Ford Coppola’s best film after The Godfather, which Miyazaki unhesitantly revealed he felt was pointless.

Hayao Miyazaki Has Harsh Criticism for Apocalypse Now

Released in 1979, Apocalypse Now...

On June 19, 1999, Stephen King took a walk — and almost died.

The best-selling writer had gotten into a habit of taking long walks every day, strolling along Route 5 in Maine, "a two-lane blacktop highway that runs between Bethel and Fryeburg," as King described it. While King was walking on that particular June day, a blue van was approaching him, swerving wildly all over the road. Here's what happened next, in King's own words:

"Most of the sight lines along the mile-long stretch of Route 5 that I walk are good, but there is one place, a short steep hill, where a pedestrian heading north can see very little of what might be coming his way. I was three-quarters of the way up this hill when the van came over the crest. It wasn't on the road; it was on the shoulder. My shoulder. I had perhaps three-quarters of a second to register this.

NYC Weekend Watch is our weekly round-up of repertory offerings.

Brooklyn Center for Theatre Research

Éric Rohmer’s A Tale of Autumn screens on Sunday courtesy of Amnesiascope and Rohmer Fits.

Roxy Cinema

A 35mm print of Silent Hill shows Friday and Saturday, as does a Radiohead-scored Nosferatu; the latter day brings Apocalypse Now: Final Cut and a print of Love Streams; Francis Ford Coppola’s Tetro screens on Sunday.

Anthology Film Archives

A Brad Dourif retrospective includes the actor in-person for Wise Blood on Saturday and Horseplayer on Sunday; films by Dreyer play in “Essential Cinema.”

IFC Center

The Guy Maddin series “Forbidden Rooms” begins; black-and-white restoration of Johnny Mnemonic and Julian Schnabel’s Basquiat play, as does a 40th-anniversary restoration of Paris, Texas; Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me, A Nightmare on Elm Street, and Hedwig and the Angry Inch play late.

Museum of Modern Art...

For over fifty years, Francis Ford Coppola has been a towering, and often controversial, figure in American Cinema. His filmography is one of the most legendary of all time and includes some of the greatest movies ever made like The Godfather (1972) and The Godfather Part II (1974), The Conversation (1974), Apocalypse Now (1979), and more. It also includes wild swings—One from the Heart (1982), Rumble Fish (1983), Peggy Sue Got Married (1986), Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992)—which sometimes paid off, but sometimes did not. This year, his forty-year-in-the-making passion project Megalopolis finally hit screens for the general public after a festival run that provoked a mixed critical response to say the least. It is a gigantic movie made on a huge budget with vast, and sometimes impenetrable, ideas. His very first film, however, was a much more modest project, made on a minuscule budget, and…it was a horror movie.

Dementia 13 (1963) is very much a...

Writer/director/producer/composer and vintner Francis Ford Coppola has spent over five decades making movies, becoming a cultural force that few else have proven to be in our lifetimes. His film career has been filled with peaks and valleys, and from making several of the greatest films ever made to flops that have bankrupted him (“One From the Heart”), Coppola has never been hesitant about swinging for the fences in his film projects.

Along the way, Coppola has received 14 Academy Award nominations, winning five Oscars. He is only one of six individuals who have won Oscars for producing, directing and screenplay. Coppola has also been nominated for 16 Golden Globe Awards, winning three. Quite a haul.

His next film, “Megalopolis,” focuses on an architect who has been asked to rebuild New York City after a colossal disaster nearly destroys it, and Coppola plans it to be a film set on an epic scale.

This article contains mild spoilers for "Megalopolis" and "Joker: Folie à Deux."

The film industry has just experienced what seems to me an unprecedented two week span of outrageous misfortune. If we trust the high end of their estimated budgets, Francis Ford Coppola's "Megalopolis" and Todd Phillips' "Joker: Folie à Deux" combined to gross a mere $44 million on exorbitant budgets totaling $344 million.

On the surface, "Megalopolis" would appear to be the bigger disaster; now in its second weekend, the $136 million production has amassed only a paltry $6 million. Granted, Coppola sold his Sonoma Country wineries and borrowed against his new ownership stake in the company that absorbed them to personally finance his physically and intellectually ambitious epic. It's not my money, so I don't care to discuss the wisdom of Coppola's investment; what matters to me is that a massive, star-studded film made without the support of a firmly established...

Screen Legend Francis Ford Coppola Shows Support for Joker: Folie à Deux - Main Image

Francis Ford Coppola will forever be a legend because of his work on The Godfather films and Apocalypse Now, but he’s recently been receiving some bashing with the release of his passion project Megalopolis.

Joker: Folie a Deux has also been getting the same kind of online hate that Megalopolis received, and Coppola has decided to reach out in solidarity with director Todd Phillips.

Francis Ford Coppola Congratulates Joker 2

In a recent post on his Ig, Coppola shared how he has been a fan of Phillips since his work on The Hangover, and talks about enjoying the latest Joker film. Here’s his post:

The caption reads:

“@ToddPhillips films always amaze me and I enjoy them thoroughly. Ever since the wonderful “The Hangover” he’s always one step ahead of the audience never doing what they expect.

Francis Ford Coppola has heaped praise on fellow director Todd Phillips.The 'Megalopolis' helmsman has offered support to the 53-year-old filmmaker after his latest work, 'Joker: Folie a Deux', has opened behind expectations and became the first Hollywood comic book movie to receive just a D in Cinemascore, and he praised the 'Hangover' director for always surprising audiences.Sharing a poster for 'Joker: Folie a Deux' - which stars Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga and features music prominently - Francis wrote on Instagram: "@ToddPhillips films always amaze me and I enjoy them thoroughly. Ever since the wonderful “The Hangover” he’s always one step ahead of the audience never doing what they expect. Congratulations to Joker: Folie à Deux!"The 85-year-old director - whose own latest movie, 'Megalopolis', has also performed poorly at the box office and with critics - also thanked cinematographer Lawrence Sher...

Francis Ford Coppola has revealed the movie he is most proud of. The answer may surprise some.

In a Q&a session on X (formerly Twitter) today, the legendary filmmaker was asked by one fan: “Out of all the films that you’ve made, which one would you say you are the most proud of having made, or which one do you feel best captures your ideas of film as an art form?”

Few living filmmakers have a catalogue to rival Coppola: The Godfather films, Apocalypse Now and The Conversation, to name a few of his most acclaimed.

But those weren’t his choice today. The filmmaker was torn, but replied: “That’s like asking someone with 7 kids, who’s the best? I love them all, but if scratched deeper I might say Rumblefish”.

Interesting choice for sure. 1983 drama Rumble Fish is based on the 1975 novel of the same name by S.E. Hinton,...

This week, Francis Ford Coppola received a standing ovation from more than 150 students after speaking at the U.K.’s top film and television school, The Hollywood Reporter can exclusively reveal.

The legendary filmmaker and Megalopolis director visited the National Film and Television School (Nfts) in Beaconsfield, England, where he offered advice and insight to the audience — and discussed his career-defining moments — during a two-hour “In Conversation” event.

“Francis Ford Coppola’s visit this week gave Nfts students a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to learn from a true master of cinema,” said Nfts director Jon Wardle. “His body of work has inspired a generation of filmmakers.”

The open forum also allowed students to pose questions to Coppola, who is famed for works such as the Oscar-winning Godfather trilogy and Apocalypse Now.

Francis Ford Coppola on a visit to the National Film and Television School.

However Coppola is currently watching Megalopolis get rejected by moviegoers and critics alike.

With Francis Ford Coppola’s long-awaited “Megalopolis” now playing in theaters, many cinephiles have been dazzled and baffled in equal measures by the sprawling passion project. But even if the film itself is polarizing, there’s no denying that it reflects Coppola’s unending passion for cinema and a lifetime spent studying history and art.

Those interested in learning more about Coppola’s unique tastes will be thrilled to find that the “Apocalypse Now” director is this month’s guest picker for Turner Classic Movies. IndieWire can exclusively reveal that the auteur has given his stamp of approval to four iconic films airing on the cable channel in October: James Whale’s “The Bride of Frankenstein,” Michael Curtiz and William Keighley’s “The Adventures of Robin Hood,” Orson Welles’ “The Magnificent Ambersons,” and Marcel Camus’ “Black Orpheus.”

Following in the footsteps of Steven Spielberg and Guillermo del Toro, Coppola elaborated...

Francis Ford Coppola’s latest film “Megalopolis” had a disappointing opening weekend, grossing only $4 million despite a huge $120 million budget. The movie, which was shown in over 1,800 theaters across the country, came in sixth place at the box office behind more family-friendly movies.

“Megalopolis” failed to meet modest expectations of $5-7 million in ticket sales. Critics gave mixed reviews of the ambitious project, with 49% of reviews rated as positive on Rotten Tomatoes. Audiences also rated it poorly with a “D+” CinemaScore. Most viewers who saw it said they did so because of Coppola’s reputation as a famous director known for classics like “The Godfather” trilogy and “Apocalypse Now.”

Several other issues may have kept people away. Some criticized inappropriate behavior on set and misleading quotes used in ads. The serious subject matter was also challenging for general audiences. Furthermore, at 85 years old, Coppola personally funded the entire $120 million budget...

Francis Ford Coppola may just be one of the most well-known and well regarded filmmakers of our time. From The Godfather (1972) to Apocalypse Now (1979), Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992) to The Conversation (1974), his superb filmography still renders him a must-watch for many, even this far along in his career. Expected to be his final film, Megalopolis is as close to a passion project as it comes; self-financed and workshopped since the late 70s, it’s a film that Coppola has had his heart set on making throughout his career. Described as a Roman epic, the story follows genius artist Cesar Catilina (Adam Driver) who seeks to leap the City of New Rome into a utopian, idealistic future, while his opposition, Mayor Franklyn Cicero (Giancarlo Esposito) remains committed to a regressive status quo, perpetuating greed, special interests and partisan warfare. Torn between them is socialite daughter Julia Cicero (Nathalie Emmanuel), the Mayor’s daughter,...

Francis Ford Coppola literally spent decades trying to get his passion project "Megalopolis" made. Eventually, the legendary director behind classics such as "The Godfather" and "Apocalypse Now" decided to hell with it and financed the epic tale himself. After all these years, the film finally hit theaters this past weekend. Unfortunately for Coppola, it was met with a very muted response from moviegoers. While there are several big qualifiers here, the film bombed on opening weekend and there is little reason to believe that things will get better in the coming weeks.

"Megalopolis" opened to an estimated $4 million domestically on just over 1,850 screens, failing to crack the top five on the charts and debuting in sixth place. It placed behind "Speak No Evil" ($4.3 million) in its third weekend and the Indian import "Devara Part 1" ($5.6 million). That opening figure was also well below already modest expectations, as the film was...

Universal and DreamWorks Animation’s “The Wild Robot” landed in first place on box office charts, taking flight on the higher end of expectations with $35 million from 3,962 venues. Meanwhile, Francis Ford Coppola‘s sci-fi epic “Megalopolis” collapsed in its box office debut, collecting an anemic $4 million from 1,854 North American theaters.

Ticket sales for “Megalopolis” were less than initial projections of $5 million to $7 million, which would have been financially disastrous for the $120 million-budgeted film. By comparison, Kevin Costner’s mostly self-funded $100 million-budgeted passion project “Horizon: An American Saga – Part One” arrived to $11 million over the summer before tapping out with $36 million worldwide. As a result, plans to release “Part Two” were indefinitely paused.

With poor word of mouth (the film received a “D+” grade on CinemaScore), “Megalopolis” opened in sixth place behind three holdover titles and the Indian Telugu-language action film “Devara: Part 1.” Reviews have been wildly divisive with the...

Francis Ford Coppola's Megalopolis is a head-scratcher from start to finish, feeling more like a Terrence Malick film than one from the legendary director of Apocalypse Now and The Godfather. While the premise offers an intriguing concept, the muddled storyline and absence of a clear protagonist leave it feeling disjointed. The saving grace, however, comes from the eccentric performances of Shia Labeouf and Aubrey Plaza, which add a spark of unpredictability to an otherwise chaotic film.

Today marks the long-awaited arrival of “Megalopolis,” legendary director Francis Ford Coppola’s first film in 13 years. But the process of getting the experimental epic, about a dreamlike version of New York City where an architect develops the ability to stop time, has been a project over forty years in the making, after Coppola dreamed up the initial idea towards the end of production on “Apocalypse Now” in 1977. Spending years directing work-for-hire films like “Jack” and “The Rainmaker” to fund the ambitious project, a fusion of science fiction with operatic grandeur, Coppola planned to make the movie in 2001, shooting hours of test footage before production halted at least partly due to 9/11.

The day before Coppola’s 80th birthday in 2019, the director announced that the project had been reborn. But without any companies willing to spend the money to finance and distribute the epic, Coppola was forced to take it on himself,...

Much has been said about Francis Ford Coppola's bonkers, pricey sci-fi epic Megalopolis but social media chatter doesn't necessarily translate into ticket sales and the movie looks set to bomb this weekend.

Earning a dismal $770,000 in previews on Tuesday and Thursday night, The Hollywood Reporter reveals that it's tracking to open between $5 million - $7 million at the North American box office. That's not good for a movie which reportedly cost $120 million to produce before marketing (the campaign included a now-deleted trailer with AI-generated fake quotes from critics).

No major Hollywood studio was willing to finance or distribute Megalopolis in North America after seeing it before the Cannes Film Festival but Lionsgate came on board...and won't be on the hook for distribution or marketing costs. As a result, Coppola looks set to lose a fortune.

The cast of Megalopolis includes Adam Driver, Giancarlo Esposito, Nathalie Emmanuel, Aubrey Plaza, Shia Labeouf,...

“Megalopolis” is now playing in theaters, and director Francis Ford Coppola is in the Oscar hunt yet again after already winning multiple Academy Awards throughout his esteemed career. Let’s look back at his many Oscar races.

After building his credits as a screenwriter and director in the 1960s, Coppola’s breakthroughs arrived in the early 1970s with “Patton” and “The Godfather.” He wrote the screenplay to the beloved epic drama “Patton,” directed Franklin J. Schaffner and starring George C. Scott, both of whom won Oscars for the film. Coppola also received his first Academy Award for his original screenplay, which he shared with co-writer Edmund H. North. His only threat in the category that year was “Five Easy Pieces,” which got into Best Picture, but with “Patton” dominating in a bunch of categories that year, winning the Screenplay prize was all but inevitable.

See Ray Richmond: ‘Megalopolis’ trailer...

October 25 will mark 62 years since the release of the first film directed by Francis Ford Coppola: “Come on Out” (later retitled “Tonight for Sure”), a re-edited feature version of three different shorter nudie films he made while a film student at UCLA. It debuted in 1962, right in the middle of the Cuban missile crisis.

With “Megalopolis” opening, he likely has the longest feature film directorial career ever, ahead of Manoel de Oliveira (61 years), Jean-Luc Godard (58), Jerzy Skolimowsky (58), and Frederick Wiseman (56). Clint Eastwood, whose latest film “Juror #2” premieres next month, spans a mere 53 as a director.

To sustain a career that long necessitates a lot of success, which Coppola has had, led by “The Godfather.” But it has been a perilous journey, elongated (“Megalopolis” the most extreme) by his willingness to spend money to keep directing. Of note, his last studio-financed film was “The Rainmaker,” 27 years — and nearly half his career — ago.

"Very often in a movie it's the villain who makes [it work]," he says about making The Godfather. Time to learn some tips & tricks from filmmaking legend Francis Ford Coppola! With the release of his ambitious new epic Megalopolis in theaters this weekend (watch the trailer), Coppola has been out and about conducting interviews with all kinds of journalists. This video posted by IGN features 10 minutes of Francis Ford Coppola discussing his favorite shots from his own favorite films that he has made. "With Megalopolis, Coppola adds to a resume that includes some of the all time greatest films ever made. We got to talk to him about his favorite shots from across his filmography. From The Godfather and The Godfather Part 2 to Apocalypse Now and Bram Stoker's Dracula, to The Conversation and of course Megalopolis, these are, according to the man himself, some of Coppola’s best scenes." This interview was...

The cinematic event of the year is finally upon us now that Francis Ford Coppola's (presumable) swan song "Megalopolis" is playing in theaters, although the overall reactions couldn't be more mixed. In terms of pure drama, the months-long lead up to its release might go down as something just as shocking and over the top as the film itself has been described. Long before the general public ever set eyes upon this passion project about the rise and fall of an empire, the internet has been packed with headlines about behind-the-scenes troubles, alleged sexual harassment, and even a bizarre controversy resulting from AI-generated review pull-quotes.

It's been a wild saga to get to this point, and that's without even getting into the actual reviews of the film. /Film's Chris Evangelista ended up more on the mixed-positive side of the debate in his "Megalopolis" review, calling it a "sprawling, confusing,...

Francis Ford Coppola’s Megalopolis makes its much-anticipated theatrical bow in UK and Ireland cinemas this weekend for Entertainment Film Distributors.

The sci-fi epic will open in at least 300 cinemas and marks The Godfather director’s biggest theatrical release in decades. It stars Adam Driver as a visionary architect tasked with rebuilding the city of New Rome as a modern Utopia.

Megalopolis polarised critics when it premiered at Cannes Film Festival earlier this year and has faced further controversy since, including several allegations of inappropriate behaviour from Coppola towards female extras on the film’s set. This extensive publicity, combined...

An epic film many years in the making, Francis Ford Coppola’s Megalopolis is simultaneously perfect and also tremendously flawed. There is something powerful at work when a filmmaker as talented as Coppola attempts something as avant-garde as Megalopolis; conversely, there is another equally powerful possibility that the entire endeavor could go completely off the rails and end up a convoluted and befuddling vanity project – which, at times, it unfortunately does.

The film is set in an alternate reality wherein the Roman Empire never ceased to exist and instead spread across the globe. This re-imagined modern America however, is not immune from strife, as factions within the government seek to either retain power or seize it for themselves. Amidst all of this, an artist name Cesar Catlina (Adam Driver) seeks to push society forward to what he envisions as a progressive utopia. The opposition however, which includes existing Mayor Franklyn...

Francis Ford Coppola’s sci-fi epic “Megalopolis,” the director’s self-funded passion project, is tracking to a disappointing $5 million to $7 million box office debut.

The film, released by Lionsgate, is expected to play at 1,700 North American theaters in its opening weekend. A single-digit start would be underwhelming for a movie that cost above $100 million to produce.

Coppola has a lot riding on “Megalopolis” because the 85-year-old “Godfather” and “Apocalypse Now” director ended up independently financing the film for $120 million. After its Cannes Film Festival premiere, Lionsgate agreed to release and market the movie in exchange for a distribution fee.

“Megalopolis” is set in a futuristic America and follows an architect (Adam Driver) who clashes with the corrupt mayor (Giancarlo Esposito) in determining how to rebuild the metropolis of New Rome after a disaster. Reviews have been wildly divisive (it holds a 50% on Rotten Tomatoes), which could stoke interest in the film.

American Zoetrope's filmography is kind of mind-boggling. Co-founded by "Movie Brats" Francis Ford Coppola and George Lucas in 1969, the distributor and production company has stayed pretty true to its mission statement of backing not just projects by Coppola and his family, but also experimental and international cinema. The list of directors that've had American Zoetrope in their corner at some point or another is just as extraordinary. There's Jean-Luc Godard, Akira Kurosawa, Wim Wenders, Paul Schrader, Agnieszka Holland, Hans-Jürgen Syberberg, Godfrey Reggio, Carroll Ballard, and, of course, Tim Burton. Wait, what?

It's true: At the peak of his powers in the 1990s, the ringmaster of the "macabre funhouse" (as /Film's Bj Colangelo has aptly put it) teamed up with Coppola's American Zoetrope for 1999's "Sleepy Hollow." 

When you think about it, it's not so surprising that Coppola got in on Burton's creep-tastical revamp of Washington Irving's 1820 short story "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.

Atlas Farted: Coppola’s Labor of Love a Lackluster Saga

While he’s one of the greatest film directors of all time, mostly thanks to a handful of films he delivered during the 1970s New American Cinema movement, Francis Ford Coppola’s long-gestating, wholly self-financed Megalopolis is an unfortunate dud rife with archaic tendencies and stillborn ideas. Out of touch in almost every conceivable way, it’s the riskiest endeavor of his career, which is saying something considering the innovative risks taken with some of his greatest achievements and formidable financial misfires.…...

"I don't care about prizes..." A legend visits the legendary store in Paris! The latest Video Club video from Konbini in Paris is with the one-and-only filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola - there to promote the release of Megalopolis. They've been on a roll (a cinephile's dream job), getting Brad Pitt and Christopher Nolan, but now it's Coppola's turn. And boy does he deliver. It's their banger 100th episode of the Video Club. "The Godfather, Apocalypse Now, Dracula... Francis Ford Coppola is probably the most talked-about director in the history of our Video Club. To celebrate our 100th episode, we couldn't have asked for a more legendary guest." He takes his time strolling around the Parisian video store, chatting about films and filmmakers he admires (and a few he doesn't like), telling stories from his past and his experiences in cinema. He mentions other greats like Akira Kurosawa, Orson Welles, Jean Renoir,...

Marlon Brando was, unarguably, one of the most celebrated actors of all time, but he was also notorious for being a not-so-easy personality to work with, especially during the latter stages of his career. While his seemingly irrational demands and ways of operating (which involved strapping cue cards to sets) were one thing, he was also infamous for clashing with some other actors.

Michael Corleone in The Godfather. | Credits: Paramount Pictures.

For one, Brando had a famous feud with one other thoroughly commended actor who left the world a little time after him: Burt Reynolds. As it turns out, Brando was involved in what was a rather one-sided rivalry with Reynolds during the height of the latter’s career, which even had him nearly quitting his all-time best The Godfather in rage had it brought Reynolds into the cast!

Marlon Brando Nearly Quit The Godfather Because of Burt Reynolds

One...